Just the thought of cleaning the house top to bottom is enough to stress out even the cleanest of people, and can bring on a feeling of defeat before you even lift a mop. However, cleaning the house in its entirety doesn’t have to be overwhelming – all you need are these 100 housecleaning chores that are broken down by the minute to help you power through the task! Some of these take less than five minutes to accomplish, others will be a little more involved, and, when combined, all will leave you with a house that’s sparkling clean.
25 Tasks You Can Do in Under 5 Minutes
You’ve probably heard the old saying that a watched pot never boils, and you may have even tested it by staring interminably at water that refuses to bubble. These 25 tasks will all take you less than five minutes, making them perfect for tackling when you’re waiting for things like water to boil. One trick to keeping a clean house is to clean as you go instead of waiting for it all to pile up and then trying to tackle it. So the next time you have five minutes, take on one of these tasks.
Use a nut to take scratches out of a wooden table. Good Housekeeping says you can hide scratches by rubbing the meat of a walnut over them.
Use Alka Seltzer to clean a toilet. According to Life Hacker, you can clean a toilet bowl by dropping two Alka Seltzer tablets into it, waiting a few minutes and then brushing the bowl clean.
Disinfect the garbage disposal using a lemon. Woman’s Day recommends cutting up a lemon, some salt and a few ice cubes and running them down the disposal to freshen and disinfect.
Clean and sanitize your cutting boards. Follow the directions on Clorox to sanitize your plastic and wooden cutting boards.
Watch this video to learn how to spot clean your bathroom in 5-minutes. Clean My Space recommends using disinfectant wipes to tidy up.
Implement the 5-minute pick-up in your home. Grab a laundry basket and walk around your home, adding in anything that doesn’t belong in that room. Once you’re done, put everything back in its rightful place, suggests Spring Cleaning 365.
Spend 5 minutes every day cleaning the hot spot. Super Heroes and Tea Cups recommends spending just 5 minutes each day on the one spot in your house that is the catch all spot to keep it tidy.
Empty the dishwasher. Surprisingly enough, taking just 5 minutes to do this task will help you keep the kitchen cleaner throughout the day because you can then put dirty dishes into the dishwasher instead of leaving them by the sink, suggests Keeper of the Home.
Make your bed. It typically takes around 2 minutes to make your bed, indicates The Art of Simple, and this simple task can change the entire look and feel of your room.
Make your sinks, mirrors, and counters shine in your bathroom. Google Books explains how to make your bathroom sparkle in just 5 minutes.
Wipe down light switch covers and door knobs. This task is especially important during cold and flu season and, according to The Spicy Sugar Shack, should only take a few minutes.
Sweep the floor daily. Live Renewed suggests spending 5 minutes sweeping or Swiffering the floors every day to stay on top of pet hair and spilled food.
Play the 100 item pick-up game. If you are like Imperfect Homemaking, you hate to clean. By picking up 100 items as you switch tasks during the day, however, your house will stay tidy without you feeling like you spent the day cleaning.
Pick up dirty laundry and start a load. How to Clean Stuff recommends spending just 5 minutes picking up dirty clothes and doing one load per day.
Dust your knickknacks during commercials. My Simpler Life suggests working in cleaning tasks throughout the day so that it doesn’t feel overwhelming, like dusting in your living room during commercials.
Clean out the silverware drawer. Living on a Dime recommends using just 5 minutes to tackle small tasks around your house, such as cleaning out a drawer.
Wash your interior windows. Chasing Super Mom says she can do all of her downstairs windows in under 5 minutes – and you can, too!
Scrub down the shower. According to Curbly, you should be able to spray and wipe down the shower in just 5 minutes. Cleaning the shower while you are in it makes the task even simpler.
Organize a book shelf. The Organised Housewife has a list of ways to clean the entire kitchen, but recommends that you take on one organizational task, like organizing the book shelf, each day.
Clean the microwave. Put a handful of wet paper towels or a sponge into the microwave, turn it on for a couple minutes, then wipe out the microwave with the wet paper towels and you’re done, says Reader’s Digest.
Do laundry 5 minutes at a time. Stephanie O’Dea explains how each laundry-related task takes less than 5 minutes, making them easy to fit in throughout the day.
Empty all of the trash cans in your house. Parent Hacks suggests using small pockets of time, like the 5 minutes it takes you to reheat food in your microwave, to do one housecleaning task.
Wash your dishes after each meal. According to Houzz, you can wash your dishes after each meal in less than 5 minutes, so you don’t have to face a mountain of dishes later in the day.
Empty trash and sweep the floor in your bathroom. Only Hangers suggests adding tasks that take 5 minutes or less to your daily routine.
Let the products do the work. All Things Frugal recommends spraying the surfaces you want to clean and letting them sit so that it’s not a lot of work when you wipe things off.
25 Tasks You Can Do in Under 15 Minutes
Did you ever think that you could dust your crown molding in under 15 minutes? Unless you have really tall ceilings, you don’t even need a ladder! All you need is a broom, a microfiber cloth and a rubber band and you’re set. If you’re in a rush but need to get a room into a presentable condition, check out some of the tips below. You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish in just 15 minutes by following the tips in these 25 posts. Skeptical? Set a timer and give it a try!
Dust crown molding and ceiling vents with ease using a broom. Real Simple explains how to cover the bristles of a broom with a microfiber cloth and wrap it with a rubber band to clean hard to reach surfaces in your home.
Set a timer to avoid getting bogged down. The Inspired Room encourages you to set a timer for 15 minutes when you start a task to help you stay focused on finishing it.
Have a plan for a quick bedroom clean-up. Housekeeping details a list of steps for cleaning up your bedroom in just 15 minutes.
Give yourself 15 minutes to put things back where they belong. Tipsaholic explains how to get a maximum amount of things cleaned in just a short amount of time.
Clean out the junk drawer. BlogHer says this job should take closer to 10 minutes, and by using an organizer going forward you can keep everything organized and manageable.
Gather up and put away everything that is out of place in your living room. Money Saving Mom suggests breaking tasks down and setting a timer to make it into a game to beat the clock.
Use 15 minute micro-bursts of cleaning to get deep cleaning done. The Unclutterer shows you how to assess each room and determine how many 15 minute sessions it will take to deep clean it.
Clean the mattress. You can take the linens off, vacuum the mattress and remake the bed with fresh linens in only 15 minutes, says Voices.
Keep your home clean in 15 minutes a day. All My Sons has a list of chores to do each day that should only take you 15 minutes and will help keep your house clean.
Clean up under beds and straighten closets and dressers. Simply Clean Living breaks down tasks like cleaning under beds and straightening closets into 15 minute segments.
You can do anything for 15 minutes. FlyLady breaks down how to clean in a hurry if you have guests coming in a few days.
Clean sweep in 15 minutes. Apartment Therapy explains that cleaning doesn’t take as long as you think it, so stop procrastinating and get started!
After dinner clean up. Teresa’s Family Cleaning suggests that you get the dishes into the dishwasher and wipe down the table and the counters after dinner. After 15 minutes, go sit down and relax.
Remove pet hair from the furniture. Bright Nest explains how to remove pet hair using a damp rubber glove.
Clean the venetian blinds. Manila Bulletin suggests putting an old sock on your hand to wipe down the blinds.
Declutter and sort through paperwork. Suite 101 recommends taking 15 minutes to sort and handle junk mail, magazines, bills and other papers.
Clean out your car. How Does She goes over a list of what you can accomplish in 15 minutes, such as cleaning out your car. If you are organized, you can do this task while you kill time waiting for your child to finish soccer practice.
Clean out your freezer. Homemaking Organized suggests you take just 15 minutes to clean out your freezer and discard anything that you won’t eat.
Tidy up your home. Household Management 101 encourages you to go through and pick up every room and put things back where they belong.
Break down your tasks into manageable chunks. Clean Organized Family Home suggests cleaning the microwave on one day, then cleaning the toilets the next, instead of trying to do it all at once.
Do a quick pick up and wipe down in 15 minutes. Home Ec 101 lists big tasks and little tasks for each day. The little tasks, like picking up clutter and wiping off smudges, take only 15 minutes.
Daily cleaning blasts of 15 minutes. Her View from Home recommends that everyone take 15 minutes each day to tidy up the entire house and put things in their place.
Spring cleaning task in 15 minutes. Instead of spending hours on the weekend deep cleaning your home in the spring or fall, take a tip from Staten Island Live and spend just 15 minutes a day on those deep cleaning tasks.
Clean the surfaces in 15 minutes. Wishmaids gives an idea for a 30 minute emergency clean-up, with 15 minutes of that clean-up being assigned to wiping and cleaning all of the surfaces in your home.
Avoid clogged drains by doing this 10 to 15 minute task. Great White Clean suggests pouring baking soda and salt down the drain, adding hot vinegar, letting it all sit for 15 minutes and then rinsing it down for a fresh and clear drain.
25 Tasks You Can Do in Under 30 Minutes
You can do a lot of cleaning in just half an hour, whether you do six 5 minute tasks, two 15 minute tasks or one 30 minute task. Housekeeping expert the Flylady says that if you do nothing else, make your sink sparkle. The next time you have 30 minutes to kill, tackle one of these 30 minute tasks. You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes.
Clean front door, switch plates and fingerprints on the walls. The Homemaking Arts suggests tackling one deep cleaning task per day for 30 minutes. At the end of 30 days your house will be deep cleaned.
Wipe appliances and mop the floor. Black and Married with Kids suggests spending 30 minutes a day cleaning your home.
Take down, wash or dry clean curtains in living room. The Country Chic Cottage suggests doing various tasks to deep clean your home 30 minutes at a time.
Create a list of birthdays. Take advantage of technology when you can by using something like Slipstick to remind you of upcoming dates.
Clean out your expired food. This is purely a personal choice, because according to the FDA expiration dates refer to quality and taste, not safety, notes Healthy Discoveries.
Create a filing system for your financial documents. Follow the instructions listed on Dummies to figure out a way to organize your bills.
Update your annual calendar. Take a new calendar and transfer important dates onto it, suggests Practical Organizing.
Clean out your medicine cabinet. According to Advil, you need to take the time to check the expiration dates on your prescription drugs and toss the ones that have expired.
Organize your scrapbook papers. Find several ideas on Studio Pebbles on how to organize your paper packs and stacks.
Clean your dishwasher. One Good Thing by Jillee recommends several different ways to clean and deodorize your dishwasher, even if it’s not very old.
Wash out your trash bins. Overstock has a step-by-step method for cleaning the trash bins in your home to keep them fresh.
Wash your dishes. P & G Everyday gives tips on how you can cut your dishwashing chore time in half by using a few tricks.
Clean your sink. Follow the directions given on Savvy Sugar to disinfect your sinks.
Polish kitchen cabinets. After you’ve cleaned your kitchen cabinets you should polish them to keep them looking their best, suggests Guardsmen.
Clean your tub. According to Finely Ground, you can use Borax and a wet scrub brush to get old stains out of your tub.
Wax your bathtub. By waxing your bathtub with car wax you can maintain it better throughout the year, says Change Your Bathroom.
Prevent future fridge troubles in less than 30 minutes. Family Handyman suggests spending 30 minutes or less cleaning in and around your refrigerator to avoid costly repairs.
Clean your drip pans. From daily cleaning to deep cleaning, Home Guides has some helpful cleaning solutions for making this task a breeze.
Clean your toaster. Sounds simple, but did you know that it’s not a good idea to turn your toaster upside down? Read the tips on All About Home Repair to learn the proper way of cleaning out your toaster to prevent a possible fire.
Seal your grout. After cleaning your grout it’s important to seal it to prevent future stains. This task is simple, but may take a while if you have a lot of grout, according to Lowes.
Clean the silver. Before any big holiday gatherings you may want to give your silver a good polish. It won’t take as long as you think if you use this method by Chemistry.
Clean your lamp shades. You can dust your lamp shades in minutes using a simple paint brush, but to actually clean a lamp shade you may need water, explains Michigan State Extension.
Remove lint and wash your lint trap. You can save money by cleaning and washing your lint screen and making sure the hose is clear of debris, claims The Christian Science Monitor.
Clean your ceiling fans. Try the pillow case trick offered on Quick and Dirty Tips that allows you to dust your ceiling fan without covering the floor with dust bunnies.
Wash your baseboards. DIY Life suggests spraying your baseboards and letting them soak for 10 minutes before wiping them down in each room.
25 Tasks You Can Do in Under an Hour
By giving up just one soap opera or nighttime drama or getting up an hour earlier each morning you can find an extra hour in your day. This one hour can allow you to get or keep your house impeccably clean. It won’t happen overnight if you haven’t been keeping house very well, but it could happen at the end of 30 days if you stick with it. These hour long tasks go above and beyond daily cleaning. By keeping your home clutter-free and organized you will find that you need to spend less time cleaning. This will allow you to have more time for fun with your family and friends. So what are you waiting for? Check out these 25 blogs to get started!
Try this one hour quick clean plan to get your whole house company ready. Better Homes and Gardens breaks cleaning the whole house down into manageable steps.
Tidy up the whole house using speed cleaning tips and 45 minutes. Living Well Spending Less explains how to accomplish this task step-by-step.
Tackle a room a day. My 3 Monsters lists everything you need to clean each room and recommends doing a room a day.
Plan a birthday party. Check out the tips on Martha Stewart for planning a child’s birthday party.
Organize your spice cabinet. Use this four step process from Simplify 101 to sort, purge, label and store your spices.
Organize your recipes. The Kitchn has several ways to organize recipes, like this one that uses binders.
Work on creating a simple command center in your home. From simple to elaborate, you can get ideas from Southern Living for making a command center for your home.
Switch out your seasonal clothing. Take time and evaluate each item as you go through your clothes to determine if you want to keep it or donate it, recommends HGTV.
Organize your photos. Determine which photos you want to preserve or frame and which photos you can get rid of by using tips from Money US News.
Clean and organize your clothes closet. Using tips from My Home Ideas you can organize your clothes in a more usable way.
Clean your oven to get rid of old spills. WikiHow explains several methods for cleaning your oven based on the type of oven you own.
Freshen up your mattresses. Make it Do suggests removing bed linens, vacuuming the mattress, sprinkling it with baking soda and an essential oil and allowing it to sit for a while before vacuuming it up.
Wipe down kitchen cabinets. Clean Like the Pros will take you step-by-step through the process of giving your cabinet fronts a thorough cleaning.
Clean your window screens. Follow the simple steps by the DIY Network to give your screens a good washing.
Scrub the grout on your floor. According to a story on the Washington Post, the best way to clean grout is by soaking and scrubbing it with oxygen bleach.
Wax your table top. Applying a protective coating of wax will last a lot longer than a quick spray of furniture polish, explains The Master’s Touch.
Rake the leaves. Depending on how many leaves you have, you may opt to mulch the leaves by mowing over them, but if you have a lot of leaves and decide to rake, here are 10 tips from Realtor to get it done right.
Organize your book shelves. Whether you go alphabetically or by genre, organizing your bookshelves can be a worthwhile task; check out the tips on Quirk Books.
Clean range hood filter. Depending on how dirty the underside of your range hood is, this task may take way less than an hour. Use the tips on House Cleaning London to speed up the task.
Spot remove and clean your leather furniture. Learn how to make your own inexpensive leather cleaner from The Krazy Coupon Lady.
Steam clean the carpets. Follow the steps on Housewife How To’s for directions on steam cleaning your carpets to get that deep down clean.
Clean the front porch. Tidy Mom explains step-by-step how you can get your porch clean and ready for guests or an event.
Clean light fixtures. At least once a year you may want to get out the ladder and clean the light fixtures, suggests University of Hawaii.
Clean your shower doors. The Pin Junkie shows before and after pictures of how well this simple solution of vinegar and dishwashing liquid works for this job.
Organize your pantry. Simply Fabulous Living gives tons of suggestions on how to create your dream pantry.