Love where you live. Sign up for our newsletter

5 Tips for Freshening Up Your Home in Under an Hour

by on Mar 26, 2015

Photo: Redbook Mag

Throw everything in the junk closet! Just kidding. While that seems like the easier way out when the idea of cleaning your home is daunting, here are a few tricks to help you tackle the job! And in under 60 minutes!      

I try my best to keep a clean and orderly home, but I’m always hustling to clean quickly before company is coming over! The best things to tackle first are the spots you know that guest will definitely see.

tips for cleaning the house
Photo: Martha Stewart

Starting with the guest bath – You can clean a bathroom in five minutes if you do it right! Start by squirting toilet bowl cleaner in the bowl and let that soak while you spray the bath/shower with foaming cleaner. I love method – . While those two items are soaking, mist the mirror with glass cleaner and wipe with a paper towel. Use the same paper towel to wipe the sink hardware. Run a disinfecting wipe over the counter surface and around the toilet bowl after. Use a sponge to wipe out the bath and then flush the toilet and you’re done! 

Clear Papers Room To Room – Clear any cluttered paper or mail that was passed over. Quickly sort and look at labels that need to be filed away or tossed. Start in the kitchen, living room, and guest bed (if you have one!) first. 

Add Vanilla To Your Vacuum – Sprinkle a little vanilla extract to your vacuum bag or the bristles on the bottom to freshen up the carpets and rugs. You won’t have to go back in all the rooms and spray air freshener! While you’re vacuuming, hold the vacuum in one hand and a dust cloth in the other. Dust shelves and surfaces in each room as you go in to vacuum. 

tips for cleaning the house
Photo: Clean & Scentsible

Make The Beds – An unmade bed is the first tip-off to an untidy room. Spend no longer than 2-3 minutes making up each unmade bed in the house. Three minutes seems like a short amount of time, but when you’re working quickly to pull the covers tight, you can finish up in no time. If you are really pressed for time, just straighten up the already-made beds. Pull everything taut and fluff all the pillows. Pick up any laundry on the floor as you leave each room.

Tidy Up The Kitchen – My mother always said that a clean kitchen with dishes in the sink is still a dirty kitchen. Toss any dirty dishes in the dishwasher. If the load is full, add detergent and start it. If not, wait for another time to start a cycle. Wipe down the kitchen counters and you’re set! A good rule of thumb is to start a load at night before bed, unload it the next morning, and load dirty dishes throughout the day as you use them. Those extra minutes will really help when it’s crunch time!

tips for house cleaning
Photo: Curbly

While the home isn’t perfect, you’re still a heck of a lot closer and those guests (the nerve of them!) will be none-the-wiser!

BONUS: Here’s an excellent graphic with a checklist including all the above to clean up in 30 minutes! Visit Curbly on Facebook to download!

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *