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7 Ways To Clean Your House Without Really Cleaning It

July 21, 2016 by Blair Lamb Filed Under: Cleaning, Home, Schedules and Routines

7 Ways To Clean Your House Without Really Cleaning It | Blairblogs.com

I love the result of a clean house approximately 20 times more than the process of creating one. The whole process of deep cleaning is time-consuming and tiring–in fact, I spent 10 full hours cleaning our house last weekend. To me, that time is well spent because the state of my home is often the state of my mind. When my environment is clean, uncluttered, and tidy, my mind tends to reflect that.

All that said, there is a time for donning your raggedy old clothes, throwing your hair in a ponytail, and scrubbing your house until it sparkles. Though there’s no substitute for a proper deep clean, when that’s not necessary, time doesn’t allow for it, or you have company coming over and need to quickly get your house in shape, here are seven quick things you can do to clean up your house without really cleaning it!

1 | Make your bed

7 Ways To Clean Your House Without Really Cleaning It | Blairblogs.com

I am squarely in the Make Your Bed Everyday camp. Making your bed will take you under 90 seconds and will result in a room that looks and feels tidy and pulled together. Plus, if your bed is made, you’re more likely to actually use your hamper and put your shoes away. Even if your dresser needs dusting, your bedroom mirror needs to be wiped down, and your carpet could use vacuuming, a made bed will keep you sane until you’re able to get out your cleaning caddy.

2 | Open your blinds

7 Ways To Clean Your House Without Really Cleaning It | Blairblogs.com

I love natural light, so I spend the first few minutes when I wake up each morning opening up all of the blinds in our house. It baffles me when I visit someone’s home and her blinds are drawn throughout the day! Natural light makes spaces feel large, open, and airy, so pull open your blinds and let the sunshine in. You’ll be amazed at how lovely your space feels.

3 | Wipe down your kitchen and bathrooms

7 Ways To Clean Your House Without Really Cleaning It | Blairblogs.com

Okay, so technically this falls under “cleaning,” but it’s a must-do. If you don’t have time to properly deep clean, at least wipe down your kitchen and bathroom(s). Why? Because grimy kitchens and bathrooms are disgusting and will make your entire home feel dirty. This can be fast! In the kitchen, do your dishes, change out your dish towels, and wipe down your countertops; in the bathroom, clean your toilet, wipe down your countertops and sink, and change out your hand towels. Unless the floors are really dirty, they can probably wait. When I have guests coming over, I always do these two things–together, they only take about 10 minutes.

Also? Empty your trashcans. Overflowing trashcans are gross, disorderly, and smelly. (Yuck!) Take just five minutes or less to empty your them and your whole house will instantly feel more refreshed and clean. This is a simple and quick chore that truly impacts your home environment!

4 | Clear off your refrigerator

7 Ways To Clean Your House Without Really Cleaning It | Blairblogs.com

This is my own kitchen; we keep nothing on the front of our fridge, and just hand pot holders, a wine key, and essential information (like our neighborhood trash schedule) on the side.

Clutter and I don’t get along, so we rarely have anything hanging on our fridge. I totally understand why some people like to hang up their friends’ wedding invitations or a cute family photo, but most peoples’ refrigerators have layers upon layers of random paperwork and outdated invitations, making the heart of the home feel congested and disorganized. A quick fix? Clear off all the junk on your fridge and sort/recycle it. If you must, return only a few things to your fridge, and hang them neatly.

5 | Get rid of your piles of mail

7 Ways To Clean Your House Without Really Cleaning It | Blairblogs.com

Piles of mail make me completely annoyed. I can’t stand them! I have everything I possibly can set to paperless statements because paper clutter is the worst, but we still get some bills and other snail mail each week. I’m sure you can relate–almost everyone has a pile of mail or two. If you want to make your home feel clean without using a spray bottle and a rag, sort your mail, recycle what you don’t need, and file what you do need. If you’re anything like me, I promise you’ll be able to sleep better! 😉

6 | Straighten up your throw pillows

7 Ways To Clean Your House Without Really Cleaning It | Blairblogs.com

Sometimes our living room and den are relatively clean but feel messy because all of our throw pillows are deflated, on the floor, or generally strewn about. If you have a similar problem, spend a minute to pick up your pillows, fluff them, and arrange them nicely. This is a great and super-fast way to make a room look deceivingly clean and tidy even when it could use some TLC.

7 | Do a quick de-clutter with a laundry basket

7 Ways To Clean Your House Without Really Cleaning It | Blairblogs.com

This is one of my favorite ways to clean my house when I don’t have time to really clean it. Here’s what you do: grab an empty laundry basket and walk through each room of your house, picking up any items that need to be put away somewhere else. As you go, you can easily redistribute items as necessary, and in the end, you’ll only need to spend an extra few minutes putting items in their proper places since you did some of the work as you went.

For example, if you pick up two pairs of shoes in your living room, you can put them on the shoe rack in your bedroom when you head in there.  When you pick up some empty water cups on your nightstands, you can put them in the dishwasher when you head into the kitchen. If you’ve been to every room in your house and still have pens and blankets in your basket, a quick trip to the office and den will complete your task! If you don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to this, set your timer for 10 or 15 minutes and do as much as you can! (I guarantee you that you’ll get more done than you think!)

// How do you clean your house without really cleaning it when you don’t have the time or necessity for a proper deep clean?

Thank you for reading! You can find me online on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. If you’d like to be alerted whenever I publish a new post, you can follow me on Bloglovin’ or subscribe via email. Check out my fun tees in my Etsy shop and listen to my weekly podcast about simplifying life, Simplify Everything! Are you a blogger too? Check out my Blogger Mentorship Program.

7 Ways To Clean Your House Without Really Cleaning It | Blairblogs.com

Comments

  1. emilyabernathy says

    July 21, 2016 at 10:14 am

    I love that laundry basket tip! What a great idea! Sometimes having random clutter everywhere is stressful and makes me feel like I don’t know where to start. But if I can just throw everything in a laundry basket to clean up one space completely before putting stuff away, that would help! I think it’s just the going back and forth of putting away clutter that stresses me out, and this eliminates that problem!

    • Blair Lamb says

      July 21, 2016 at 3:34 pm

      Thanks for reading, Emily! Yes, the laundry basket cleanup has saved me many times! Hope it works well for you!

  2. Kiersten Childs says

    July 21, 2016 at 12:25 pm

    My trick for a click cleanup is Clorox Wipes (or any brand of cleanup wipes). If somebody calls and say they will be right over, it just takes five minutes to wipe down the bathroom and the kitchen. Plus, if you get the scent ones, it makes things smell nicer.

    • Blair Lamb says

      July 21, 2016 at 12:27 pm

      Yes! I am a big fan of Clorox wipes too! Such a great, quick way to clean. Thanks for reading and sharing!

  3. Heather says

    August 7, 2016 at 7:16 pm

    I love the laundry basket idea. My downfall tends to be putting away clutter because I go into another room to put something away and then see another pile that needs cleaned and get distracted by THAT pile! 🙂

    • Blair Lamb says

      August 8, 2016 at 2:32 pm

      Yes! Try the laundry basket idea and let me know how it works for you! 🙂 Thanks for reading, Heather!

Hey, I’m Blair!

Blair Lamb | BlairBlogs.com

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I'm a small town Texas transplant, wife, and mom to two. I believe in intentional living in lieu of the world's breakneck pace and write honestly with the hope of encouraging other women. Grab a cup of warm and enjoy!
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