The Truth About Cleaning Faster (Nobody Says This!)

So many people will promise you cleaning hacks that help you clean 50% faster.  That all sounds great, but I'm here to tell you that it just doesn't work!   I really wish there were some magical hack that would reduce your cleaning time (because cleaning is SO not my favorite thing to do), but there just isn't.  If you want to hear more about why cleaning hacks just don't work (and the one thing that actually does help you spend less time cleaning!), then keep reading, or check out the video here.

Why clean faster?

This might sound obvious, but I think this is an important question to ask ourselves.  Why do we want to clean faster in the first place?  Typically there are two reasons:

1. There are other things you'd rather do and other ways you want to spend your limited time.
2. Cleaning is not an enjoyable task for most people.  It's work that must be done over and over again, and most of the time it's just not very much fun.

The sad truth…

There just really isn't much you can do to clean faster.  You might be able to shave off a few minutes here or there, but there is literally no hack I know of that will significantly reduce your cleaning time.  Most people are reasonably efficient anyway, so unless you're carrying one item at a time to put away, you're just not going to become efficient enough to make a dent in your overall time.

Here are some ideas that can work a little bit, but none of them are a magical solution:

1.  Delegate:

Have other family members help out with chores.  Teach kids to do their own laundry, load the dishwasher, run a vacuum… give them chores so you don't have to do everything.  You could also hire someone.  This isn't always in the budget, but if it is, you can hire a cleaning person to come weekly or biweekly to help out with many of the cleaning chores.

2.  Maximize Efficiency:

Most people are already pretty efficient.  There are a few things that can help a bit.  For example, if you learn to clean top to bottom, you won't be cleaning things twice.  But this still really only saves you a few minutes at a time.

3.  Large and Small Appliances:

If you don't have a dishwasher, for example, then buying one can really reduce your time spent doing dishes.  Using a robot vacuum instead of a manual one can also save a ton of time.  Or, you can also replace poorly functioning, older appliances with better ones.  If your vacuum is so bad that you have to run over the surface 3-4 times and you buy a new one that gets the job done in one pass, then you're definitely reducing your workload!

Having good, effective appliances really will help you get the job done in less time.  However, this isn't always an affordable solution, and sometimes you're already using all of these gadgets and appliances anyway.

4.  Stop cleaning things that are already clean!

This sounds obvious…but if you're cleaning something more frequently than needed, then your basically wasting your time.  Try lengthening the time between cleanings so you don't waste your efforts.  Basically, you want to let it get at least a little dirty first, LOL!  This will save you a little time, but again, it won't make a huge dent.

What you think saves you time but really doesn't:

Cleaning More Often

Some people say that if you clean more frequently, it makes the job take less time because it's not super dirty, so you don't have to work as hard.  It's true that it's a shorter job.  But if you add up the time, it definitely takes longer.

If I mop my floor every day, it might take 10 minutes.  I still have to get out the bucket, prep the water, mop, and put things back.  That's 70 minutes a week, or roughly 280 minutes per month.

If I mop once a month, I still have to do all that, and it's definitely going to take a bit more scrubbing.  But I think it would still only take me 30 minutes at the most.  That's a savings of 250 minutes per month.

Having a Cleaning Routine with Structure

It's true that having a routine can help reduce mental fatigue, and it might even reduce time spent in decision making because you know ahead of time what you're going to do.  But it doesn't actually save you time in the actual cleaning process.

There is nothing wrong with a cleaning routine.  In fact, it's usually a very good thing!  It can help you feel better, you'll stay more on top of it, so there won't be any panic cleaning when someone is coming over (ask me how I know!).  But it still won't take any less time to actually clean.

Having Good Habits

It's great to put away things right after you use them.  It keeps the house tidy and can make your home feel more peaceful.  But it still takes the same time to do in little chunks as it would to just pick everything up at the end of the day or once a week on Saturday.  Your home would be less tidy, but the time spent is still the same.  If you have too strict of rules about this, it can also feel like you're constantly cleaning and using a lot of mental effort to remember to pick things up all the time.

The ONLY Way to Actually Save Time Cleaning

So if none of these hacks actually save cleaning time, what does?!?  I've only found one way myself, and that's to live in a space that is less clean.  Yikes– crazy thought!

What I've noticed is that the threshold for cleanliness and tidiness is different for everyone.  Some people are fine to tolerate a little mess, and some people would go absolutely crazy in the same environment.

For me, I don't sweep and mop super regularly.  There are often crumbs on our kitchen floor, and they really don't bother me.  We wear shoes in our house, so it's not like I'm stepping on them and feeling them.  But if the inside of a cabinet or closet is a mess, it gets under my skin like nothing else!!  It's hidden, but I know it's there, and it will bother me until I tidy it.  Many people feel just the opposite!

The key is to find the balance for yourself.  What level of cleanliness makes you feel happy and at peace in your home?  Do just the work needed to get to your personal threshold (of course keeping a hygienic living situation) but don't go further!  And don't feel pressure from YouTube minimalists or influencers to keep your home cleaner than it needs to be for your happiness.  After all, it's YOUR home!

Enjoy Cleaning More

This won't save you time, but it can help the way you feel about cleaning.  If you enjoy it more, you will dread it less.  There are a few things that can help increase enjoyment:

• Have a checklist– maybe you take pleasure in crossing items off a list, and if not, at least you're not carrying the tasks all in your head.
• Clean according to your personality.  I like to do things all at once.  I love taking a couple hours on a Saturday to get things really clean and reset.  It's like a mental refresher for me, and I get to enjoy the whole house being clean at the same time.  Some people would dread these few hours with every fiber of their being, LOL!  Which type are you?  If you need some help deciding, take our quiz here!
• Make your own schedule or find one that fits you well.  This can help generate some enthusiasm or at least keep you more on task.
• Do enjoyable things while cleaning.  Have a special podcast or audiobook that is only for cleaning time.

Finally, the BEST way to really save time on cleaning is to have less to clean in the first place…which means decluttering!!  If you have fewer items, you'll naturally spend less time cleaning and maintaining them.  There are tons of decluttering tips here on the blog, or you can watch my YouTube decluttering playlist here.

Organization that actually sticks for busy, happy lives