Since our early years of marriage, my husband and I have utilized what we affectionately call a “cleaning frenzy” to give our home a quick makeover during the day. A frenzy can last ten minutes or a full hour. We like to do at least one a day—two is even better.
Everyone can participate, including the kids. We run around picking things up from the floor, putting items away, and making everything tidy. You can get into a cleaning frenzy all on your own too, but they do tend to be contagious!
Frenzies work like a charm to make a big impact in a short period of time.
To spark your creativity, here are brief descriptions of four different frenzies. These cleaning blitzes are very easy to adapt to your unique needs and your home’s purpose.
I truly believe that a ten-minute cleaning frenzy a day keeps the housekeeping frustration away. Set one a day as a goal, and if you can do a few more, go for it. They are fun!
1. Horizontal Surface Frenzy
Clean one horizontal surface or as many as you can in ten minutes! This is where most of us gather our clutter. Look at the kitchen counter, bedroom nightstand, coffee table, dining table, stovetop, or the floor of any room and choose your frenzy focus. Any surface of any room will do! Take everything off the surface, wipe it down, dust or vacuum it, and put back only what is truly useful or beautiful for that space.
Find a home for the clutter you removed. Make it your goal going forward to keep that area decluttered and clean!
2. Vertical Surface Frenzy
With ten minutes on the timer, you can polish up a lot of vertical surfaces. Focus a cleaning frenzy on light-switch plates, doorknobs, windows, mirrors, doors, backsplashes, lamp bases and shades, accessories, or picture frames.
3. Bathroom Cleaning Frenzy
Unless your house is a mansion, you should be able to clean all your toilets in ten minutes or less. Grab your cleanser, a cleaning wand, and a rag and get scrubbing! Disinfect and polish inside and out. Get into a cleaning frenzy with bathroom counters, showers, floors, and cabinets!
4. Laundry Frenzy
The best way to keep up with laundry is to do it every day. If this isn’t possible, do laundry frenzies as often as you can throughout the week. Toss a load in and set a timer so you remember to move the clothes to the dryer. Immediately hang or lay out dry or almost-dry clothes to prevent wrinkles. With another ten-minute block, you can put away clothes or have other family members join in a quick frenzy to retrieve their items and put them away by the end of the day.
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The trick is to find simple ways to reduce the mess so our homes can be pleasant places to live. Daily routines keep me from slipping into the lonely abyss of despair when I’m insanely busy. I know I can keep up with a few things every day—and you can, too!
Find more tips for cleaning and loving your home in Love the Home You Have.
Melissa Michaels is the creator of the popular blog The Inspired Room and the Better Homes and Gardens Readers’ Choice Decorating Blog winner in 2014. With creative, simple ideas and a friendly style, she inspires nearly half a million women each month to love their homes and lives.
*Photo credit: Melissa Michaels
