How to Clean a House in 20 minutes

Short on time? We’re going to assume that since you’re reading an article titled how to speed clean your home in 20 minutes, you don’t want to get bogged down in a 2000-word essay.

So let’s keep things short and sharp.

Cleaning a house in 20 minutes isn’t going to give you a pristine home, but it’s going to look a heck of a lot better than before you started.

The main thing is to get as much done as possible, and not to worry about it being perfect.

Sometimes you can’t bring yourself to clean for more than a short period of time, or somebody is unexpectedly coming over to the home.

Whatever your motivations for a quick-fire clean, these tips are sure to get your home looking clean and tidy.

How to Speed Clean Your Home in Less Than 20 Minutes

Declutter

The MOST important part of speed-cleaning isn’t actually cleaning. Decluttering and picking up everything that’s on the floors and counters, and putting it away makes a huge difference. If you don’t have time to put it back where it belongs, just find a basket or box to put them in for now.

Keep cleaning products handy

Most of the homes can be cleaned with the same products. And when you’re in a rush, a multi-purpose cleaner and a sponge or cloth is a godsend. Keep your products on you at all times in a cleaning caddy, apron with pockets or tote bag, so you can reduce the time spent going and picking up the supplies you need.

Focus on the visibly dirty areas

The dirtiest areas of our home such as our kitchen counters, toilets and showers often don’t appear that unclean. Of course, it is important to clean them, but in terms of visible dirt, they often don’t look that bad.

Focus on the areas that are visibly untidy or unclean, to make the biggest difference in the shortest amount of time.

Clean top to bottom

Starting at the top pushes dust and clutter down onto the floor, which is the last thing you’ll clean. This method is the optimum way to clean to avoid residual traces of dust and grime.

Since this is a speed-cleaning article, make sure you leave enough time to finish the floors either vacuuming or mopping.

Be proud of what you get done

Whatever you manage to get done in 20 minutes, is way more than you would’ve achieved if you hadn’t just started. But we have a sneaky feeling that you’ll achieve a lot more in this short period of time than you think.

Once the clutter is out of the way, it takes no time at all to wipe off the surfaces and spray down the bathroom with a quick wipe.

And if those tips aren’t enough to get you started, this quick video is a great example of what’s possible in a short period of time:

Speed-Cleaning FAQs

How Do I Motivate Myself to Clean?

If you’re somebody who doesn’t like cleaning, or you’re tired after a long day and can’t bring yourself to clean, then motivating yourself to get start can feel impossible. The best way of motivating yourself to clean is to combine it with something you do enjoy. Putting on your favourite podcast, album, or any upbeat playlist is the best way to give you the energy to get up and get started. If your motivation lies in rewards, then give yourself a goal and a reward after you finish. Maybe it’s a relaxing bath, or a tasty dinner, or your favourite movie.

How to Stay on Top of Cleaning

Staying on top of your household cleaning and tidying is easier when broken down into smaller chunks. Daily chores work well for a lot of people, as when spread out of the week you feel like you spend less time cleaning overall. It’s also much easier to motivate yourself to clean for 20 minutes, as opposed to 3 hours in one long blast.

How to Speed Clean Your Home in 20 Minutes

We hope that our tips for how to speed clean your home in 20 minutes have been useful.

If you take anything away from this post, we hope it will be that anything you manage to get clean is MUCH more than what you would have done if you didn’t start.

to get start, and not stopping the whole time, will give you great results.

And the time will fly by too!

It’s actually amazing how much you can do it in such a short period of time. And at the end, you’re all alone with a great feeling of fulfillment at how much you’ve got done.

If you’ve enjoyed this short article from Clean and Tidy Living, take a look at some of our similar cleaning tips and hacks below.

Don’t forget to let us know how you get on in the comments!