10 Speed Cleaning Tips
by Janine, May 2021Sometimes, we’re caught unaware by a surprise visitor with 5 minutes notice, or we have a spare quarter of an hour to make the house look presentable before the kids arrive home. Whatever the situation, it’s handy to know how to ‘speed clean’ your home when you just need a quick transformation for minimal effort.
So, here’s our top 10 speed cleaning tips – direct from those who know best… Well Polished cleaners!
1. Invest in a cleaning caddy
Whether it’s a caddy, bucket or bag, having everything you need to clean in one portable place makes it much easier to get the job done. You won’t waste time gathering your tools and you’ll be able to move everything from room to room quickly and efficiently.
2. Utilise boxes and baskets
Decorative boxes and woven baskets can prove a life saver when you’re looking to speed clean your home. Having somewhere to hide clutter in plain sight for you to properly deal with later will mean you can easily clear surfaces before cleaning.
3. Focus on the obvious
When you’re speed cleaning, you don’t have time to get into the nooks and crannies. As you’re vacuuming, keep moving constantly – get the obvious, easy to spot spaces cleaned and don’t worry about the details for now.
4. Spray and leave
Spray cleaner on the kitchen sink then on bathroom sinks, showers and toilets. Let it sit for a few minutes so the cleaner has time to dissolve dirt and stains. Then return to the kitchen and start scrubbing.
5. Top to bottom, left to right
Don’t start a room by wiping the coffee table, then cleaning the blinds, only to watch the dust from the blinds coat your newly cleaned coffee table. Start at the top and work your way down. Likewise, cleaning left to right ensures that you cover the entire room instead of darting from place to place.
6. Create an impression
Speed cleaning is realistically all about creating the impression of ‘cleanliness’, rather than trying to achieve it for real. So, start at the hallway. That’s where guests form their first impression, and also the first thing you see when you get home. From there, you’ll move onto the more “public” areas of your house — the kitchen, living room, and guest bathroom.
7. Embrace candles
A scented candle not only helps to make your home smell nice, but the sight of a flickering flame also creates the illusion of an organised and well presented home.
8. Make the beds
You might be able to skip this step if your guests are unlikely to head upstairs, but if not, making your bed is the ultimate quick fix to a room looking clean and tidy.
9. Use a timer
If you find that you’re inclined to lose track of time and get distracted, a great thing to combat that is to use a timer. Set a timer for 10 minutes or however long it should take you to complete your task and then move onto the next thing when it goes off.
10. Stick to a schedule
Once you’ve mastered your speed cleaning routine, don’t deviate. Try not to get distracted from the task at hand – having your schedule written down and ticking off as you go will help keep you focused.
And there you have it – our top 10 tips for speed cleaning your home! If you’d prefer to book a regular weekly cleaner, and therefore never have to panic about whether your property is ‘guest-ready’ again, get in touch with your local Well Polished office by entering your postcode below.