How To Efficiently Clean Your House

In today’s fast-paced, mile-a-minute world we’re all looking to get more done, more quickly. We’re going to cut right to chase, that’s why you’re here, and give you the professional tips on how to efficiently clean your house.  

We all love a clean home but too many of us find it time-consuming and overwhelming. It’s stressful trying to stay on top of a home. That’s why you need to try out these processes used by the professionals.  

Take It One Room At A Time 

Part of the reason people can find cleaning and tidying up stressful or overwhelming is because they are shifting through different jobs. If you’re cleaning up the kitchen but you find a schoolbook and some shoes that need to be put away, you might leave the kitchen to do that, logical right? The issue is once you get to the child’s room, you’ll find things that need to be cleaned there and then items that take you to another room. Before you know it, you’ll get each room half cleaned and you won’t be able to remember which part you were up to.  

Instead, as you find items that don’t belong in the room you’re cleaning, pop them into a basket to be moved once you finish cleaning that room.  

Work Top To Bottom  

Working from top to bottom makes the most sense for a few reasons. There is less mess at the top of a room than the bottom. For example, higher shelves get less use, and it’s a quick process to wipe down cupboard doors. Whereas countertops usually require scrubbing, and the floors will need a sweep or vacuum and possibly a mop.  

The other reason we work top to bottom is because dust and dirt will fall while you clean so leaving the floor to last will ensure you’re not doubling up on your work.  

Detach Emotionally From The Mess  

Part of the reason a professional cleaner does a thorough and fast job cleaning your home is because they are not emotionally invested in the state of the house. We all have a personal connection to our homes and many of us could be considered houseproud. This can sometimes slow us down when we clean, as we wrestle with our guilt over allowing our homes to get this messy or even begin to feel unmotivated to finish our clean. A professional cleaner doesn’t worry about this, they move through the home cleaning without judgement.  

Try to view your home objectively, simply observing what needs cleaning and tidying without assigning blame or internalising guilt.  

Low On Time, Set A Timer  

If you don’t have much time to get the cleaning done, set yourself a timer and focus on your high traffic areas; kitchen, living room, bathroom. A timer will help you prioritise your most important cleaning tasks and focus on the areas of your home that get the most use and will impact the mood and perceived cleanliness of the home.  

Tips To Keep It Clean  

Keeping a clean home is easier if you take these steps to maintain the house between cleans.  

Take A One Touch Approach 

The one touch approach basically means you never leave items out. If you’re taking your coffee cup to the kitchen counter, rinse it and put it in the dishwasher. If you’re taking off your socks, put them straight in the laundry hamper and don’t leave them on the floor. The extra effort is minimal, but the results are worth it.  

Try To Do A Closing Shift  

A closing shift is when you ‘close down’ your home before you go to bed. The process refers to the closing shift for a cafe or restaurant, which includes wiping down all counters, vacuuming and mopping and prepping the business for opening the following day.  

When you apply it to your home it includes picking up the house just before bed, putting anything that is out of place back into its place. It’s up to you how much tidying up or cleaning you do for your home but generally wiping down the benches and counters, putting all dishes in the dishwasher and prepping anything you need for the morning. This quick regular tidy will help you go more days between your big cleans.  

Clean As You Go  

If you’re anything like us you like to clean the kitchen as you’re cooking, washing up chopping boards while you fry up onions and wiping counters once your dish is in the oven. Carry this process into other areas of your home, tidying up as you move through the house or folding the laundry while you wait for the next load to finish. Fitting a little extra cleaning and tidying into the moments you’re waiting will help you to keep on top of the house.  

Too Busy For All This?  

If this list just makes you realise you don’t have the time to schedule your cleaning, why not outsource it? At Absolute Domestics we’ve been helping busy households with domestic cleaning for over 30 years, our vetted, trained cleaners are ready to help you with the cleaning. You can get a weekly or fortnightly service, learn more about our services here or get in touch with our friendly team, they would be happy to help you.