You have family coming in for the holidays? As amazing as having family visit is, it is stressful to prepare for their arrival.
If you want some tips on cleaning your house fast, look no further. Here are some tips on how to clean your home more quickly so you can enjoy the holidays and quit stressing about the house.
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Helpful Hints for a Holiday Clean
1. Get a Clutter Basket
If you are trying to clean your whole house quickly, or at least the parts of your house people will see, carry an extra laundry basket or box around with you to collect random clutter. This collection can be sorted later (you will most likely throw much of it away). This way, you remove clutter and can focus on cleaning.
2. Clean Similar Rooms Together
Instead of cleaning each room as you get to it, knock out all the bedrooms at the same time, then move on to all the bathrooms. This way, you will save time by not changing out cleaning solutions and tools. You will get in a groove cleaning one thing, like sinks, and time will fly.
3. Clean Top to Bottom
Though it can be tempting to do the things you dislike the most first (hello, vacuuming!) it is smarter to work from top to bottom. Start with dusting and cleaning areas that are higher up. As you are cleaning, dust and debris will fall. If you vacuum and sweep first, you will end up doing it again at the end of the day.
4. Clean Your Windows Early
If you clean your windows in the afternoon when the sun is the brightest, it could dry your cleaning solution before you get a chance to wipe the window down thoroughly. Wiping dry cleaner will leave unsightly streaks throughout your window, creating more work. Clean your windows in the morning when it is still cool.
5. Let Cleaners Sit
A counterintuitive tip is letting your cleaners sit for a few minutes before you start scrubbing. By rushing to clean, you aren’t allowing the stains to soften, giving you more work. The extra scrubbing takes more time than the few minutes it would take to let the stain soak.
6. Use the Correct Tools, and Ensure They’re Clean
Using the correct tool for your particular job will save vital time. For example, using a lint roller to pick up pet hair seems obvious, but isn’t actually up for the job. Put on some rubber gloves, get them a little bit wet, and quickly pick up all the pet hair on your furniture.
It seems ridiculous, but you need to clean the things with which you clean. Your mop heads, brooms, and dusters will not get the job done, and full vacuum bags won’t pick up dust and dirt. Ensure you start with clean and fresh mops and cloths to efficiently and quickly.
7. Floors Last
Go back and clean your floors after you have cleaned everything else. There is no point vacuuming or mopping before you have finished cleaning. You will see spots and footprints all over your house, wasting all work. Clean the floor last.
How to Clean Your House Faster
1. Start With Bedrooms
Starting early in your bedroom allows the linens to be washed and dried while you are cleaning the rest of the house. Quickly strip the beds and throw all the linens in the washing machine.
Take an extra basket into the bedrooms with you so you can collect random items, sort those later. That way, the floors are clear, and the rooms look clean. Bring a spray cleaner and microfiber cloth and wipe top to bottom on shelves, surfaces, and window sills. Do all the bedrooms at the same time. This allows you to clean your house faster all around.
2. Bathrooms
You can knock out each bathroom in about 10 minutes if you have a plan going in. Grab any dirty towels or clothes first. Then, spray down all the counters, sinks, mirrors, and tubs with a spray cleaner. While the spray is sitting, clean the toilet and wipe down the outside of the toilet with a disinfectant.
Return to everything you sprayed and wipe it down well. Save the floors until you finish with everything else, then come back to the bathroom floors when you are cleaning the rest of the floors. Clean all the bathrooms at the same time.
3. Living and Dining Rooms
Start with picking up extra clutter. Dust any blinds or fans that are in the room. Then go to one corner of the room and work around the room, dusting all surfaces from top to bottom.
Use an upholstery attachment to vacuum furniture. Save vacuuming or mopping the floor for the last step of the entire house.
4. Kitchen
You can get through your kitchen in 15-20 minutes with a plan. Load all dirty dishes into the dishwasher, then fill the sink with hot, soapy water. Place any removable pieces from your stovetop in the solution so they can soak while you clean the rest of the kitchen.
Thoroughly spray your counters and cabinets and wipe down all the surfaces, cleaning top to bottom. You can dip your sponge or cloth in the hot, soapy water from the sink for extra cleaning power.
Spray and wipe down appliances next. After you have cleaned all the surfaces, return to your pieces soaking in the sink and scrub until cooked on grime is removed. Then dry and replace the clean parts.
5. Finish with Floors
When you have cleaned everything else, start on the floors. Vacuum any rooms with carpet by vacuuming backward as you exit the room.
Vacuum, don’t sweep, hard floors. Most vacuums have a setting for hard floors where the brush doesn’t spin. Vacuuming kicks up less dust than sweeping.
Use a steam mop for hard surfaces. They are quicker and generally more effective than traditional mops.
All Clean- Now Relax
You finished! Pour yourself a glass of wine and relax, preferably white to avoid stains! You know how to clean your house faster for the holidays. Sit back and enjoy the smell of a clean house while you wait for your family to show up.
If this seems too much to do before your guests arrive, call Bee Maids. You have plenty of other chores to complete. Bee Maids will take the pain out of getting ready for company. Your home will be sparkly clean for your guests, and you’ll be rested and ready to enjoy your time together. Holidays are a time to enjoy, not slave over. Let Bee Maids give you a hand!