Read this post to get tips on how to clean your house in 2 hours or less. Discover how to clean a house fast and get a free template for a simple weekly cleaning routine so you never have to deal with a messy house again! 

I used to be a reactive cleaner. I was the type of person that wouldn’t clean any part of my house until it actually looked messy. 

But approaching my cleaning this way meant that my house was almost always a mess. I never felt fully at ease in my home because there was always something that needed cleaning. 

It wasn’t until I discovered how to become a proactive cleaner that I realized how cozy and fulfilling a clean home could be! 

I had a roommate who liked to keep her living space clean and organized. When we started living together, she enlisted me as part of the cleaning crew and insisted that I take part in her weekly cleaning routine.

I grumbled a little at first, but in all honesty, I loved that we made an event of a quick cleaning session every Saturday morning. I felt like our home was so comfortable because of it. 

Ever since starting that weekly cleaning routine with my roommate, I’ve honoured the weekly clean and reaped the benefits of it. 

The best part about this cleaning routine was that it took no more than two hours every time! 

Imagine having a consistently clean house and only spending two hours a week on heavy-duty cleaning! Doesn’t that sound like a dream? 

But I’m telling you, it is that easy.

By following the tips and routines I’m about to share with you, your house will be clean without you cleaning for hours on end day after day. 

First, I will be sharing with you some basic tips to help you clean faster, then I will give you a step-by-step guide to help you through a realistic and easy house cleaning schedule. Don’t forget to stick around for your free weekly housecleaning checklist, too! 

11 Tips to help you clean a house fast

Before we look at the five-step cleaning schedule, I want to share 11 quick tips that will help you clean a house faster so that your weekly cleaning routine can be more effective:

Tip #1: Have a minimalist layout

Have you ever heard the phrase ‘Spending begets spending?’

Well, cleaning is not much different.

Owning more things means you will have more things to take care of. The bigger the house and the more stuff you own, the more time you’re going to have to spend on cleaning.

Personally, I enjoy reminding myself of this when I’m shopping because it makes me think a lot more practically about whether or not I actually want what it is I’m thinking of buying.

When you look at the objects around your house, how many of those things are so much of a hassle to maintain that you’d rather just get rid of them? This question might lead you to make some decisions about how you want to decorate your home. 

Additionally, you might want to consider simply buying simpler designs for your furniture.

For example, my mom often complains about her kitchen cupboards. As much as she adores the design of the cupboards, the extra crevices that exist because of that design make the cupboards really hard to clean.

To get every nook and cranny, you’d need a toothbrush to reach it!

She wishes she went with a design that was simpler so that cleaning wouldn’t take so long.

Consider the designs of your furniture and save the more complicated designs for paintings and fabric. 

Related Post: 10 Youtubers That’ll Make you want a Minimalist Lifestyle

Tip #2: Follow a daily cleaning routine

This post is all about weekly cleaning but in order to make weekly house cleaning a quick and easy task, you need to consider your daily cleaning habits.

You will want to be sure that you are doing small daily tasks that make your bigger weekly tasks easier to manage.

By following a quick, 30-minute daily cleaning routine, you’ll save a lot of time during your weekly cleaning routine. 

Related Post: A Realistic Cleaning Schedule Anyone Can Manage

Don’t want to make a daily cleaning routine on your own? Grab this free daily cleaning checklist and skip the planning process! Sign up for your freebie below:

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Tip #3: Clean from top to bottom so you don’t have to do anything twice

Another great tip is to work smart, not hard.

I’m all about turning lazy habits into efficient ones, and this is a lazy habit that goes a long way.

If you start with cleaning the floors, you’ll end up having to do the task twice because of the mess you made on the floor while cleaning counters and dusting shelves. Instead, just start with dusting and wiping counters and finish with the floors. It is far more efficient this way. 

Check another source: This Is The Smartest Way To Clean Any Room In Your House

Tip #4: Go by task, not by room

Another incredibly efficient task involves how you organize your cleaning tasks.

Instead of doing dusting, organizing, and vacuuming in each room separately, it’s better to do your chores by task.

Dust every room at the same time, then move on to wiping counters and cleaning floors. This way you won’t have to waste time getting all of the products you need for each task a thousand times. You will find that it’s much simpler cleaning this way. 

Tip #5: Keep your cleaning products minimal

Keeping your collection of cleaning products small and manageable, you’ll find that your cleaning will go a lot faster. You won’t have to waste as much time finding specific products and instead will be able to clean a wider range of areas with the same item. 

Quick personal tip: For disinfecting, I basically use one all-purpose cleaner. I use it for sinks, surfaces, bathroom appliances and even floors! It saves so much time and still does the job well. 

Check another source: My Minimalist Cleaning Supplies

Tip #6: Set a timer 

Sometimes the thing that makes our cleaning routine go slowly is simply that we’re taking our time or getting distracted.

I mean, I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I started cleaning and quickly got distracted by some item I came across while cleaning.

In these moments, I find that a timer really does the trick. I pick one task and set a timer to try to beat it. It helps me to stay focused throughout the whole cleaning session. 

Related Post: How to Use the Pomodoro Technique to Make the Most of Your Time

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Tip #7: Listen to upbeat music

Another great way to help you clean a house fast is to listen to fast-paced music. It helps to keep your energy up so that you don’t slow down your pace as time goes by.

My husband always knows when I am listening to upbeat music because he notices that I do chores faster that way.

And I dance more, so I guess all-in-all it’s pretty obvious… 

Tip #8: Do the cleaning between 6 and 10 in the am or pm 

If you’ve been to In Its Season before, you’ll know that I am a huge fan of following your body’s natural rhythms whenever you are planning routines and schedules.

My preference is no different when it comes to cleaning schedules.

According to Ayurveda, your body is primed for physical activity between the hours of 6 and 10 in the morning and again in the evening.

Early afternoon is the worst time to do any physical activity; you will be slow and lethargic the whole time. So ride your own energy waves and plan to do your active cleaning tasks between these times.

Tip #9: Don’t be afraid to skip a task if it’s not necessary

Here is another message you’ll hear a lot at In Its Season: whenever you are doing a task or chore, ask yourself why.

Are you simply cleaning because people told you that this is what responsible adults do or are you cleaning because you actually believe it has value? 

For me, I like to clean weekly because I work well with routines. If I don’t make a routine for something in my life, it will not get any of my attention. I am terrible at getting things done if they are not in a practiced routine or written in my agenda somewhere. If I don’t schedule my showers they don’t happen. 

It’s pretty serious stuff. 

But all of that is to say that I need a weekly cleaning routine because without it I will NEVER clean my house. So instead of waiting until my house is unlivable to clean, I take a more proactive approach and maintain habits that keep my space clean on a daily basis. This helps me to practice healthy habits and it keeps my anxiety at bay because I am living in a consistently clean space. 

If you don’t see any benefit from cleaning regularly, then you need to rethink what tasks you feel are necessary for you! If you don’t feel that your floors need to be mopped every week, then readjust the cleaning schedule! It doesn’t make you a failure if you decide that your house cleaning routine looks different from someone else’s. 

Tip #10: Only deep clean one area- don’t do a full deep clean every week

Every area of the house needs a deep clean every once in a while but you don’t have to try to fit in a deep clean of the entire house every week.

What I like to do is complete all of my basic house cleaning and then with the extra time I have, I will pick one or two areas that I want to deep clean.

If you try to get too much done your weekly cleaning routine will start to get a lot more stressful which is not what we want. 

Tip #11: Have a process

If you are trying to clean your house in 2 hours or less, you will definitely be able to go faster if you have a system that you can follow without thinking.

When you have a cleaning routine established, you won’t have to waste time wondering what you should do in what order- it will already be decided for you!

Save yourself some time and make a plan for what you want to do and in what order ahead of time. 

Related Post: How to Make Cleaning Up a Task of Simplicity

An Easy, 5-Step weekly house cleaning schedule that will help you clean your house in 2 hours or less

What is weekly cleaning? 

Some cleaning tasks need to be done every day in order to maintain a clean home but there are other tasks that don’t need as much attention.

Those tasks get done on a weekly basis instead of a daily basis.

This simple weekly cleaning routine covers all of the things that you should do in your home once a week to maintain a clean home. 

Step 1: Tidy up and Organize 

In my example daily cleaning routine, it is recommended that you do a quick tidy twice a day to make sure that there are no objects out of place.

If you’ve been doing this daily, then this step should only take you a minute or two.

Basically, you just need to check for objects that need to be put away. 

Here are some things you might do for this step: 

• Clean any leftover dirty dishes
• Go through your fridge and toss any rotten items
• Put food away if it’s sitting on the counter
• Put toys away
• Go through any papers that haven’t been organized
• Put office supplies back in their proper homes

Related Article: A Simple and Minimalist Way to Make Your Bed in the Morning

Step 2: Wipe counters and dust

If you’re doing this step every week, it really shouldn’t take you long at all to wipe all of the surfaces in your home.

I don’t use any fancy supplies to do this because I don’t think it’s healthy to have an overly sanitized home. The only things I use sanitizer for are the kitchen and bathroom counters. 

Instead, I just dampen a paper towel and go through the house wiping away any dust. 

Here are some places you might want to wipe in your home: 

• Kitchen counters and tables
• The tops of cabinets and shelves
• Bookshelves
• Candles
• Picture frames
• Instruments (piano keys collect dust surprisingly fast) 
• Any items that don’t get moved very often

Step 3: Polish Mirrors

Again, I don’t use anything fancy for this step.

I just spray a mist of water and wipe away any splotches with a paper towel.

Go through your house and clean all the mirrors at once. 

Step 4: Sanitize the Bathroom

This is my least favourite part of my weekly cleaning routine but it’s not too hard.

To clean your bathroom faster, just use the same sanitizing spray all over the bathroom.

Disinfectant wipes work well, too. Wipe up your entire sink then move on to the toilet. Use a toilet brush to wipe the inside then wipe the entirety of the outside.

I would also recommend sanitizing the floor around the base of the toilet, as well. It will make your bathroom feel extra clean!

Finally, scrub your bathtub or shower with the same spray and a scrubbing brush.

More Posts from In Its Season: How to Make Your Shower Routine a Restorative Practice

Step 5: Clean the Floors 

This last step is going to make your cleaning routine feel complete.

Now that all of the surfaces are clean, it’s time to clean the floors. Depending on what kind of floors you have, either grab a vacuum or a mop and just get started! 

I like to do this step every single week but every other week, I do a little extra vacuuming by cleaning the baseboards, vents, and corners that I often miss during a basic cleaning. 

Once you’re done with this step, your house should look and feel much cleaner and now you can relax for another week! 

Bonus Step: Deep Clean One Area

If you’ve got a little extra time and energy, then this bonus step is a great thing to add to your weekly cleaning routine!

When I’m finished doing my simple weekly cleaning routine, I like to then choose one small area of the house that I want to clean a little more deeply.

Deep cleaning is never a priority but I find it to be a cathartic experience that I’d recommend anyone try. There’s something about diving deep into a forgotten space in your home that just feels so good! 

Just make sure that you stick to one deep cleaning task. Otherwise, you might find yourself feeling burnout by the end of your cleaning session. 

To keep track of areas that are in need of a deeper clean, you can use a cleaning tracker app like Tody or you can just use your instincts.

Take a quick walk through your house and ask yourself these questions: 

• What area of the house has been bothering you lately?
• Are there areas of the house that you have been ignoring? 
• What area of the house is starting to feel a little overwhelming to you? 

Once you ask yourself these questions, you will have a good idea of what area you should deep clean that day. 

Related Post: Tody: The free app that will change the way you clean

What is included in a deep clean?

Most of the time, a deep clean involves some extra sanitizing and some organizing. First, you empty the area of items and sanitize the space itself. Then you put things back in their place.

Sometimes it means going through what you own and deciding what you want to keep, replace, or rearrange. 

Here are some potential deep cleaning tasks you could try: 

• Pick a cupboard in your kitchen and reorganize it. Don’t forget to clear the cupboard and wipe it clean 
• Choose a kitchen appliance to clean
• Clean a closet somewhere in the house
• Pick a bookshelf to reorganize and clean
• Go through a file folder that has old papers
• Do some yard work
• Redecorate an area of the house that has been feeling stale lately

How long does a deep cleaning take?

Deep cleaning can take quite a lot of time but it depends on how much ground you want to cover.

One kitchen cupboard might only take you 15 minutes, but cleaning a closet takes about an hour.

The more you do it yourself, the more you will learn how long these tasks take for you. 

Related Posts: How to Keep Your Purse Organized /// How to Manage Your Paper Organization Like a Boss! /// How to Organize Your Phone Like a Minimalist

A Free Weekly Cleaning Checklist to help you stay on top of your cleaning tasks in less time!

I always find that having a printed reminder of what your plans are is a helpful way to get more done in a day and to do it more effectively.

I’ve created a weekly cleaning checklist for you to print and use on a weekly basis in order to help you clean more efficiently.

You can print off this checklist as many times as you want but I would recommend that you laminate one copy so that you can use it again and again at home.

This checklist tells you what to clean in what order and has two prompts to help you determine if there is an area you want to deep clean and what sort of activity you would like to use to reward yourself for cleaning.

And don’t worry if you don’t have money to invest- it’s free!

So why are you hesitating? Sign up below to download your copy today!

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Frequently asked questions about how to clean a house

What if you don’t have a two-hour chunk of time to spare? 

I understand that not everyone’s schedule allows for two uninterrupted hours to get work done every day but there is a solution!

If two hours all at once feels like too much for you, then separate each step into days.

There are 6 steps, so that means that you can pick one task to do each day and still have a day off on Sunday. 

Here’s an example schedule you could use: 

• Monday: Tidy and organize
• Tuesday: Sanitize counters and dust surfaces
• Wednesday: Clean mirrors
• Thursday: Clean the bathroom
• Friday: Clean the floors
• Saturday: Deep Clean one space
• Sunday: Rest! 

What if everything looks clean? 

I usually like to stick to my weekly routine because I like routine (maybe a little too much), but if you are looking around and noticing that everything is super clean already, then don’t clean this week!

Sanitize the bathrooms but save the other stuff for next week.

The weekly cleaning routine is just a good chance for you to pay attention to the house and notice what needs attention but if nothing is looking messy and you don’t feel like cleaning is necessary, that’s totally fine! 

I followed the tips but I’m still taking forever to clean! What gives? 

If you are following this easy weekly house cleaning schedule and still having trouble cleaning your house in less than 2 hours, there is probably something getting in the way.

Take a closer look at what it is that is taking up all that time.

My cleaning schedule is for a house with two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, and a living room. If you have significantly more rooms than that, it will likely take longer.

Do you have to clean all of the rooms? Maybe it is that you have to maneuver around a bunch of stuff. Could you get rid of some stuff? Look at what might be a time-waster and decide if there are any changes you want to make in order to make cleaning easier.

How long does it take to clean a really messy room? 

If you haven’t been following a daily cleaning schedule and a room in your house has gotten very messy, you are not going to be able to clean your house in 2 hours or less.

It will likely double your time if you let it get too messy. On the bright side, it will feel so good when it’s all clean! 

When cleaning a messy house where do you start? 

Though the cleaning will take more than two hours, you can actually still follow this simple weekly cleaning schedule in a messy home. Each step will take a little longer, but following this routine is still the best way to manage a messy home. 

How do I stop being so messy? 

I used to be a really messy person. I found myself getting frustrated by how quickly my house would get messy during the week. 

I’ve grown to learn, though, that the best way to keep a house clean is to build little habits that maintain a clean home rather than doing a bunch of chores every day.

If I could give one piece of advice that I found especially effective, it would be to put away the things you use immediately after you’re finished with them.

Don’t leave stuff out to ‘clean later’ – trust me, it won’t happen.

Do it now and you will notice a significantly cleaner home over time. 

How can I motivate myself to clean? 

I’ve often found that the easiest way to motivate myself to clean is to imagine how it will feel when the house is clean. I plan an activity to do afterwards that will feel especially nice in a clean, fresh home. When I finish all of the chores, I get to enjoy the activity I had planned in a clean home! 

Here are some things I like to do once my home is clean: 

• Read with a cup of tea or coffee
• Take a shower or bath
• Get cozy on the couch and watch a show
• Play the piano
• Write in my bullet journal

Related Post: 10 Killer Motivational Podcasts you Need to Hear

Does cleaning help anxiety?

If you struggle with anxiety, this is another great motivator to clean your house. We often reflect the state of our living space, so if your house is a mess, you will feel like your thoughts are a mess, too. I find that keeping my home clean and organized is one of the best things I can do for my mental health.

Related Post: 80 Ways to Calm Down Your Anxiety and Worry

What cleaning should be done weekly?

If you don’t have time to follow the entire weekly house cleaning schedule but want to know which activities are an absolute necessity, I would recommend you prioritize the bathroom.

Most of the other areas of the house don’t need as much attention, but a messy bathroom can be a problem for your health if you forget about it for too long. The kitchen would be the next place to prioritize.  

How do I make a daily cleaning schedule?

If you want to know more about how to build a daily cleaning schedule to compliment your weekly house cleaning schedule, you should check out my other post that creates a daily cleaning routine for you! 

I hope this easy weekly house cleaning schedule helps you to better understand how to clean your house in 2 hours or less. When you know how to clean a house fast, it can really help you to maintain a clean home without suffering from burnout. 

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