Want to know how to clean your house in 30 minutes a day?
Is that even possible?
Yes, you can speed-clean your home with these 11 tips and ideas.
We all want to live in a tidy, well-maintained home, but some things in life, are much easier said than done.
No matter what other duties and responsibilities you are juggling in your day-to-day life – work, perhaps raising kids or caring for a family member, trying to invest in hobbies and maintain a social life, etc. – household tasks tend to fall to the end of the priority list and before you know it, your house looks like there was an explosion at a furniture store.
We can often have the best of intentions when it comes to keeping things neat and organized, but we lack the time to bring our dreams of a clean house to fruition.
Thankfully, there are hacks you can use to clean your house fast and efficiently.
11 Speed Cleaning Tips and Ideas
If you have visitors coming over, and only 30 minutes to clean your home, focus on the areas that your guests are going to see.
Areas like the living/dining room, bathroom, and perhaps the kitchen. Close the doors of the rooms you don’t have time to clean.
Guests or not, if you want to know how to clean your home in 30 minutes a day check the tips below.
2 things will help you speed clean your home and that you should have ready before starting to clean: a timer and your cleaning tools.
I have based the time on a two-bedroom house. If your home is bigger maybe you will need some extra time, but if you are really fast it can be accomplished.
Remember that this is speed cleaning and we are not going to clean every little thing.
Also, follow the order that makes more sense to you. For instance, if you are upstairs picking up the clutter, save time by opening the windows and making the beds.
✅ If you have more time to clean your home I wrote an article about how to clean your home in 2 hours or less. And if you only have an hour to clean read how to clean your home in 1 hour.
1. Set A Timer
This may seem silly, but you would be surprised how much time most people waste while “cleaning” because they get distracted by an item they found.
They remembered that phone call they were supposed to make last week, or they checked something on their phone only to get sucked into the rabbit hole of social media.
If you tell yourself that you’re going to devote your entire day to cleaning, then rest assured it will take you the whole day.
But if you tell yourself you only have 30 minutes, and set a timer to remind yourself to ignore distractions and keep moving no matter what, you might be amazed at how focused you become and how much you can accomplish.
If you need a timer this one is a good one.
2. Collect Your Tools
It can be difficult to clean your home in an intentional, productive way when your cleaning supplies are scattered among random cupboards throughout the house.
One minute you’re making great progress in the bathroom, and the next minute you’re running downstairs and through the living room to retrieve that new set of sponges you decided to store under the kitchen sink.
Before you begin cleaning, use a caddy or other storage container to collect all the items you will need to get the job done – cleaning solutions, paper towels, sponges, disinfecting wipes, duster, garbage bag, anything and everything you might need as you make your way through the house on your fast-paced cleaning extravaganza.
Make sure you also have the vacuum cleaner and laundry basket at hand.
You will save so much time just by having everything in one place, and that time can be devoted to actual cleaning rather than taking a detour to the basement to grab that new bottle of Scrubbing Bubbles.
Once you have the timer and the cleaning tools and supplies ready, it is time to declutter and clean.
3. One Laundry Basket, One Garbage Bag (5 minutes)
First, quickly make your way through the house collecting items that either need to be thrown away or simply do not belong where they are currently located.
That old food wrapper on the coffee table? Throw it in the garbage bag.
The pair of shoes your husband kicked off in front of the TV and never put away? Put them in the laundry basket for easy transportation.
That annoying squeaker toy that just keeps showing up everywhere at all times? It is up to you to decide whether that ends up, in the laundry basket or the garbage bag, but you get the idea.
This way, you can collect items as you move through the house rather than having to restore each found item back to its proper place individually, making a thousand unnecessary and time-consuming trips around the house in the process.
And just wait for the wave of relief you feel each time you toss something in that garbage bag!
4. Dishwasher & Clean Kitchen Sink (2 minutes)
Spray a disinfecting solution in your kitchen sink and while it works, place your dishes in the dishwasher. Finish by rinsing the sink with hot water and polishing the faucet.
5. Dust and Wipe Down (5 minutes)
Use a microfiber duster, like this one, in all the areas that need dusting. Light and gentle, a duster is perfect for picking up visible dust quickly and without knocking things over.
Spray down your hard surfaces like counters and tabletops and wipe them with a clean microfiber cloth. A faster way is using disinfecting cleaning wipes with the added bonus that they will kill germs like a boss.
6. Bathroom (3 minutes)
Pour bleach or a disinfectant solution down the toilet bowl. Spray the rest of the toilet and sink with a disinfecting solution or clean it using disinfecting wipes. Flush the toilet and finish cleaning the sink, including the faucet.
- For tips about cleaning your bathroom read 11 Bathroom Cleaning Hacks
7. Clean Mirrors (2 minutes)
Nothing shows a rushed cleaning job like fingerprints on a mirror. Grab your glass cleaner and some paper towels and wipe those mirrors down. A clean mirror goes a long way in making your home look spotless.
8. Quick Vacuum (5 minutes)
Focus on high-traffic areas, corners, and the spots with the most dirt.
Definitely vacuum the main thoroughfares where people regularly enter the home, like the area around the front door or the entrance from the garage, as these are the areas most likely to have visible dirt.
9. Fluff Pillows and Fold Blankets (3 minutes)
If you have lots of throw pillows and blankets on your couches, make sure you fluff the pillows to make them look full and fresh, and fold or straighten any blankets that are in plain sight.
While this may seem like a minor detail, you’d be surprised how messy an otherwise clean living room can feel when there is a blanket balled up on the couch.
10. Replace Towels (3 minutes)
Nothing says “fresh and clean” like towels that are soft, and smell like they just came out of the dryer. Take a moment to replace your towels in the bathrooms and kitchen, and throw the old ones in the laundry.
You’ll be glad you didn’t miss this step!
11. Make Beds (2 minutes)
When you are in a hurry and don’t have time to air the beds, just open the windows, and quickly remake the bed.
RELATED ARTICLE: clean and keep your home organized
Final Thoughts
Cleaning can feel like a daunting task, especially when life has been busy and the chores pile up.
But by taking a focused approach to your cleaning, you might be pleasantly surprised at how much you can get done, and how much cleaner your house will feel, after only 30 minutes of work!
Helpful tips to maintain a clean house:
- 30 things you can quickly disinfect at home
- 25 kitchen cleaning hacks and tips
- 10 spring cleaning tips to deep clean your home
Have any tips to add to how to clean your house in 30 minutes a day? Thanks for sharing!
