Speedy house cleaning for busy mums
What with work, looking after the kids and, y’know, trying to have a life, cleaning the house can fall low on your list of priorities. But you – and your guests – will start to notice if dust gathers and grime builds.
Most of us can find 15 (or even five) minutes to do a quick clean-up, which will make all the difference – and make your life a lot easier when it comes to the bigger cleaning days, too.
Read on to find out what tasks you should focus on to keep your house looking spick and span with minimal effort, letting you spend more time with the family…
The five-minute clean-up
Someone popping round unexpectedly? Here’s how fool your guests into believing you’re a domestic goddess.
1. Only focus on rooms they’re likely to go into. Close all other doors.
2. Wipe around the sink in the bathroom and chuck some cleaner down the loo – giving it a quick scrub if it needs it.
3. Straighten the towels in the bathroom.
4. Plump up the cushions in the lounge and gather any toys into bin bags or boxes and drop them in the kids’ rooms.
5. Clear the coffee table of any clutter. To help avoid this in future, see our article on Ways to organise your living-room storage
6. Pile any dirty plates in the dishwasher.
7. Spray the air with Febreze Air Effects to eliminate any bad odours and add a subtle but gorgeous-smelling fragrance.
8. Wipe the kitchen surfaces with a Flash Cleaning Wipe and pop on a pot of coffee.
Dishwasher tip: save time when doing the dishwasher by using Fairy Platinum dishwasher tablets. They’re so powerful, you don’t even have to rinse your dishes before loading. Plus they remove hidden grease from your dishwasher… And a cleaner dishwasher means you get sparkling clean dishes wash after wash. Find out how mums rate Fairy Platinum dishwasher tablets.
The 10-minute clean-up
House desperately needs a going-over before you go to work or before the kids come home from school? Here’s what to focus on when you’ve got just 10 minutes to spare.
All of the above plus…
1. Hit the floors with a very quick vacuum (we’re talking around items here rather than under them).
2. Gather up all clothing and throw in the laundry bin.
3. Empty all the bins.
Laundry tip: time-poor on laundry day? Read our article on How to save time – and money – when doing the washing.
The 15-minute clean-up
Let’s face it, 15 minutes is the longest most of us get to clean during the week. Here’s how to maximise your time to get your house looking as clean as possible in this tiny window.
All of the above plus...
1. Make the beds. It’s amazing how made beds can instantly transform your house.
2. Run around communal areas with a feather duster. This is much easier than a cloth when you need to clean quickly.
3. Give the bath and/or shower a wipe-down with Flash Bathroom. No one likes an unsightly tidemark.
Bathroom tip: to avoid having to scrub your showerhead and taps every time, prevent the build-up of limescale with a squirt of Viakal. You can also use it to clean off white streaks from your stainless steel draining board and taps in the kitchen. Bonus!
More time?
If you’ve got a few more minutes, the room to focus on is the kitchen. With all the action it gets, it’s often the dirtiest room in the house but should also be the most hygienic. Check out our article Top tips to clean your kitchen in moments for advice on how to get this mammoth task done in minimum time.
What are your tips for a quick clean-up? Let us know in the comments below.
