Tips, tricks, and hacks to clean your house fast

General house cleaning tips to speed up the process

Collect cleaning supplies in a caddy

• Duster
• Glass cleaner
• Bathroom and kitchen cleaning solutions
• Rags, sponges, microfiber cloths, and paper towels

Splurge on a few high-quality tools

Pull double-duty

• Start a load of laundry.
• Run the dishwasher.

Clean top to bottom and left to right

• Remove clutter and put items back where they belong.
• Take out things that need to be washed, like used bath and kitchen towels, rugs, bed sheets, and more. Wash them in their respective machines.
• Dust all surfaces and items on top of surfaces, like ceiling fans, bookshelves, and tall dressers.
• Spray and scrub surfaces.
• Vacuum.
• Mop and clean floors.

Block out time to clean on your calendar

Fast house cleaning tips for every room

Bathroom

• Before you spray anything, run the exhaust fan and open a window, and don't apply two different cleaners at the same time. Many toilet bowl cleaners are acidic and many bathroom sprays contain bleach — combined, they release chlorine gas. Pick one product per surface, and if you're switching products, rinse the first surface thoroughly before applying the second. Never mix cleaners in the same bottle or bucket.
• Always clear the space first. Remove toiletries, shampoo bottles, trash cans and bath rugs from the counters and floor before you start. Then spray bathroom cleaner on your shower walls, bathtub, sink, and countertop, and let it sit while you tackle other tasks. If you have a rubber or vinyl non-slip tub mat, spray both sides of that too — the underside traps the most soap scum and mildew.
• Complete other tasks as the cleaners sit. While the solutions work on the counters, toilet, and tub, toss your towels and fabric bath mats in the washing machine, and throw away old or unused products from your drawers and cabinets.
• Do the floors last. If you don’t want to clean your bathroom floors twice, save this step for the end. Remember: always clean top to bottom.
• Use an electric bathroom scrubber. Instead of scrubbing with a sponge or brush by hand, consider getting an electric shower or toilet scrubber to speed up the cleaning process.

Kitchen

• Clean while the dishwasher is running. Get dirty dishes sparkling clean while you work on the rest of your kitchen.
• Clean as the dishes soak. If you don’t have a dishwasher, put your dishes in the sink. Let dishes with caked-on food and liquids soak in hot water with soap while you clean other parts of your kitchen.
• Clean the oven on a separate day. It's tempting to run a self-clean cycle while the dishwasher goes, but the cycle takes hours, fills the kitchen with heat and smoke, and needs you around to keep an eye on it. For a same-day clean, wipe up loose debris and spot-clean spills instead, and schedule the self-clean cycle for another time.
• Wipe counters and appliances near the end. After you’ve cleared the countertops and put all the food away, tackle your appliances and counters. Do this near the end so you don’t add new fingerprints and smudges to surfaces you’ve already wiped clean.
• Shake out kitchen mats. Before you clean the floors, make sure all crumbs and dirt from the kitchen mats are on the floor so you can sweep them up easily.
• Vacuum, sweep, and mop the floors last. Get rid of any debris that hit the kitchen floor. Mop the surface, too.

Living room

• Start at the ceiling and work your way down. If you have a ceiling fan or lights, dust those areas first. Remove cobwebs and dust from ceiling corners and along trim or molding. Then wipe down your shelves and tabletops.
• Check underneath the cushions and furniture. Remove dirt, dust, crumbs, and even food wrappers from these areas before you vacuum and clean upholstery.
• Clean while stain removers work. Many stain removal products need a few minutes to work. While you’re waiting for the solution to remove the wine stain on the couch, focus on cleaning other areas in the room, like the TV and electronics.
• Clean your baseboards before your floors. Always remove dust from your baseboards before you vacuum, sweep, or mop your living room floors.

Kids’ bedrooms

• Make cleaning a game. Get your kids involved in the cleaning fun. Ask them to help you clean and put things away to cut down on cleaning time.
• Add some labels. Help your kids — and yourself — remember where every book, doll, game, and action figure goes by adding labels to cubbies, toy boxes, or baskets. This can make cleaning their rooms faster.
• Sort the clothes on the floor. Dirty clothes go straight into the hamper, and anything clean goes back in the closet or drawer. Doing both in one pass beats circling the room twice.
• Look for hidden messes. Before you start vacuuming or wiping down surfaces, check underneath and behind the bed, inside cushions, and in closet corners for hidden messes. There’s nothing worse than cleaning a child’s bedroom, thinking you’re done, and then finding spilled drinks, crumbs, or food wrappers in a hidden spot. Make sure you’ve found all the messy areas before you start getting your hands dirty.

Habits and tools that will make it easier to clean next time

• Make the bed every morning. Your bed is likely the largest item in your room and, therefore, a focal point. Simply making the bed and smoothing out the sheets and comforter can instantly make a room look much cleaner and more organized.
• Toss expired items. Every week, throw away expired food from your kitchen, refrigerator, freezer, and pantry in a trash bag and take it out.
• Clean as you go. If you notice a surface is dusty or dirty, clean it right away. Wipe down the kitchen after cooking and scrub off toothpaste in the bathroom immediately. When the laundry basket or dishwasher is full, run a load. Put the contents away when they’re clean.
• Make organizers your friend. Organizers and shelves can make cleaning much easier. Add them to drawers and closets to give yourself more surface area to work with. Organizers make it easier to put things away and keep everything clean.
• Embrace spring — and fall, winter, and summer — cleaning. Every season, take a day or a weekend to go through your belongings. Choose which ones to keep, throw away, donate, or recycle.
• Decrease clutter by only purchasing things you need. Having fewer things means you have fewer things to organize and clean. Try setting a 24-hour rule, where you wait a day before purchasing something you want.
• Convert physical items to digital. Another way to eliminate excess items in your home is to convert physical items like paper, photos, and videotapes into digital files. Use a scanner to store photographs. Upload videos to your computer. Opt for paperless billing and communications whenever possible.
• Designate a “home” for every item you have. Put things back where they belong every day. Perhaps scissors go in a junk drawer divider, and toys go in a chest. Before bed, pick up anything left out and put it away.
• Split up chores. If you have a spouse, partner, roommate, or kids, divide weekly cleaning responsibilities throughout the household. If you have kids, reward cleaning with a weekly allowance or turn it into a game.
• Schedule big cleaning tasks. Some bigger cleaning tasks don’t need to happen weekly, like emptying and cleaning your whole fridge, moving furniture for cleaning, or organizing and cleaning your kitchen cabinets. Divide and schedule these tasks throughout the year so they’re more manageable and spread out over time.
• Automate cleaning. Another way to speed up your cleaning routine is to use a robot or self-cleaning device. For example, invest in a robot vacuum and mop that will clean for you.
• Delight your sense of smell. Part of a clean home is how it smells, too. Take out garbage and recycling bins when they’re full. Clean dirty dishes instead of leaving them in the sink. You can also use a room spray or furniture spray to make rooms smell nicer.

Hire a house cleaning service when you’re short on time