How to Speed Clean Your House

Keeping your house clean isn’t always the easiest thing to accomplish.  Believe me. I know. That’s why today I’m going to talk about how to speed clean your house. It’s for those days when you just need a clean sweep to freshen your home. This isn’t about deep cleaning today!

Originally published March 2018. Updated April 2023.

Remember, life happens. As wives and moms, is there ever a day when you don’t get interrupted by someone needing help, or an errand that has to be done?  It’s a good problem to have, right?  You’re wanted and loved and needed by those around you.

When you start to feel a little stressed about the condition of your home, and how you seem to not get it all done in one big step, think about why.  You don’t always get done cleaning because you take time to help your family.  The next time you feel bad because you didn’t get everything on your to do list done, give yourself grace!

It’s important to remember why we do what we do. Homemaking is a ministry and cleaning is part of that ministry! When we serve our family through homemaking we are ultimately serving our Risen Savior! Don’t feel frustrated if you can’t find time to clean as much as you’d like. Do what you can when you can. Learning how to speed clean your house is helpful on those days when you don’t have a lot of time.

There are definitely times when you need to set aside time to deep clean. But there are way more days when life is crazy busy and you just need to get some order back in your space. Speed cleaning your house can really help you get back your sanity and feel good about your space!

My daugher-in-law Chelli is amazing. When she brings her family to visit us, I can always count on her being a big help to me! I remember years during the holidays ago when she offered to help me get the house back in shape after a day full of festivities had let the house in a shambles.

You know what struck me the most? 

How fast she cleaned. 

I’m not even kidding. You see, I’m a slow cleaner by nature. In her book, Having a Martha Home the Mary Way, Sarah Mae describes the two types of housekeepers as either tornadoes or butterflies.

Y’all. My natural inclination leans towards being a butterfly.

I’ve realized that most of us who struggle to keep a neat house are probably butterflies. We flit from one thing to the next, we stop and smell the roses. Then we move on to something else… never really finishing anything. Or if we do finish a task it takes forever to get done!

The trick to getting your house clean and following a daily cleaning routine is to do it as quick as possible. If you have children who are old enough to help, get them cleaning too!

So, let’s get down to the details of how to speed clean your house in one hour or less:

How to Speed Clean Your House

1. Gather your cleaning tools.

If you haven’t already put together a cleaning caddy, go ahead and gather together a few cleaners and other tools and put them in a bucket. Speed cleaning your house is a lot easier if you have all the tools you need!

I purchase most of my cleaning supplies from Grove Collaborative and they are delivered to my door every month or two. I love ordering from Grove!

related: Get $10.00 free credit toward your first purchase at Grove Collaborative.

In addition to your cleaning caddy, grab an empty laundry basket to take with you as you move around the house speed cleaning.

The laundry basket method for collecting and distributing clutter is one of my favorites! Simply fill it with all those things that need to be put away in different rooms! If you have a lot of clutter, just focus on picking up the floor or clearing the tables. Anything to make the space feel neater.

Remember, move as quickly as possible! You can deep clean on another day!

2. Set the timer. 

Give yourself a time frame of how long you plan on cleaning.  Do you have 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour? Deciding how long you will clean allows your mind to process and adjust your thoughts to the time that you are allowing. Speed cleaning means that you throw yourself at it with all the energy you can muster!

Spending an hour in the morning or evening, will keep our home tidy and clean all week. Speed cleaning is all about maintenance. This is not for completely overhauling your home when things are out of control and you feel very overwhelmed.

When your timer is done, you’re done.  Plain and simple.

3. The Kitchen. 

If you have a dish washer, load it as quickly as possible and start the machine. If you do not have a dishwasher, go ahead and fill the sink with hot sudsy water and let crusty dishes soak while you tidy the counters.

• Load dishwasher
• Put away food.
• Wipe down counters.

4. Bathrooms. 

Quickly put away clutter on sink and counter. Spritz cleaner on mirror, sink, counter, and toilet.

Wipe off mirror. Wipe down sink. Swish toilet bowl and wipe down outside of toilet. Take dirty laundry and towels to laundry room.

• Put away clutter.
• Wipe off mirror and sink.
• Clean toilet.

5. Bedrooms. 

Make beds. Pick up clutter on floor. Put dirty laundry into the hamper. Put clutter that needs to go to a different room into your laundry basket. Dust your night stand and dressers.

• Make beds.
• Pick up clutter and laundry.
• Dust surfaces.

6. Living and Dining Rooms 

Pick up clutter from floor – remember to use your laundry basket! Fill the basket with clutter from around the rooms. Fluff pillows. Dust surfaces. Light a candle or turn on your essential oil diffuser to freshen the rooms.

• Pick up clutter.
• Fluff pillows.
• Dust surfaces.
• Light a candle or essential oil diffuser.

7. Floors. 

Spot clean with a dry mop on hard floors. Vacuum carpets.

• Sweep and spot clean floors with a dry mop.
• Vacuum carpets.

Speed cleaning your home is possible and can be simple to do. I hope these seven simple steps will help you learn how to speed clean your house in one hour or less and keep things maintained easier.

So, for all you women out there like me who like to flit around the room cleaning like a butterfly, set that timer and whirl through your home like a tornado. Let’s get it done!

More Help with Cleaning Your House

• How to Keep a Clean House
• How to Clean When You Feel Overwhelmed
• A Time to Clean: 30 Day Homemaking Challenge
• What to Clean and When | Housekeeping Guide

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