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One thing I never seem to have enough of is time.

I am constantly striving to seek a healthy balance between what I have to do and what I want to do.

The last thing I want to do is spend what little free time I have cleaning. The problem is, I LOVE a clean house. I function better. I don’t lose things. I feel happier. I don’t feel overwhelmed. I would rather be late to work than leave my house with dirty dishes in the sink or an unmade bed.

Coming home to a clean house feels good. Regardless of the day I just left behind at work, my home becomes my sanctuary.

However, there are times throughout our year when my family is running in all different directions at different times. It becomes quite difficult to maintain an organized and clean house. May is hard for me as an educator because everything (and I mean everything) has to be completed before the last day of school. Between school ending for me, school ending for my kids, soccer tournaments every weekend, and now yard work….it becomes necessary to institute this cleaning method in order to keep my sanity.

Living in a messy house makes me feel overwhelmed. On the other hand, living in a clean house brings me comfort and a feeling of contentment.

How do I manage to keep my house clean and organized when schedules are packed full?

I implement the Quick Clean method.

When is it Time for a Quick Clean?

• When you have a busy weekend/week and not enough time to do your regular cleaning.
• When you are getting your house ready for a showing and have limited time.
• When you have little time to prepare for an unexpected guest.
• When you start to feel overwhelmed by not living in a clean house.
• Anytime!

The Beginning of the Quick Clean

Years ago when my children were barely one and two-years old, we decided to put our house on the market. This was during the time when the housing market crashed and no one was buying. It was a buyers market and we had our house listed for over a year. The reason I tell you this is to give you some idea of how I came up with the quick clean method.

We would get a call from our realtor that we had a showing and I had to figure out how to get our house clean in a matter of 30 minutes. As I do now, I was working full-time as a teacher. I would drive home for lunch, clean my house, and return to work on time.

Time had to be spent doing the most important tasks that would make the biggest impression. Over the course of that year, I discovered a thing or two about cleaning that I’m going to share with you today.

Stay Ahead of the Mess

Simply put, this means to keep your house picked-up throughout the week. Otherwise, you will find yourself spending way too much time putting away things and sorting through the clutter before you can even begin the cleaning. Get in the habit of completing some simple and quick tasks each day.

• Empty the dishwasher.
• Put dirty dishes in the dishwasher immediately after finishing a meal.
• Wipe down kitchen counter tops.
• Make your bed.
• Put away toiletries.
• Put all dirty clothes in hampers.
• Pick-up clutter.
• Clean the stovetop.

The suggestions below assume that you have already completed these tasks.

Bathrooms

A quick clean in the bathroom means wiping down the counter tops, emptying the trashcan, and cleaning the mirror. Throw a load of towels in the washing machine.

Kitchen

Kitchens tend to take the most time because they are the most lived-in part of the house (at least for my family). If you keep up with the daily cleaning, a quick clean involves wiping down appliances and taking out the trash. Double check the countertops to make sure there are no crumbs, grease marks, or smudges. For showings, I would rinse and dry both sides of the sink.

Bedrooms

Since the beds are already made and things such as clothes, bags, and shoes are picked-up daily, all you need to do is vacuum.

Dusting

Before you panic here about having to dust, keep in mind that this is a quick clean. This is dusting furniture in the family room and living room only. Unless you have plans for an overnight guest, don’t worry about the bedrooms at this time.

Floors

Nothing puts a finishing touch on a quick clean quite like freshly vacuumed carpets and mopped floors. If you can’t mop, use a dry Swiffer to pick-up pet hair, food crumbs, and any items brought in from the outside (think leaves, mulch, grass…).

During the winter months when we bring salt in on our shoes, I use a Wet Swiffer to quickly clean-up the floor in the foyer if I don’t have time to mop any other area.

The Beauty of a Quick Clean

The beauty of a quick clean is obviously how fast it gets done. Your house looks great, smells great, and seeing how nice everything looks makes you feel good.

The idea behind a quick clean is NOT to spend all day cleaning your house. It is meant to maximize the time you spend cleaning your house by focusing on those chores that will make the biggest impact.

How Much Time Should a Quick Clean Take?

The amount of time required to complete a quick clean depends on a couple of things. First, it depends on the size of your house. Second, it depends on how fast you complete each chore. Third, it depends on how many other members of your family are helping. At the moment, I can complete a quick clean in about an hour.

My children have their own chores to do that include putting away clothes, making their beds, emptying their trash cans, and dusting their rooms. Curious about what chores are appropriate for your child(ren)? Click here to find out.

Alternatives to a Quick Clean

When I find myself in a situation where time is so short that even completing a quick clean isn’t possible, I find the following options also work well.

• Getting up 30 minutes earlier in the morning to start as much of the cleaning as I can.

• Vacuuming the floors the night before while everyone is still awake. Getting up early the next day to mop and start the “quiet” cleaning. I like to do this on the weekends when we have a busy schedule .

• Cleaning one area of the house a day.

• Focusing one day on the first floor. Next day on the second floor.

The purpose is to find what works best for you and your family. If you have the time to dedicate to your regular cleaning schedule, read my post here for more tips on A Cleaning Schedule that Works.

I hope this post helps to keep you from feeling overwhelmed with the thought of keeping your house clean.

Getting in the habit of keeping your house picked-up throughout the week is the key to making this strategy work. The specifics of how you choose to implement it are up to you. If it doesn’t work, try something different. The goal is to help you find a cleaning schedule that fits your family and lifestyle.

Until next time,