How to get rid of clutter in your home in 15 minutes

by Alexey | Cleaning | Friday, January 08, 2021

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If you think that you need to spend all day cleaning your house, then this is not true at all.

Using a strategic 15 minutes for each room in your home will give it an organized look in no time..

Follow these instructions for each room with specific points on how to clean the space in 15 minutes or less. The key element in cleaning will be a universal basket in which you will place things not related to this room.

How to declutter your hallway in 15 minutes

Start by hanging coats or jackets that are scattered on the backs of chairs, a bench near the entrance, or in other rooms.
Check the pockets of any regularly worn outerwear and empty them by discarding old gum wrappers, receipts, change in your wallet, and keys in their storage area.
Repeat the process with bags, placing anything that doesn't belong there in a trash can, laundry basket or multi-purpose basket to move to another room. Example: All dirty gym clothes go into the laundry basket.
Go through your accessories and return them to their rightful storage areas.
Collect and arrange all the shoes in the hallway.
Sweep or vacuum.

Collect trash

The next step in the process of how to clean your apartment as quickly as possible is to collect garbage. Prepare a large bag immediately. Start with the bedroom. Walk around the room and collect newspapers you read, broken figurines, everything that is no longer useful.

From the bedroom you can move into the living room, then into the kitchen. It is better to complete garbage collection in the corridor. It is also advisable to place filled bags with garbage there. You don’t have to take them out right away, this will save time.

Decluttering your wardrobe in 15 minutes

Go to your closet, grab your empty hangers and set them aside where they can be easily reached.
Hang or fold any clothes scattered around the bedroom. Place dirty clothes in the hamper. Start by hanging your clothes and make sure that similar items are hung together, such as pants with pants and shirts with shirts.
Then start with folded clothes in your closet, such as sweaters and long-sleeve shirts. You don't have to re-stack everything, just straighten the stacks. If you constantly notice neatly folded stacks of sweaters getting out of place, consider adding shelf dividers that make the stacks much more organized.
Move towards the floor. Line up shoes, storage boxes, bags, whatever you have on your closet floor. Make sure nothing has fallen that should be hanging or stacked on the shelf.
Finally, take a multi-purpose basket and place everything that should be in another room in it and return it to its proper storage location.

Getting rid of clutter may seem like a complicated process—and it is. But by breaking it down into 15-minute steps, you can rid your home of clutter once and for all. Once you've gotten rid of the clutter, it's time to spring clean your home—a 30-day house cleaning challenge every homemaker should try.

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Everything is in place

It is scattered things that create the greatest chaos in the house. The habit of putting everything back in its place cannot be developed in 15 minutes, so you need to get rid of the problem:

Collect all clean items and take them to the closet.
Throw dirty clothes into the laundry basket in the bathroom.
Place chairs and armchairs in their permanent places.

These simple steps will visually make the apartment cleaner and freer. Now all further cleaning will be faster.

Main part

When talking about how to properly and quickly put things in order, we must not forget about vacuuming and washing the floors. If there is absolutely no time, then you need to learn which rooms the guests will be in. Usually this is the living room, kitchen and toilet. It will take about 5-7 minutes to vacuum them.

It is ideal to use a robot vacuum cleaner. This modern technology will work on the floor surfaces itself. And then there will be an opportunity to do other things. The robot will save several minutes on other equally important matters.

Dust. A thick layer of dust can spoil the overall picture, so it’s better to take a special fluffy broom. With its help, you can quickly clean large surfaces at once and there is no risk that dust particles will quickly stick to wet surfaces after cleaning with a rag.

Floor coverings cannot be ignored. Don't waste time cleaning under sofas, armchairs and other inconspicuous areas. Otherwise, guests will find the owner of the apartment doing just this. Quickly freshen the floor using a mop and a damp cloth.

The cleanliness of the hallway cannot be underestimated. It is this room that creates the first impression of the home. In the most urgent cases, simply wiping the floors with a wet cloth will be enough. To refresh the room you need to add a few drops of essential oil to the water for washing floors. If this is not the case, any citrus will do. Simply squeeze the juice of half a lemon, orange or grapefruit into a bucket of water. Open the windows and calmly go take out the trash. Thus, in 15 minutes the apartment will become cleaner, freer, and the fresh aroma of citrus will only improve the result.

Monday

On this day, wipe the dust completely in all areas of the home. This will take you about 5-10 minutes depending on the size of the apartment. Spend the rest of the few minutes cleaning the sink and hob in your kitchen. If there are a few minutes left, you can spend them cleaning light stains in the oven and microwave.

Some will say that cleaning the oven and stovetop can take a long time. And to some extent, he will be right, because not only old grease, but also carbon deposits may appear on the surfaces of these devices. But if you wipe down your appliances immediately after use and wash them more thoroughly once a week, they will always be sparkling clean. You won't need to scrub them off for many hours!

Every thing should be put back in its place

When things are out of place, it turns out that even in a clean house an atmosphere of chaos is created. When every family member already knows how important it is to clean up after themselves, then you can learn to return everything to its place. At the same time, the habit should be developed automatically, so if a person ignored or forgot once, then you need to not be lazy, come back and do what should be done.

Then the next time after using the thing, a reflex is developed to put it where it was. At first glance, this rule does not apply to cleaning, but in fact, in practice, this is one of the main steps to the result.

What to do in the kitchen

The weak point of this room is the mountain of dirty dishes. It takes a long time to wash, so if possible, place all unwashed plates and pans in the dishwasher. Take a quick look at the interior. Hide unnecessary items. Clean plates, cups and other utensils.

If you don’t have such equipment, close the drain in the sink, fill it with water, and add a few drops of detergent to it. Immerse the dishes in the soapy solution. Do other things. In a few minutes, washing the dishes will be much easier and faster.

If you have 30 minutes to clean the house, then you can pay attention to the curtains. It is advisable to replace dirty ones with new ones. If this is not possible, it will be enough to simply correct them and open them as much as possible. This way they will attract less attention.

To create a more attractive environment, you can replace the tea towels and display your favorite items in a prominent place. This could be a pretty salt and pepper set or cute cups.

Identifying problem areas

Where do you need to start putting things in order? Without identifying the main sources of pollution, you shouldn’t start cleaning the apartment, because it’s not enough to just vacuum and wet clean. Such measures will only worsen the situation - the remaining dirt will again be carried throughout the rooms. Therefore, in order for cleaning to be not only fast, but also of high quality, you need to learn to follow the basic rules.

Kitchen

We know where to start putting things in order - from the kitchen. This is not surprising, because this room is a breeding ground for infections and pollution. If you follow the step-by-step instructions, you can clean up here in 12 minutes:

Initially, it is necessary to remove from visible places all items that are not needed. The whole secret is that the fewer items on kitchen surfaces, the cleaner the room itself.
Start putting clean dishes in their places. If there are dirty dishes in the sink, they need to be loaded into the dishwasher or hidden in a kitchen cabinet if there is none.
Clean kitchen surfaces. To do this, wipe all surfaces with a microfiber cloth, including household appliances and chandeliers or other lighting devices.
To do a perfect cleaning, at least at first glance, you need to sweep the floor and then wash it. It is better to use a mop with microfiber - the washing process will be faster and more efficient.
What you need to do in the last step is to wipe off the stains with improvised means.

Advice! If there are stains on the countertop, then a plastic card will help you get rid of it without consequences. Plastic, unlike metal, will not leave a mark on the surface.

Bedroom

If you want to start cleaning your apartment properly, then after the kitchen you need to start cleaning up the bedroom. Need to:

Remove everything unnecessary. Change dirty bed linen with new ones, try to hide unnecessary items. To make the room seem cleaner, it is necessary that there are as few items as possible on the dressing table and shelves.
Make the bed. This can be done perfectly if you remove the edges of the sheet under the mattress.
Getting rid of dust. To clean quickly, use a dry microfiber cloth.
Vacuum. You can get your floors as clean as quickly and efficiently as possible without having to thoroughly clean every inch of the carpet.

Advice! Garbage bags that can be hidden in a closet will quickly help you remove unnecessary things and objects.

Corridor

The corridor deserves special attention and this is not surprising: residents leave and enter the apartment several times every day, so dirt is regularly brought in. It is from the room that pollution spreads throughout the apartment. Therefore, a cleaned corridor is the key to clean housing.

Before guests arrive, it is necessary to remove excess clothing and hide shoes in lockers, having previously cleaned them of dirt. It is necessary to wipe off dust and wash the floors. Cleaning the hallway is easy and quick.

Bathroom and toilet

Move further into the bathroom and toilet and remove all dirt there. These rooms are visited more often than others, so germs that are dangerous to humans spread here. To avoid this you need to:

Apply the cleaner to the sink, bathtub, shower stall and toilet to combat stains;
clean the mirror with special means;
wash the inside of the toilet using household chemicals, and use a soft cloth for the outside;
wash the floor.

By following these tips, you can quickly clean your bathroom.

Living room

The last room in the process of quickly cleaning the apartment is the living room. It will take 15 minutes to put it in order:

Assess the extent of the disorder. Having quickly examined the room, you need to carefully fold newspapers and magazines and correctly arrange the existing items in the living room in their places.
Wipe off dust using the same rules as in the bedroom.
Clean all glass surfaces and mirrors using special products.
Vacuum.

The living room attracts attention the most, since this is the room where guests are received. So give her a little more time.

The most modern means for cleaning the apartment

Nowadays, many means are used to maintain the cleanliness of living spaces.

They are divided into the following main categories:

furniture care,
cleaning floors, glass, mirrors,
cleaning carbon deposits and grease from kitchen utensils,
removing limescale, rust,
washing sinks, toilets, bathtubs,
disinfection,
stain removal,
air cleaning.

Important! Creamy and paste-like products are more effective.

Some housewives are afraid to use household chemicals as harmful to health.

Troubles can be avoided if:

choose neutral, high-quality drugs,
when using aggressive cleaning agents, wear gloves,
carefully study the instructions,
carry out testing of the chemical composition in a small area,
Rinse off the solution thoroughly and dry the treated surface well.

Be sure to read:

Cleaning dishes: pans and pots using glue and soda: correct proportions for the solution

How to quickly clean an apartment

Before you start cleaning, you need to do the following:

Imagine yourself in the place of your guests. You need to carefully examine the front of the work to determine what catches your eye. Based on this, you should start cleaning the apartment.
Think about where to receive guests. If in the living room, then you should straighten the furniture, dust, vacuum, spray indoor plants, remove toys, etc.
Clean the bathroom. Guests will be required to enter this room, at least to wash their hands. Therefore, wash the mirror, sink and bathtub or shower stall, put new soap and replace towels.

And most importantly, you need to try to rest and relax. You can sit listening to your favorite music or fully concentrate on properly cleaning your apartment. This is necessary so that there are no questions from guests about why you are out of breath.

Everyone cleans up after themselves

The rule is almost unrealistic, but if someone manages to bring such an idea to life, then cleaning the house will take much less time, if only because the housewife, and this is most likely a mother and wife in one person, will stop collecting her husband’s dirty socks and toys after children, which means he will find time for other important things.

Cleaning and personal care rules are extremely important, because thanks to this, the messiest and most disorganized family members can learn to take responsibility for their actions. This helps a lot in weaning children from leaving everything everywhere and subsequently provides a good basis for another equally important law of quick cleaning.

Cleaning using chemicals and products

The best helpers in cleaning can be not only water and a rag, but also household chemicals. It is extremely important to use the products as intended and not try to wash all surfaces with one liquid soap. It’s worth remembering that you can save time by soaking the dirtiest surfaces first. You should also not neglect the role of the vacuum cleaner and mop in cleaning.

If, for example, household appliances have different properties and functions, then you need to use them 100%. Washing vacuum cleaners, super spin in washing machines and a self-cleaning system in the oven will help not only clean the house well, but also put a minimum of effort and time into it.

Third rule:

Dress in good clothes and put on your shoes at home! It has long been known that the appearance of a home greatly influences our behavior at home. Therefore, if you want to be active even under your own roof (and not lie like a seal on the couch), you will need to look the part. Now we are not talking about a business suit and classic shoes, but about comfortable clothes that will not hinder your movements.

In the original, Marla advises wearing lace-up shoes, because they are not so easy to take off and climb onto the sofa.