I don’t know about you but on a given day my list of tasks to complete seem to be never ending. With both work and home responsibilities, I can work from sunrise to sunset if I don’t set boundaries! Thankfully, I have set boundaries which means that I don’t have a lot of time to devote to cleaning and tidying tasks, yet they still remain a non-negotiable on my daily list of tasks to complete.

If you understand the struggle of maintaining a clean home with limited time, this article which focuses on how to clean your house in 30 minutes is for you! In this article, we’re going to discuss the secrets of speed cleaning that will upgrade your home maintenance routine.

Get ready to say goodbye to long cleaning sessions and embrace the joy of a clean and tidy home in a small amount of time. With these strategies and time-saving techniques, you’ll be able to clean your entire home without sacrificing your entire day. Let’s dive in and discover the cleaning steps that can allow you to clean your house in 30 minutes.

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Declutter

To achieve a clean and tidy home in 30 minutes means that you will need to first have LESS items to clean. This only happens through decluttering which is a step that cannot be overlooked. Decluttering is a concept that means that we analyze our items and part ways with items that no longer serve a purpose.  When decluttering we should only keep items according to the space that we have. For example, if I have more clothes than my closet or dresser can hold, I need to declutter and part ways with some of my clothes.

An abundance of items in your home is a primary reason you may struggle to keep your home clean.

When decluttering your home it’s helpful to prepare 4 boxes or bags.  Label the boxes or bags Donate, Sell, Trash, and New Home.  This will allow the decluttering process to go smoother.  If you are struggling with ideas of items to declutter, this article has over 90 items that you can declutter now!

Create a Cleaning Plan

After you declutter items in your home, it’s time to consider a cleaning plan. By creating a cleaning plan, you’ll have a step-by-step guide that will allow you to know specific steps you will need to take.

When creating your cleaning plan or checklist take a few minutes to map out your plan. This can be done on a sheet of paper. Think about areas that you clean daily in your home or items that need to be cleaned and write these areas down.  Include your kitchen, bathrooms, living room, bedrooms and other areas that require your attention.

Tip: Create columns for organization when writing your list

Next, write down specific cleaning tasks under each column and area. For example, in the kitchen, you might include wiping down countertops, cleaning the sink, and cleaning out the refrigerator.

Then level the items according to how often you complete the cleaning tasks.

Level 1 cleaning tasks are cleaning tasks that you will complete each day

Example: Clean the kitchen, wipe down the counters

Level 2 cleaning tasks are cleaning tasks that you complete once a week

Example: Strip beds of linen, wash linen, mop

Level 3 cleaning tasks are cleaning tasks that you complete once a month or each season

Ex. Clean baseboards, organize closet, change filters

For this article, our goal is to clean our home in 30 minutes each day which means that our focus will be on Level 1 activities.

On Sundays or a day of your choice include a few additional steps to reset your home completing level  2 and level 3 cleaning tasks.

Tools and Supplies

Now that you have a list of cleaning tasks to complete, consider the tools and supplies you’ll need to complete them and gather the list of cleaning activities. Remember we don’t have any time to waste! Take a quick inventory of your cleaning supplies and make sure you have everything on hand. Place these items in a caddy or have a set in specific areas of your home.  We currently live in a home that has an upstairs and downstairs so I keep cleaning supplies on both levels.

Here’s a list of the basic cleaning supplies you’ll want to have on hand:

1. Multipurpose Cleaner
2. Microfiber Cloths
3. Vacuum Cleaner or broom
4. Mop or Swiffer
5. Window Cleaner
6. Toilet Brush
7. Gloves
8. Paper Towels

How To Clean Your House In 30 Minutes Schedule

We’ve talked about decluttering, creating a cleaning plan, leveling cleaning tasks, and important cleaning items to have on hand.  Now it’s time to talk about what a actual cleaning plan will look like for you.  As you create your cleaning plan remember this cleaning plan must work focusing on the areas in your home that matter the most to you.  Also, remember that we only have 30 minutes each day which means that it’s important to prioritize and focus on the areas in your home that will have the biggest impact on cleanliness and appearance.

If other areas need cleaning attention, ask yourself “Can someone help with these areas?”  My children and spouse currently help with daily tasks as I believe that everyone should take ownership in keeping our home clean and tidy.

Below is a sample plan that details cleaning tasks that are a priority and matters the most to me.  For example, a clean kitchen is a priority so I clean it everyday.  Dusting is not a high priority for me so it’s a cleaning task that I do not do daily.  Instead, we dust twice a week (this a chore that my daughter completes).

30 Minutes Speed Cleaning Schedule

Living Room

Return every item back to its home-5 minutes

Kitchen

Clean Counters-4 minutes

Load dishwasher-6 minutes (unload each morning)

Take out the trash-3 minutes

Sweep-2 minutes

Bathroom

Clean mirrors-2 minutes

Clean sink-2 minutes

Scrub toilet-2 minutes

Bedroom

Make Bed-3 minutes

Place dirty clothes in hamper-1 minute

Time: 3o minutes

Tip: Set a timer and limit distractions during this time!

Final Thoughts

Keeping your home clean shouldn’t require you to clean for hours each day.  A daily house cleaning routine that allows you to keep your home clean is totally doable! This article discussed how to clean your house in 30 minutes. As you create a speed cleaning routine or a daily cleaning routine, make sure to include how traffic areas and areas that matter the most to you.

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We hosted a small gathering this weekend for our daughter’s 8^th birthday party. We celebrated with family who traveled to celebrate her birthday and she couldn’t have been more excited! This year she wanted Mira-themed decorations and cake.  Her birthday requests were pretty simple which allowed me to really plan for the arrival of our parents and guests who traveled six hours.  While we put a lot of planning into the arrival of our guests (read this article on how to prepare for the perfect guest room), I learned a few years ago that post-party tasks are just as important!  Cleaning up after a party is one task that I complete immediately after my guests leave for many reasons.

First, cleaning up after a party allows me to reset my home, which allows my family to quickly settle back into a routine.  I have found with children this is important.  Also, I learned that during a party there may be spills (especially if there are kids at the party) and slight damage.  By cleaning up after a party, I can address the spills and damages quickly.

Let’s jump into the 5 strategies that can help you clean up after a party.

By implementing these tips after a party in your home, your home may become cleaner than it was before the party!

Knowing When To Clean Up

Don’t wait to clean up days after your party.

While the actual time that you clean up after a party will be different for everyone, don’t let too much time linger before you start to clean up your home.

One huge determining factor to consider is the time that the party ends.  If your party ends during the day, you may be able to clean your home immediately after.

However, if your party ends late at night, get some rest and begin cleaning the next day.

Tip: If you host a party, try to clear your schedule the following day.  This will allow you flexibility and built-in time to clean at your own pace as you may be mentally tired from the party.  Although a successful party is fun, it takes a lot of planning, time, and effort.

Stock Up On Cleaning Supplies

Planning for a party will require several trips to the store. Often the week before Party City, Walmart, and Target seem like a second home.  While picking up items for your party, be sure to also pick up cleaning supplies.  Below are some cleaning supplies that are must-haves.  Anita Housekeeping refers to these items as a first aid kit for your party!

• Paper towels or cleaning towels
• Counter cleaner
• Mop cleaner
• Heavy-duty trash bags
• Multi-Purpose cleaner
• Stain cleaner

You will also need household staples such as a broom and mop.

If you already have these items in your home, you’re all set.

Clear The Rooms

Before you attempt to clean your home, you have to clear and declutter your home.

After your guests have left and the party has ended the first step is to clear your home of the party supplies and trash.

Party supplies are often reusable which comes in handy if you host parties on a frequent basis.  Clean the party supplies if needed and place the reusable party supplies in a box or a bin.

After all of the party supplies have been put away, grab a heavy-duty trash bag!

Go through each room in your home and throw away all trash (plates, cups, wrapping paper, etc).

Our guests are always respectful and don’t intentionally leave trash in our home but there are always cups and small pieces of trash left behind.

Tip: Depending on the type of party, paper products for eating and drinking will allow your after-party cleaning routine to go by faster.

Clean Your Wet Areas

After picking up all of the trash in your home it’s time to address and clean what I like to call the wet areas in your home.

Wet areas are areas in your home that will often become wet.  The bathroom is often known as a wet area but I also identify my kitchen as a wet area.

I often start with the kitchen.

First, clear the counters of any party supplies and put away any food that is left over.

Often there is food left over and can be used lunch or dinner for the next day!

Although paper products will cut down your cleaning time, there are some plates and dishes that will need to be cleaned.  Clean and put the dishes away or load and start your dishwasher.

Next, clean your counters and sweep.

After you complete these activities, your kitchen should begin to resemble what your kitchen looks like on a regular day.

After cleaning the kitchen move on to the bathrooms.  This is an important step as many people probably used this room during the party. Make sure to clean AND disinfect your bathrooms.

After cleaning the bathrooms, sweep the bathroom, and end with mopping both your kitchen and bathroom floors.

Your home is almost clean!

Reset, Return, and Reorganize

If you moved any furniture for the party, return the furniture to its original place. Ask for help if the items are heavy.

If you hosted a birthday party or party in which you received gifts or your kiddos received gifts don’t let the gifts stay in the boxes or bags.  This will cause clutter in your home!

Remove the gifts from the gift boxes and bags, finding a new “home” in your home for the gifts.

If the gifts are for your children who already have a vast amount of toys consider rotating their toys.  When you rotate your toys you simply divide the toys into groups, changing the groups out throughout the year.

This strategy helps kids from becoming bored with their toys.

Final Thoughts

Hosting a party is always a good time to connect with your family and friends!  So many memories have been made at parties that we have hosted.

Pre-planning is an important piece of party planning but post-planning is just as important as well!

After a fun and exciting party, it’s always nice to have your home back to its normal state.

Cleaning up after your party will just do that!

What steps do you take to clean your home up after a party?

 

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Having a home that is consistently clean can seem intimidating. However, if you put in the effort and create systems that work for you and your family, keeping a clean home will become an effortless routine!  It will require time, habits, and planning but I promise that it is possible and most importantly worth it.  With a clean home, you will experience less stress, create a calm environment in your home, and gain back time in your day.  With that being said let’s jump in and discover 10 ways to keep your house clean!

1.Declutter Ruthlessly

The best tip that I have learned in keeping a clean house is to have fewer items to clean!

The more things that I had in my home the harder my home was to clean.  I was constantly trying to organize and find space for items which was an endless cycle.  When I begin to declutter and remove items from my home, the time that it took to clean my home decreased drastically.

After you declutter ruthlessly, continue to declutter items in your home and monitor the items that you bring into your home.  Have a designated box or bin in your home that you can quickly add items to that no longer serve a purpose in your home.

2. Have a schedule that includes daily, weekly, and monthly tasks

When cleaning your home there are things that need to cleaned daily, weekly, and monthly.

Dividing your cleaning tasks has many positive benefits. First, it allows you to create a schedule that establishes predictability.  Next by chunking your cleaning activities, you reduce your stress levels as you realize that you do not have to complete cleaning task every day.  Here are suggestions of daily tasks to keep your home clean.

There are also weekly and monthly cleaning tasks that you will want to complete for a clean and organized home.

Daily

Clean and clear counters

Take out the trash

Return all items to their “homes”

Vacuum (every other day)

Make your bed

Load the dishwasher

Sort and shred mail

Weekly

Complete your laundry (Include towels and linen)

Sweep and mop

Clean your bathrooms

Clean your kitchen

Declutter your refrigerator and freezer

Declutter your pantry

Clean microwave

Dust

Clean and sanitize doors and door knobs

Monthly

Check your air filters

Clean your oven

Clean your washing machine

Clean your dishwasher

3. Have a laundry schedule

Laundry can become a mountain of clutter quickly if you don’t address it!

Depending on the size of your family you will also want to create a laundry schedule to ensure that your laundry does not become overwhelming.

If you have a reset day (Click here to learn about a reset day) in your home, strive to complete all of your laundry on this day.

Schedule another day to complete a couple of loads of laundry OR you can wash a load of laundry each day.

Tip:  When you wake in the morning, place a load of clothes of in the washer and dryer before you leave for work or school.  When you get home, fold and put the clothes away.

4. Read The Labels Of Cleaning Products

There are thousands of cleaning products!  When purchasing your cleaning products, be sure to read the labels.  Most products have specific purposes.  For example, some products are meant to clean, sanitize, or disinfect.  While the words are often used together they are different.

Cleaning products are meant to remove dirt while sanitizing products lowers the number of germs on a service.  Disinfecting kills germs on objects.

Tip: Purchase a multipurpose cleaner that often has a combination of chemicals.

5. Don’t Clean one room at a time

Cleaning one room at a time, can jeopardize your time.  If you become too involved and focused on one room, you may lose track of time and not be able to clean multiple rooms.

Start with one cleaning task and complete this task in each room in your home.  For example, if you are vacuuming your home, vacuum one room and go to the next room until all the rooms have been vacuumed.

Tip: Make a cleaning caddy with multipurpose cleaning items that you can move from quickly room to room.

6. Clean from the top down

When cleaning a room start from the top down.  For example, if you were to dust a room in your home, you would start with the ceiling fan and dust other areas under the fan next. If you did the opposite, the dust would fall on top of an area that you previously dusted which means your cleaning would be in vail.

By starting from the top of the room and working your way down you are ensuring that you will not have to double the amount of work.

 

7. Make your bed every day

Complete daily habits that motivate you to accomplish other cleaning tasks in the home.  Making your bed each day is a huge motivator in the area of cleaning.  Start your day with making your bed and you will be inspired to clean other areas in your home.

Verywll Mind also lists other benefits that happen when individuals make their beds each day.  Enhanced organization, improved focus, less stress, and a feeling of accomplishment can all occur by simply just making your bed!

Tip: Taking out the trash daily is another habit that will help you keep your house clean.

8. Make It A Family Affair

Include all of your family members in the cleaning process.  When children see you cleaning at a young age, they often want to help.

Let them help!

As they become older, identify their strengths and assign them specific chores that will help with the cleanliness of the home.

9. Use Labels

To help your family members with the cleaning process, label where items belong in your home.  This will help them readily know where items belong in your home which saves time and eases frustration in the cleaning process.

When labeling items and creating categories and zones for items in your home, strive to keep the categories simple.

Creating too many categories can become tedious and overwhelming especially for your family members.

Tip: If you have children in your home, use incorporate visuals on your labels.  This will help them determine where items belong.

10. Keep It Simple

Lastly, we all have busy lives that require us to complete many activities and make multiple decisions in a day.  When cleaning your home keep it simple!

By not complicating your cleaning process, you will be more motivated to clean your home, others in the home will understand the cleaning process (less work for you), and you will save time when cleaning your home.

Creating a schedule that incorporates a routine and breaks down your cleaning activities will also help you keep it simple.

Remember purchasing multipurpose cleaners will also help you keep it simple when cleaning multiple rooms.

Final Thoughts

This article discussed daily and practice tasks to keep your home clean.

Although we discussed 10 ways to keep your house clean, start with 1-2 habits and slowly add in additional routines.

This will allow you to not feel overwhelmed which will help the habits stick.

Feel free to detail how you will keep your home clean in the comments.

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