7 Time-Saving Cleaning Tips the Pros Swear By

Minimize the Work in the First Place

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure—so try strategies like making sure people take their shoes off when they come into the house to minimize outside dirt, or using easy-to-clean silicone mats or parchment paper when you’re cooking to avoid stuck-on messes.

And Becky Rapinchuk, creator of Clean Mama, swears by a 10-minute swift declutter session every day, which can do wonders for keeping your house in shape. “This keeps the clutter from building up and makes it much easier to clean.”

Take Advantage of Tech

Using the right cleaning tools can make it easier to get through your chore list—or even do it without you, Rapinchuk says. Air purifiers can help remove dust and pet dander from the air, which could make dusting faster (or even turn it into a biweekly chore vs. a weekly chore. “Using a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter, robot vacuums and combo vacuums are great if they work for you.”

Clean Top to Bottom

This tip makes logical sense—you don’t want to wash your floor, then have dust and crumbs from other surfaces fall and dirty your hard work, says Cian Ballentine, professional cleaner and founder of Cannonball Cleaners. Start with light fixtures and high corners, move to mid-level surfaces like tabletops and counters, and do your floors last.

Let Your Cleaning Products Do Their Job

Your cleaning products can’t do what they’re meant to do if you spray it on and wipe it away seconds later. Give the countertop or tub a good spray, then move onto other chores like emptying wastebaskets or dusting while you wait. When you come back 10 minutes later, even the most crusted-on stains will disappear like magic.

Tackle Small Tasks Right Away

“If it’s only going to take you a couple minutes, do it now,” Rapinchuk says. That means take the few extra steps to pop your bowls or mugs into the sink, or wipe up a spill when you notice it. “That helps keep your home tidier everyday, so you should have many fewer things to move and declutter as you move through the house.”

Streamline Your Cleaning Products

Look for simple all-purpose cleaners that can be used on multiple surfaces in your home, Rapinchuk says. Not only will it reduce clutter—making it easier to keep clean in the first place—but you won’t have to be lugging around a caddy or running around seeking out where you left the glass cleaner. Many natural cleaning products can be used on tile, glass, and countertops—so look for multipurpose products that will get everything clean.

Stick to One Task at a Time

Get in the groove with one task or cleaning product, such as folding only towels, or just vacuuming the whole house at once, rather than going room by room, Ballentine says. You’ll breeze through all of your cleaning to-dos much faster with a singular focus, rather than shifting between different tasks, as the muscle motion and momentum is on your side.