3 Cleaning Tips to Simplify Your Life

When life gets really busy, we tend to let things slide. I don’t know about you, but often times that’s my home. I skip my weekly cleaning for a week or two and then it’s all downhill from there. It’s at times like these that overwhelm can easily set it. 

Do you ever feel this way? 

I know I do! But we don’t need to let the stress of busy seasons of life get the best of us. {I’m speaking from experience here if you can’t tell!} Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the busy-ness of life and the lack of time we have to dedicate to our home, we need to just be very efficient with the little time we do have.

Here are 3 very simple cleaning tips that you can use to simplify your life.

#1 - Use Your Vacuum

This tip is so simple I’m almost embarrassed to share it. For several years I would get out my Swiffer or broom and dust pan to sweep up every hard surface in my home. Then I would go back over the same surfaces with a wet mop. It was very time consuming. While this did the trick, it was not the most efficient use of my time.

Then a couple years ago we purchased a new vacuum (our first in our marriage…we had hand-me-downs up until that point). We have a Shark Navigator that we got on Amazon and it has literally saved me hours and hours of time over the past couple years.

Instead of grabbing the Swiffer, I just run the vacuum everywhere. EVERYWHERE. My kitchen, the hardwood floors, the bathrooms, everywhere. While the vacuum isn’t going to get up grim and stuck on gunk, it will pick up the crumbs, dirt, and debris which is what drives me nuts. Plus, I can always grab a rag and spot clean as necessary for really sticky spots.

I can vacuum my entire house, which is 1700 square feet, in about 15 minutes. The floors may not be perfect, but they are definitely a lot more clean than when I started! If you are short on time and want to give your home a little cleaning boost, try vacuuming everywhere. If you aren’t doing this, I promise you it will save you so much time! But you probably aren’t like me and figured this tip out a long time ago! 🙂

#2 - 2 Microfiber Cloths & All-Purpose Cleaner

When time is tight, you don’t have time to haul around several different cleaners, scrub brushes, rags, and the like. You need to simplify. Make things easy. Grab the bare minimum and get it done! My two go-to cleaning items are microfiber cloths and an all-purpose cleaner. I actually choose to use the Method glass cleaner as my all purchase cleaner most of the time so I can use it on countertops and glass.

I like to go around my house as quickly as I can wiping down all of surfaces I can with my all-purpose cleaner and a microfiber cloth. I also have an extra microfiber cloth with me to use on the nicer wood furniture. I don’t even worry about cleaner for this. I’m just worried about getting the dust bunnies off and moving on.

I wipe down the mirrors, countertops, tables, dressers, appliances, and my front and back glass doors. I always save the bathrooms for last for sanitary reasons. I will use the microfiber cloths to wipe down the mirrors and countertops. Then I grab a Clorox wipe (which I store under each bathroom sink) and do a quick swipe of the lid, seat, and rim. 

I don’t worry about deep scrubbing at this time. That is for another day. This is just to get my house clean{er}.

#3 - Use Your Timer

Make sure when you are going about these tasks that you use your timer. We’ve all got one on our phones! If you’re in a hurry and need to get things done quickly, set your timer for 15 minutes to vacuum. Always start in the main living spaces of your home and then stop. Whatever you get done in the 15 minutes will be good enough. Then set your timer for another 15 minutes and use your all-purpose cleaner and a microfiber cloth. When the timer goes off, stop. 

I promise you will be surprised how much you can get done in 30 minutes if you just use your timer and try to race against the clock!

We all go through really busy seasons of life. Don’t stress about the little stuff when you are enjoying busy nights at the baseball field or running back and forth to cheer, dance, or music lessons. Just do what you can with the time you have and let go of the rest. 

How do you simplify your cleaning routine during busy seasons of life?