Life

Cleaning House Checklist – How to Clean Things in 1 MINUTE

My husband and I are not only married to one another, we are also married to our jobs. When it comes time to clean, sometimes we just aren't there. We do have a great Cleaning Service named simplymaid.com.au that cleans our rugs, floors, bathrooms, baseboards, etc., but there has to be something we can do to troubleshoot the little messes, that we can clean ourselves, in the little amount of time we have.

This is where I invented "The 1 Minute Plan" for our lifestyle. Simple chores that can be done in a minute flat. How many minutes do we waste each day on doing nothing? Waiting for the coffee to brew is 3 minutes. Waiting for the bagel to toast in 2 minutes. There are times we literally don't do anything but wait, so I decided let's fill in these gaps.

I didn't want to go crazy and make this an annoyance, so I just compiled a list of things that can easily and effectively be done in a minute or less, keeping with my "green" ways, and have satisfying results.

Step #1: 

Start off with a list. Look around your home and write down things you think fit the criteria of a one minute clean. I suggest take the top 10 most necessary chores on your list. If it works out you can always add more.

Step #2: 

Have the cleaning items handy for the tasks and keep them in one place. I call it "the minute basket". It holds my cleaning tools for the job and resides out of the way in the cabinet under the kitchen sink. 

Step #3: 

Do an experiment. Time yourself on the listed tasks. Can they be done in under a minute? If successful, then they make the cut.

Step #4: 

Turn your list into a checklist. Top 10 things. Ten minutes total. Can be done weekly or bi-weekly. If my husband and I just split that list over a week, we have 7 days to clean 5 things each. With 10,080 minutes in a week, you have 1000 times the number of minutes needed to complete the mission. And the more household members checking tasks off the list, the less one person has to do.

I'm placing my list below with the instructions to keep your house clean and beautiful. Households vary, so your list(s) may differ, but I think this is a great way to start. Moreover, my friend, Elizabeth from TheHomemakersJournal.com helped us to prepare the list.

Items In The Minute Basket:

  • Baking Soda

  • Distilled White Vinegar

  • Spray Bottle With Soap And Water

  • Scour Pads

  • Clean Cloths

  • Salt

  • Lemons Juice And Lemons

Our List:

Vacuum One Room

We place the vacuum in a different room we want to be vacuumed each night before bed. In the morning while the coffee brews, plug it in, vacuum quickly and enjoy your coffee. 

Items Needed:

  • Vacuum Cleaner

  • Lemon Juice

  • Add lemon juice to vacuum bag. It will give the carpet a fresh citrus scent.

Clean The Microwave 

Place 4 lemon wedges into a glass bowl of water in the microwave. Microwave on high until the water boils and steams. Clean the steamed walls of the microwave using a cloth.

Items Needed:

  • Glass bowl

  • Lemons

  • Cloth

  • Water

Two For One

Whoever is on microwave duty, squeeze the lemons from that bowl into the kitchen sink. Sprinkle baking soda over the juice. Add a tablespoon of the vinegar. Wipe with a cloth and rinse. The sink is clean.

Items Needed:

  • The bowl of lemons

  • Water from the microwave

  • Baking soda

  • Distilled white vinegar

  • A cloth

Three For One 

Put those leftover squeezed lemons into the garbage disposal with 2 tablespoons of salt and a handful of ice. Turn the disposal on and BOOM it's now fresh, clean, and the blades have been slightly sharpened.

Items Needed: 

  • Leftover lemons

  • Ice

  • Salt

The Bathroom Mirror 

Any mirror in any bathroom. Just pick one. Mix warm water and a squeezed wedge of lemon juice into a bowl. Dampen a cloth and wipe the mirror down. Then use a dry cloth to wipe it dry.  

Items Needed:

  • Lemon wedge

  • Warm water

  • Bowl

  • Two cloths

Spot Clean the Walls In One Room

Small spots end up on walls no matter what you do. Dampen a cloth with warm water. Add a few drops of lemon juice, and a pinch of baking soda. Spot check. Wipe anything minor.

Items Needed:

  • A cloth

  • Lemon juice

  • Baking soda

  • Water

Clean the Kitchen Countertops

Dampen a cloth with some lemon juice. Wipe down the countertops quickly. Spray the soap and water mixture onto the counter next, and wipe with a dry cloth.

Items Needed:

  • Two clothes

  • Lemon juice

  • Soap/water mixture

Clean the Coffee Pot 

Put two cups of the white distilled vinegar in the coffee pot reservoir and turn on. Let the vinegar pour through it unfiltered. Once the vinegar has run through once, run a full pot of water through to get the remains of the vinegar out. And BOOM your coffee pot insides are clean.

Items Needed:

  • White distilled vinegar

  • Water

Air Freshen the House 

Cut 3 lemons in half. Place them in a pot of water on the stove. Simmer over medium-low heat. The house should begin to have that invigorating citrus scent, which means it's working. Bonus: After you turn off the stove, you can dampen a cloth in the water/lemon pot and use to spot clean counters.

Items Needed:

  • Pot

  • Water

  • Lemons


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