Speed cleaning is the process of cleaning and decluttering your home in a timely fashion. It’s all about keeping your house tidy and maintaining cleanliness.

Speed cleaning is not the same as giving your house a deep clean and it shouldn’t replace that. However, it is great if you’re crunched for time. It’ll help you keep your house looking presentable and ready for guests without you having to spend hours cleaning it.

How Often Should You Speed Clean?

How often you need to speed clean depends on the size of your household. If you live alone or with a partner, you should only need to speed clean once a week at most. Try doing it on a Saturday morning, then you have the whole weekend to relax in a tidy and clean house.

If you have kids or a large family, speed clean your house twice a week – once at the weekend and once midweek. It’s easy for toys to get left out or mess to accumulate more quickly so your house will benefit from that extra attention.

Where to Start

Speed cleaning really couldn’t be easier and it’s a great way to create a regular cleaning routine.

To get started you will need:

• A medium to large laundry basket
• Multi-purpose/disinfectant spray
• Microfibre cloths
• A vacuum or broom
• A timer

The best part about speed cleaning is that it isn’t very time-consuming. Before you begin, set your timer. Give yourself ten minutes for each room and do as much as you can in that time. You shouldn’t need longer than ten to fifteen minutes to speed clean any room in the house.

When it comes to where to start speed cleaning has two distinct methods. You can start at your front door and work your way into the house (as if from a guest’s perspective), or you can start at the top of your house and work down. Both styles are completely valid so it’s about finding the right routine to make your speed cleaning as efficient as possible.

The Process

Wherever you chose to start, the process is the same. Work through the house one room at a time. Begin by gathering up any clutter in your basket and then put it to one side. Empty the bin if there is one and throw away any other rubbish from the room.

Then you’re ready to begin cleaning. Move around the room in a circular motion and don’t double back to things you’ve already cleaned or that don’t need cleaning. Use your cloths and multi-purpose spray to clean table tops, counters, bookshelves and windowsills and use the disinfectant on door handles. Straighten up any books or magazines, tidy away loose cables, fold up any blankets and fluff the pillows. Finally, vacuum or sweep the floor.

Repeat this process for each of the rooms you want to clean. You can also put out fresh towels in the bathroom, stack the dishwasher and put on a load of laundry if you have time.

Finishing Touches

After you’ve finished speed-cleaning in every room you will be left with a basket of odds and ends. Sort out the contents of the basket and put things back where they belong – it’s also a good opportunity to see if there is anything you want to get rid of or donate.

After that, you’re done! Now, light a scented candle or use a diffuser to freshen the air and relax and enjoy your tidy home!