Is it really possible to get a clean house in under 2 hours? The short answer is yes! It may not be a spring cleaning level of clean, but it’s very presentable. Here’s how.
Steps to Get a Clean House in Under 2 Hours
Keeping the house clean can be a struggle, but I have some tips that help me keep it manageable. They may not give you a deep clean, but put these tips in place to help you stay on top of things. And if company comes over, you’ll feel prepared! Here are the steps to get a clean house in under 2 hours.
Round Up the Bed Linens
If you’re like me, then cleaning your house includes laundry. So the first thing to do is go and collect all the used bedding in the house. While you’re at it, sprinkle a mixture of baking soda and essential oils onto the mattresses to freshen them up.
Start the Washer and Dishwasher
Toss the dirty sheets in the washing machine. Be sure to move them to the dryer when the wash cycle ends. After you start the washer, load all the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and either run it or set the timer for later. While you clean the rest of the house, the laundry and dishes are also being cleaned.
Tidy Up to Get a Clean House
Next, grab a laundry basket and go from room to room to pick up items that don’t belong. Transfer them to their rightful places. Tidy up as you go and make sure that everything looks as you want it. Do double duty and dust each room as you go.
Clean the Kitchen & Bathrooms
Once other rooms are tidy, move on to the kitchen and bathrooms. Start from the top–wipe down walls, mirrors, cabinets, counters, or anything that you see needs a wipe down.
Sweep Floors
After you clean the bathrooms and kitchen, sweep and mop the floors in each room. Wherever those butt up against carpet, sweep tiny dirt particles onto the carpet–you’ll vacuum them up in a few minutes!
Vacuum
Now break out the vacuum and go through all the rooms. If you sprinkled baking soda on your mattresses, vacuum it up while you’re in those rooms. Clean sheets go on the beds at this point. Check out my vacuum hacks!
Final Steps to Get a Clean House in Under 2 Hours
You’re almost done! All you have to do now is get the sheets out of the dryer, fold them and put them away–or remake the beds with them. Time to unload the dishwasher and put away the clean dishes. And that’s how to get a clean house in under 2 hours!
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in July 2016. It has been updated for accuracy.
These are great tips. We’re still new homeowners and there’s so much for us to learn and do.
Great ideas but would take more than two hours. Minimum of 4 loads of laundry and that slows the whole down. Willing to try but not sure of the solution .
If you put your dishes in the dishwasher as you us them then there’s a little time back …….
No dishwasher here, I am the dishwasher, my kids put them away.
no so great, nothing we didn’t already know.
This sounds like a cool plan….but…WHO has only one load of laundry????
If you clean your house everyday or every other day you don’t have that much laundry and you only have to clean your blankets and sheets once a week ………………. The washing machine only takes about 30 to 45 minutes so once a week you have 2 loads but if you stop when the washer is done to switch the laundry with each load you can still get done in time ……
I find it’s easier to clean one room at a time, and clean downstairs first ( then if anyone visits the rooms they see will be cleaned!), defo have the washer, dishwasher going at the same time as cleaning.
Then clean upstairs, bedrooms and bathrooms, leaving vaccing the stairs til last as you come down. By the time you’ve had a cuppa the laundry should be ready to take out. BUT, cleaning the house properly can’t be done in 2 hours, I really wish it could.
I cleaned houses for several years. The owners had the houses picked up I just cleaned. I did not do any laundry and it took a minimum of 3 to 4 hours depending on the size of the house . Larger homes took 4 to 5 hours. I don’t see how you can do all of it in 2 hours.
What world do you live in? Two hours never. Even when I had my maid come in and clean my house it took them 1-1/2 hours to clean my house and there were four of them and they didn’t do laundry. My house is a total of 2500 sq ft with 4 bedrooms. FYI – three of the bedrooms I never had them clean.
I have about 2500 square feet to clean. 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, kitchen, stairs, laundry room and foyer. If I spent 10 minutes in each room I would be at 2 hours before laundry or dishes and there is no way I could pick up, dust and vacuum and makes beds in 10 minutes. I get the idea of starting your dishes and laundry while you do other things but my house would need at least 15 to 20 minutes per room.
Wow 2 hours! I wish.
If I stripped the beds of the sheets etc that’s still 2-3 loads of laundry right there. I’m usually pretty good at the laundry and kitchen on a regular basis.
Kids clean the toilets and sinks.
But man, even just vacuuming, that’s a 45 min job and that’s not even cleaning the hardwood floors!
I just can’t do it all in 2 hours. I mean, don’t get me wrong, 2 hours is a great start.
A start.
Nice plan with some good everyday tips. However, the 2 hours does not account for the every ten minute “Mommy watch this!” interruptions I get from my five-year-old.