HOW TO CLEAN YOUR HOUSE IN JUST 20 MINUTES PER DAY
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Raise your hand if cleaning your house is literally the LAST thing you want to do during your nice, relaxing weekend?!
MEEEEEEEE.
When I was working full time out of the home, keeping it clean was the last thing I ever wanted to do. I was working 50+ hours per week with an hour commute, so the thought of spending more than 5 minutes on my weekend to clean was a big HECK NO from me.
One thing I wanted more than ANYTHING before I quit my teaching job + became self-employed full time was to hire someone to clean my house. But, that dream of a “cleaning lady” came to a halt when I decided to become self-employed.
While I might not work the same number of hours I used to, or have any more than a 5 minute commute taking the kids to and from school, I still really didn’t want to spend the time we did have together as a family cleaning.
When I was on maternity leave with MacKenna (dear lord, 9 years ago), I found Apartment Therapy’s Clean Your House in 20 Minutes Per Day guide and my life was forever changed! What a simple concept… spend 20 minutes every day cleaning so you have MORE time doing the things you actually WANT to do - like spend time with your family, read, or binge watch Brad Mondo videos on a Saturday afternoon.
But, I decided to take this theory up a notch, because - again - I didn’t want to do ANYTHING on the weekend (except play Nintendo with Miles + watch Brad Mondo videos…)
So, I developed my 20-minutes, 5-days per week cleaning plan that helps not only get your house clean, but also DEEP cleans it too.
Now, I will admit, our 1700-square-foot Ranch is not exactly a sprawling mansion so it’s pretty easy to clean in roughly 20-minutes per day, but I feel like the concept can easily be applied to 2-story houses or larger homes.
Also, just because this is the plan that I use fairly consistently, I am FAR from perfect. I have 2 elementary-aged kids who have more toys that they know what to do with, and a husband who likes stuff. (If I lived alone, my house would pretty much be empty, but this is why I love my family…) My house is NOT spotless. Our kitchen island is usually full of stuff needing to be put away, and y’all, TOYS + KIDS.
But, if you are looking for some sort of PLAN or SYSTEM that makes cleaning just a little bit easier, than I think you’ll love this...
HOW TO CLEAN YOUR HOUSE IN 20-MINUTES A DAY, 5-DAYS A WEEK
The key to this system?
DO A LITTLE BIT EVERY SINGLE DAY.
You’ve got 5 days during the week. What if you just spent 20-30 minutes cleaning those 5 days? Think of how long you spend cleaning your house on the weekends? Does it take you more than 2.5 hours? Probably not… (and if it does, your house is A LOT bigger than mine or you are way more detail oriented than I am.) So, don’t think you can’t spend 20-30 minutes a day cleaning when you’re already spending that amount of time on the weekend. You CAN do it… it’s all about making it a priority during your day.
Next, take those 5 days and divide it into 5 different sections of your house or tasks. I have my schedule divided by section (living room, kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, etc.), but you can easily do this by task as well (dusting, vacuuming/mopping, wiping down surfaces, etc.). Like I said, DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU.
So, you’ve got 5 tasks/sections, now figure out which days you are going to do each, and then write the sub-tasks that need to get done underneath them.
Here is my specific schedule + subtasks…
MONDAY // CLEAN THE LIVING ROOM + KITCHEN
Vacuum couches
Wipe down surfaces
Vacuum the floors (we’re not going for a deep clean here - just enough to make the house look presentable)
TUESDAY // CLEAN BEDROOMS
Change sheets
Pick-up clutter, straighten shelves
Vacuum floor
WEDNESDAY // DEEP CLEAN
**Each week of the month focuses on a different area to deep clean**
Week 1: Kitchen (wipe down cabinets, microwave, oven, clean out fridge + pantry)
Week 2: Living room (polish furniture, clean windows + blinds, clean baseboards, clean cushions + pillows, vacuum stairs/landing)
Week 3: Bedrooms (polish furniture, clean windows + blinds, clean baseboards, clean cushions + pillows)
Week 4: Bathrooms (clean out cabinets, clean baseboards + light fixtures)
Week 5: Basement, garage, or car
THURSDAY // BATHROOMS
Wipe down vanities + mirrors
Scrub tubs + showers
Clean toilets + toilet bowls
FRIDAY // VACUUM + MOP FLOORS
I spend a little more time on Friday doing a once over of ALL the floors in the house, and mopping any of the wood, laminate, or tile floors in the house. It takes maybe 30-45 minutes instead of 20, but it really just depends on how much picking up I have to do ahead of time.
The best part about this? I not only get to enjoy my weekends, but I come home from picking the kids up on Friday afternoon to a CLEAN HOUSE! Nothing makes me happier than that!
And I’m not perfect. There are definitely days when I don’t get it done… but I give myself GRACE and remember that Tuesday will come around again, and I’ll get my cleaning done then. Seriously, God did not make us perfect, so please don’t expect your house to be either!
And for those of you who would rather do this task-based, look at those subtasks and divide them out! For me, rooms worked better (our house is not really big and we have an open floor plan so this just works), but I know some of you are going to work better with it being task-based.
BONUS TIP: If laundry is feeling overwhelming for you, do a little bit each day too! This seriously was life-changing for me. And now I don’t have to do any laundry on the weekend either! Here’s what my laundry schedule looks like…
MONDAY // OUR CLOTHES (darks)
TUESDAY // MILES’ CLOTHES
WEDNESDAY // KENNA’S CLOTHES
THURSDAY // OUR CLOTHES (lights)
FRIDAY // LINENS
PRODUCTS THAT HELP ME GET THE JOB DONE
Dyson Animal Cordless Vacuum (I got mine refurbished from Zulily for half the price and it was worth every penny)
DISCLAIMER: This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you purchase the products. I only promote products I love and work for me. As always, all opinions are my own.