Chore Hacks: 5 Ways to Cut Down on Cleaning Time

Cleaning doesn’t need to be a giant snoozefest that takes hours at a time or that you always have to go through before having guests over. These tips will help you clean your home faster than you can say supercalifragilistic—well, you get the idea.

• Make a Routine

Setting aside specific times for different chores will make it feel like you aren’t spending too much time cleaning. There are different options for making a cleaning routine, like daily speed cleaning, tackling a major task each day, or scheduling timed cleaning sessions. Having a routine means you won’t get bogged down by hours of cleaning on one day, unless that happens to be your preferred method of cleaning. Feel free to give yourself a day or two off from cleaning just like you would from work.

• Group Your Chores

Doing related chores on the same day, like cleaning the kitchen as well as loading and unloading the dishwasher, increases efficiency. You can group chores by room or by the chore itself. For example, clean one room in the house each day, or do all the dusting in the whole house in one day. The way you group your chores can complement your schedule. If you need somewhere to start, follow the Best Pick Reports chore schedule. If you know you have to take the kids to soccer practice or work late on a specific day, save the quick chores for that day.

• Don’t Do It All Yourself

Keep in mind that if you live with others, you don’t have to do all the cleaning yourself. Grouping chores by age group is an easy way to delegate tasks. Having family members help you clean up will make the work go faster and feel more enjoyable. If you have a big event coming up and just can’t get everything done, even with help from the rest of the family, call a local Best Pick housecleaning company

• Plan Your Meals

Plan your meals on a specific day of the week—Sunday is a good day for this activity because most weeks get busiest starting on Mondays. Then, go shopping for everything you’ll need, and cook most of your meals that day. Doing this cuts down on how many pots and pans you will have to use every night; you’ll usually just have to heat up one of the precooked meals you made earlier in the week. If you aren’t familiar with meal planning, there are lots of strategies and online resources you can use. For instance, some people advise planning out meals but not assigning them to a specific day, and others provide more specific planning techniques.

• Wear Clothes More than Once

Lots of articles of clothing can be worn more than once without being washed, depending on the weather and other conditions in which they’re worn. Jeans can be worn multiple times, and sweaters can certainly be used a couple times before being washed. Not tossing your clothes in the hamper every single time they’re used can significantly reduce the frequency of doing laundry, and you’ll also contribute to water conservation by doing fewer loads. Multitask and make the chore more fun by putting on your favorite show while folding.

Quick cleaning is just a few steps away. Whether you’re making chore schedules, planning meals, or enlisting the help of your family, there are a variety of ways to cut down on your cleaning time.