How to Clean a Home in One Hour

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

Rate: (2 Ratings)

To clean a home in one hour, you just need some focus and time limits. With only an hour, it is not going to be spotless. Accept that and get moving. The key is to quickly get the surfaces looking neat and less cluttered. Do not get bogged down in any one area. If you are facing this deadline with a visitor at the end, moving certain messes into a designated place for later sorting out is okay. Make sure it isn’t some place you would need to access during their stay.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Step1

Prioritize the rooms and set a time limit for each one. Kitchens have the most mess, followed by bathrooms, living spaces and bedrooms. Follow the priority in that order and if one of the bedrooms isn’t finished, simply shut the door. Set a timer for each activity and try to finish in your allotted time. Carry a dust cloth in your pocket for obvious things needing a quick wipe down as you walk by.

Step2

Spend the first 10 minutes picking up things that don’t belong and shuffling them back to their proper homes. Again, if in a pinch and there are a lot of out of place items, stuff them in an obscure closet for later retrieval. You are going for neat here. Carry two trash bags if necessary to speed up the gathering and moving. One bag is for trash and one for things to be sorted out later. A laundry basket also works well for collecting clutter.

Step3

Clean the kitchen in the next 15 minutes. Get the dirty dishes out of the sink into the dishwasher, wipe down and straighten the counter tops. If you are the dishwasher, wash the dishes and leave them to dry neatly on the counter. Take out the trash, and grind up a lemon in your disposal for some quick deodorizing.

Step4

Spot clean the bathroom in five minutes total. Wipe down the sink, mirror and toilet. Close the shower curtain and make sure there is a fresh hand towel. Pre-moistened disposable towels work well for this, as well as your favorite cleaner and paper towels.

Step5

Make each bed and quickly dust what you can on the way out of each bedroom. Total allotted time for all bedrooms is 15 minutes. If you have a guest staying over, clearly focus most of the time here and shut the other doors. At a minimum, make sure all of the beds are made.

Step6

Sweep the kitchen and bathroom floors, shake out any floor mats so that they look clean and fresh. Total time is 5 minutes. Focus on the obvious dust bunnies and places where the eyes are drawn to.

Step7

Vacuum the carpets for the remaining 10 minutes. Focus on the entryway first, followed by the living area or where you will be entertaining. If the hallway to the bathroom is carpeted, hit that next. The guest bedroom is next and if time allows sprint through the remaining bedrooms.