5 Ways to Save Time While Cleaning House

There's no doubt that in today's busy world, housework is one of the most time-consuming tasks we face. If you are cleaning your entire house or apartment in one sweep, here are some tips to maximize your time and get it immaculate.

1). Think about time. If you have dirty dishes, clothes to be washed or dried, or caked up stains in your sink or bathtub, tackle these first so the cleaners can do the grunt work while you focus your attention elsewhere. Before you begin any cleaning, toss your clothes in the washer and dryer and set the timer to avoid procrastination. Soak your dishes in the sink or put them in the dishwasher. Spray some cleaning solution on any pesky stains or problem areas. Clorox Cleanup is great to spray on the bottom of your bathtub or sink to soak in until you are ready to scrub. (Make sure you add some water). Once you have all three of these systems working, you can start cleaning. Once you are finished, your dishes and clothes will be clean and ready to put away. This way you can finish all cleaning at once and not worry about additional chores later.

2). Make it fun. Cleaning may be one of those things that will never be as enjoyable as seeing a movie or reading a good book, but it can certainly be less tedious. The less you dread cleaning, the more inclined you will be to "straighten up" daily for ten minutes, eliminating the need for marathon cleaning sessions that leave you exhausted. Put on your favorite music-or better yet, make an energizing playlist you can use to make you move faster! If you have roommates or family that will be joining in, assign everyone a room to focus on (and be sure to switch it up each time). Set a timer to give everyone a competitive reason to clean their fastest (but still thorough!) Give an award or chore exemption to whomever does the best or fastest job.

3). Everything in its right place. Do a quick scan of your house. Chances are, if it is messy, there are lots of things that are out of place and simply need to be put away. Gather a bin or bag to carry around and do a quick sweep of the area of everything that needs to be thrown away or recycled i.e. soda cans, wrappers, old newspapers, etc. Throw all the garbage out and set any recyclable material aside. Anything that is still good and needs to be put away, place this in a separate bag and make the rounds, putting it all away at once. You will notice this immediately makes everything look less cluttered.

4). Clean from top to bottom. Dust has a tendency to fall, so start by dusting upper corners of rooms with a long handle duster. Wipe down counters, the TV, tables, and any other areas where dust has accumulated. After you have dusted, you can go over the tables or counters with a cleaning solution. Clorox is great for kitchens and Pledge is great for wooden tables. Once you have cleaned everything, the floor is now littered and needs to be swept. Baking soda or carpet cleaner, such as Glade, will work wonders if you let it soak into the carpet before you sweep. As it is soaking, you are now free to unload the dishwasher or washer/dryer and put the items away.

5). Make a plan. Invest in a dirty clothes hamper for each bedroom and bathroom, and a garbage can (small will work) for every room. This will eliminate clutter. If you hate marathon cleaning sessions, plan on cleaning every three days instead of once a week. Decide which days work best for the family and stick to it! Devoting just ten minutes to straightening up daily before you leave the house or before you go to bed is a great way to stay on top of things and save time.