A nice clean house is something that we all strive to have and maintain. But, life can come at you fast and so does clutter and grime. If your short on time to clean, your not alone. Many have to squeeze in the time to keep a tidy and clean home.
If your short on time, and ready to dive in. Here are some tips and tricks to allow you to clean your house in two hours or less.
Whether you’re expecting guests in a couple of hours or you want to do some quick cleaning, you should read on below to find out how to speed clean your home.
So, What’s the Best Way to Clean My House?
You might be surprised to learn that the best way to clean your house is not cleaning room by room. Cleaning room by room takes too much time. https://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?o=1&p=290&l=ur1&category=prime_up&banner=0S4HEVQ6ATW71EN1CDR2&f=ifr&linkID=5dece69c28efd30c77134056af42e655&t=urbanaway-20&tracking_id=urbanaway-20
A lot of people get caught up cleaning just one room of the house. You might spend four hours cleaning the kitchen. That’s great. It’ll leave you with a spotless kitchen. But it also means that you won’t have enough time to work on the rest of your house.
Instead of cleaning thoroughly room by room, you should consider just doing a quick clean of an area then moving on to the next area. This method is much faster and more efficient.
Clean Top To Bottom & Left To Right
Don’t clean a room based on the size of the furniture. So, don’t clean starting with the coffee table, then moving on to the blinds. Instead, start from the top of the room and work your way down to the floor. Likewise, clean from right to left.
Following this system allows you to cover the entire room quickly. It also ensures that you don’t end up cleaning the same areas twice.
Keep Your Tools Handy
Make sure all the tools and cleaning products you need are within arm’s reach. Keeping your tools handy ensures that you don’t waste time going back and forth, preparing your tools.
An easy way to keep your tools handy is by wearing an apron and filling the pockets with your cleaning products. Alternatively, you can wear a carpenter’s tool belt, which serves the same purpose.
Dust Without Spraying
Feather dusters are great for cleaning nooks and crannies. They’re also great for cleaning smaller objects such as pictures.
Consider using an ostrich feather duster. The feathers of this type of duster tackle dust well, and the quills don’t fall out of the handle. If you dust correctly and use the right kind of duster, you won’t need to waste extra time spraying down surfaces,
Lemon Cleaner
Rust stains are eyesores. But, you don’t need to whip out acid to remove them. Lemon juice works just as well as acid. The acid in lemon juice works to dissolve the rust on most surfaces.
Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the lemon juice on the stain. Be sure to let the lemon juice soak in for around ten minutes.
You may have to use a stiff bristle brush to work in the lemon juice into the affected area for more stubborn stains. Then, rinse off the lemon juice and rust using clean water.
Clean as a Group
One of the easiest ways to clean a house quickly is to involve the rest of the family. Schedule a time that works for everyone and clean the whole house as a team. Consider dividing tasks equally among the members of the household.
Not only does cleaning as a group lower the amount of time you’ll spend, but it’s also great fun.
You can make cleaning the house into a game for your children. Having races on who can clean up items off the floor; or put there toys away is a great way to get everyone excited about cleaning.
Move While You Vacuum
Don’t worry about covering the entire floor while you vacuum. Just keep moving through the house and run the vacuum over as much of the floor as you can. Don’t worry about going back to areas you’ve already covered. When it comes to speed cleaning, one pass with a vacuum is enough.
Some areas will need more attention, but after you have run the vacuum over the whole house. It will be much easier to target those areas that need more spot cleaning.
Remove Mineral Deposits
Mineral deposits are the gunk that forms in your sink. You may instinctively want to clean them with bristle brushes or pads. However, you should avoid using these tools, as they may scratch the faucet.
Instead, use white vinegar. Pour a small amount of vinegar on a clean cloth and wipe down the faucets.
Cleaning faucets and fixtures, may seem like something to overlook. But guest really tend to notice, a clean sink, door handle and mirror.
Squeegee Windows
Windex and paper towels don’t always work great when it comes to cleaning windows. Instead, you may consider using a window squeegee.
Start by dropping some dish soap in a gallon of water. Then, wipe it generously onto the window. Finally, use the squeegee to wipe it off. Wipe the squeegee from top to bottom, and you’ll find yourself with a clear and clean window.
Many home cleaning companies, have squeegees instead of paper towels. So, it’s best to imitate the professionals in this case.
Clean Regularly
If you want to spend less time cleaning, you need to clean more often. It sounds strange, but it works.
This is a huge tip, that can make your life a lot easier. By taking time out of your day, to clean and tidy up your preventing yourself from spending hours cleaning.
As a busy household, we tend to clean up after the kids have gone to sleep. That way we know, we don’t have to re-clean again till the next night.
If you only clean your house once a year, you will have a more challenging time cleaning. If you clean each week, likely, you’ll only spend a few minutes cleaning per session. You’ll be maintaining cleanliness instead of catching up with cleaning.
Running Out of Time ? Fake It
Faking it might sound like cheating, but it’s useful if you’ll be having guests coming over on short notice. Instead of cleaning your house, fake it to give your home the illusion of cleanliness.
1. Odor Control
Use your favorite air freshener to spruce up any room and remove unpleasant scents. Pay attention to areas near the trash bins. Turn up the air conditioner or open the windows to allow the stale air to escape.
If you don’t have an air freshener, throw something sweet and taste into the oven. The food will double as a treat for your guests and as a natural air freshener.
2. Clutter Control
Clutter makes your house look messy. Grab a laundry basket and put all the knick-knacks and clutter inside. Don’t worry about sorting them out or keeping them away. Stash the laundry basket in a back room until your houseguests leave.
3. Living Room Surfaces
Your guests will probably spend the most time in the living room. So, you’ll want to give the living room the most attention.
You’ve already taken care of unpleasant scents and clutter. Now, it’s time to tidy up surfaces. Quickly work over surfaces, such as the living room table, and remove as much clutter as possible.
4. Bathroom
Grab some disinfecting wipes and an all-purpose spray. Quickly wipe down all the surfaces and remove any clutter. Don’t forget to wipe down the mirror. Remember that at this point, the goal isn’t to thoroughly clean. The goal is to make everything look clean.
To be honest, cleaning is just apart of life and you can make it fun if you create a strategy that works for you. Cleaning can also be soothing, if you play your favorite music, or throw on a podcast to listen to.
In conclusion, If you haven’t cleaned your house in a while, you’re probably going to need to perform a thorough clean eventually. Otherwise, you should be OK with speed cleaning. Follow the tips we’ve listed above, and you’ll be able to tidy up your entire home in two hours or less.
