You can clean virtually any house in about four hours a week. I learned that when I had my own residential house cleaning business. One reason why cleaning other people's homes is so much easier than cleaning your own, is that you're not involved in the mess. Nothing is personal and you don't get distracted while you clean.
There's a reason we clean up before the housekeeper arrives. To ensure more efficient work, set yourself up for success by ordering first. Place items in their designated areas, store clothes and pick things up from the floor. That way, you won't have to worry about it when it's time to clean up.
I don't care what you're cleaning; you should always use these rules to guide your cleaning process. It is important to clean more often throughout the year rather than just a little spring cleaning. For example, I always get tired of cleaning every little item on the shelves when I do the general cleaning. If you want to clean your house like a pro, you don't need to rush, but you don't have to drag your feet either.
Do not start a room by cleaning the coffee table and then cleaning the blinds, just to see how dust from the blinds covers your freshly cleaned coffee table. While you may not feel like cleaning those curtains or vacuuming all your soft furniture, it's important when it comes to keeping your home clean and your family healthy. What you see when you clean is different from what you see when you live in the house, so to speak. Crumbs, pet hair, and candy wrappers tend to make their way behind sofa and chair cushions, and the best way to thoroughly clean upholstered furniture is to remove it and vacuum under it every time you clean it.
Before cleaning the house, throw the bed linen in the washing machine, that way your sheets will be clean when you start working in your bedroom. Not only does this help prevent you from being distracted, but you can easily and quickly move around the house because you only need cleaning products and tools related to that task. If you're an efficient person, you might consider running your washing machine while you're cleaning your house. Images on walls, ceiling fans, low hanging lights, under furniture - they have a way of blending into the background of your house and skipping cleaning day.
If you really want to reduce cleaning time, says Sardone, then you need to clean more often. One of the biggest mistakes I see people make when cleaning is spraying a product and cleaning it immediately afterwards.
