How to Speed Clean Your House in Under 30 Minutes

Let’s be honest. No one likes to clean.

But, unfortunately, there’s only so long you can put off cleaning your home before people start to notice. Fine layers of dust and dirt start to build up on surfaces, pet hair is sprinkled about the upholstery like confetti and you start to notice mould creeping into nooks and crannies.

There’s no avoiding it. Cleaning is just a part of our everyday routines. This doesn’t mean that you have to spend an entire day scrubbing away until your back aches and your fingers prune – it’s called a Spring clean for a reason, it doesn’t need to be done every day – which is why we have compiled a list of speed cleaning tips.

Whether you have dinner guests arriving in a few minutes, or you’re just looking to get some time back, these helpful speed cleaning tips and shortcuts will help you to clean your home super fast. You’ll have your home spotless faster than you can say “done and dusted”, so you can put your feet up and spend your time doing things you love, like watching Married At First Sight.

Set your timer to 30 minutes

Set your timer on your smartphone to 30 minutes, press start and the cleaning countdown has begun.

Grab your speed cleaning toolkit

You can’t clean your house in under 30 minutes if you spend the entire time looking for your cleaning supplies. Instead, make sure you have your cleaning toolkit ready to go, so you can get started right away.

What you’ll need:

A laundry basket or box to store clutter while you clean
All-purpose cleaning spray, or cleaning wipes
Disinfectant spray
Window spray
Microfibre cloths or rags for wiping surfaces
Microfibre duster
Cordless vacuum cleaner
Mop and bucket (if you’re going to give the floors a once-over)
Other cleaning supplies you might need

Make sure you keep your toolkit stored in the same place every time, like in your laundry or under the staircase, so you can grab your cleaning artillery and get cleaning!

Where to start

Before your cloth even touches a surface, ensure you make a plan of action for where to start and in what order to clean your house. We always suggest starting with the most public areas – especially if you’re having company – and going from there. This means start with the kitchen, then tackle the living room, bathroom and hallways. If you have mastered the art of the speed clean, then you can move to the bedrooms once you are satisfied with the more public areas.

Remember that speed cleaning focuses mostly on surfaces, so try to avoid deep cleaning certain household items, like the oven or refrigerator. Just clean and disinfect the surfaces and move on to the next area.

1. Start with the kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of the home. It’s also the messiest part of the home, so this is where you’ll need to focus your efforts initially.

Start by gathering any clutter or rubbish that’s accumulated on the working tops, emptying the sink and then proceeding to spray and wipe all of the surfaces with your all-purpose cleaner and disinfectant. It’s really important to disinfect the surfaces, especially if you have been cooking with raw meat.

Then, follow these steps:

Use a microfiber cloth or sponge with some dishwashing liquid to scrub the sink, faucets and drain. Rinse.
Wipe the sink and faucets with a dry cloth to get rid of any water spots and make it shine
Vacuum or use a broom to sweep any dropped food or dirt off the floors
Swap out the tea towel for a clean one
Empty the bin, if needed

Here are some tips on how to clean your small kitchen appliances when you have more than half an hour to clean.

2. Time to tackle the living room

Just like you did in the kitchen, clear any clutter by collecting it into a basket and pop it to the side. Then:

Grab your microfibre duster or your cloth and begin to dust all of the surfaces, including the TV unit, tables, window sills, photo frames and blinds. We always recommend doing this in a clockwise motion, so you don’t miss any areas during your once-over
Arm yourself with your all-purpose cleaning spray and cloth, or cleaning wipes, and give the surfaces another wipe
Vacuum or sweep the floors in the same direction you dusted, while ensuring you clean underneath the furniture, like the couch, TV unit and coffee table
If the windows need it, then give them a quick spray and wipe with your glass cleaner and microfiber cloth

Now, time to slide out of the living room Risky Business-style and into the bathroom for a speed clean.

3. Save the best for last: the bathroom

Everyone dreads cleaning the bathroom, but with these shortcuts you can have your bathroom gleaming in a matter of minutes.

Spray the shower, vanity and bathtub with your cleaning spray to allow to sit for a few minutes while you focus your efforts elsewhere
Give the toilet a quick once-over with some toilet cleaner and a toilet brush. Let it sit.
Wipe the surfaces you just sprayed with your chosen cleaning spray using a sponge and rinse. If you’ve got an old toothbrush handy, you can use this to scrub any crevices or between the tiles
Clean the mirror with your cleaning spray and a microfibre cloth and do the same with any tapware

Lightly sweep or vacuum the floor with a handheld vacuum cleaner
Return to the toilet and give it a good scrub before flushing
Rinse clean the tiles and shower screen and squeegee everything for a dripless finish

4. Don’t forget to mop

We bet you think we forgot to mop the floors? That’s because we were saving them until last.

Now you’ve tidied all the clutter and cleaned all of the surfaces you can focus on the floors. This means grabbing your mop bucket and filling it with hot water and floor cleaner and begin mopping – starting in the kitchen, then working your way to the living room and finishing in the bathroom (as you don’t want to use the mop in other areas of the home after you mopped around the toilet).

Once you’re done with the floors you can start putting the finishing touches on your clean home and give yourself a pat on the back for doing it in less than 30 minutes. Sort through the basket of clutter and put the items back where they belong and even clean your home’s exterior equipment like your BBQ or concrete driveway.

Finally, light some scented candles or spray some Febreeze to freshen the air, so your home will not only look clean, but it will smell clean, too.

Cleaning is an inevitable part of everyday life, but if you’re finding it hard to do more than a speed clean with your busy schedule, then you’ll be happy to know you can leave it to the professionals. Calibre Cleaning offers cleaning services to suit every household and budget at flat rate prices, so you can book a clean without any surprises and a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Moreover, our services are available in various cities throughout Australia, including Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Gold Coast, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. We also offer an end of lease cleaning service in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Gold Coast, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. Explore our flat rate house cleaning prices or vacate cleaning Perth prices and book your clean today. Save time, money and energy and explore our house cleaning prices today.