Everyone wants to spend less time cleaning – find out how.

When it comes to cleaning, we all would rather be doing something else. But cleaning is one of those tasks that has to be done. So, we are always on the look-out for ways to make cleaning faster and easier. Below we have compiled some of our best tips to help you get the job done faster, so you can spend less time cleaning and  get back to doing what you love.

Establish a Baseline

One of the first and arguably most important things you can do is to establish a baseline. What this means is simply the bare minimum that you need to get done to feel good in your space. This does not mean what makes your house perfect. It is only the cleaning essentials to make your home livable. Do you need to pick everything up off the floor? Do you need to break out the vacuum? In any home, there are inevitably things that must get done every single day and things that can wait until the weekend. Once you establish those things, you can reduce the amount of pressure that you put on yourself and the rest of your family. Perfect is great if you have the time and the energy, but if not, go for the baseline.

Clean as You Go

One tip that we hear quite often is to do little cleaning jobs frequently to avoid having to do big cleaning jobs later on. If you can clean a pan while you wait for water to boil, you will save yourself a little time in after dinner clean-up. Keep a cloth handy so you can wipe things down as you pass by. A little really does go a long way in saving you time and effort.

Don’t Put Things Down

One great way to prevent clutter is to avoid putting it down in the first place. This does not mean you can not have any items on any surface in your home. Instead, what we mean is do not set something down where it does not belong. And if you can deal with it something as soon as it comes in, even better. For instance, when you get the mail, do not set it down to look at later. Sort it out right away and throw anything you do not need into the trash. This will prevent a big pile of junk mail accumulating on your counter. The same rule applies to dirty dishes. Do not put them in the sink to pile up or on the countertop. Put them straight into the dishwasher and you will save yourself some time loading it later.

Do Not Ignore Pre-treating and Dwell Time

We have all seen the commercials for cleaning products where something is sprayed on and immediately wiped off. But if you read the back of the bottle, you will most likely find that the product needs to be time to soak on a surface before being wiped away. If you ignore this step, you will just give yourself more frustration and extra cleaning time as you have to rely on elbow grease to get the job done. Do yourself a favor and read the back of your bottles. Learn what the pre-treatment or dwell time is for each product and save yourself a load of hassle.