Kathy’s Home & Garden Tips – Clean Your House in One Hour

Unexpected guests coming over? You can give your house a good clean in just an hour! Move quickly and let your cleaning products do most of the work.

Bedrooms– 6 minutes each

Make the beds! Surprisingly, this takes care of much of the cleaning. Clear all the clutter. Gather in a basket or shopping bag and put in the closet if necessary. Using dusting spray and a microfiber cloth, dust all the surfaces. 

Bathrooms-7 minutes each

If you have more than one bathroom, clean them simultaneously. Spray all surfaces, including toilets and tubs. Start with first bath and wipe down all surfaces. Always use separate cloths for the toilet. I keep one dedicated just for that. Sometimes I just use paper towels. Rinse the tub. Clean mirrors and shine faucets and hardware with paper towels.

Living/ Dining Rooms– 7 minutes

Clear all clutter and dust all surfaces from top to bottom. Dust higher up surfaces with a Swiffer duster with an extending handle. Vacuum the furniture.

Kitchen– 12 minutes

Load the dishwasher. Fill the sink with hot water and a little mild soap, like Murphy’s Oil. Clean all surfaces from top to bottom including cabinets. Rinse your sponge often. Dry surfaces with a microfiber cloth. Clean all appliances using window cleaner and paper towels.

All floors– 15 minutes

Vacuum all carpeted and hard surfaces by working your way backwards out of the room. Don’t overlap unnecessarily and work quickly. Use an attachment for the corners where dust and pet hair gather. For all hard surfaces, a stem mop works great and quickly. For just hardwood, a great product is Bona, they make both cleaners and mops. For tile, use a Swiffer mop.

KATHLEEN WEAVER-ZECH & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO