First, take a look around your home. Determine what areas need addressing and what areas need extra attention. You likely have a ‘catch all’ area where everything from bills to pocket change gets dumped and the kitchen and bathroom probably need some TLC. It is a good idea to prioritize your cleaning goals at this time. In most cases, you will want to focus on the kitchen and bathroom first, followed by living area’s that guests may see and finishing with bedrooms or other private area’s of the home

Next, do a clutter sweep. Walk through each room and remove everything that doesn’t belong. You may be surprised at what a difference this simple step can make. From sweaters left on the couch during movie night, to glasses of water on the bed side table, simply removing all that extra stuff and putting it back in its place is likely to have an impact on how your home looks.

There is no way around the final step of the plan – cleaning. It is during this phase that the dusting, vacuuming, sweeping and mopping will get done. With a little bit of planning, you can clean ‘smart’ and accomplish a lot in just a short amount of time. Here are a few tips:

1. Start a load of laundry and load and start the dishwasher first. These tasks take the longest, and by starting them first, and continuing to address them throughout the cleaning period, there is a pretty good chance you will have a stack of clean laundry and a cupboard full of clean dishes when you finish.
2. Vacuum before dusting –that sounds odd, but the vacuum will actually kick up some extra dust…. which will then settle on to the furniture, so save yourself from having to redust by vacuuming first.
3. Let your cleaning products do their job. If your bath or shower has mold or mildew, spray an appropriate cleaner (be sure to carefully follow directions) at the start of your cleaning session and let the product take care of the mold for you. The same thing goes for oven cleaners and toilet bowl cleansers.
4. Move from room to room – since you have already prioritized which rooms are to be finished, follow your plan and complete each room in turn. Carry your supplies, brooms, mops, buckets and other equipment with you, so as you leave a room, it is completely finished.
5. Carry a garbage bag – it may surprise you just how much garbage you find, even if you regularly clean your house. Keep a large garbage bag with you as you clean to empty small trashcans into and dispose of any other garbage.

Cleaning a house is hard work, so be prepared to put in a little bit of elbow grease. Once you are done, reward yourself with a favorite snack or carryout meal and don’t forget to put all that clean laundry away.