Quick Cleaning Solutions for Every Room
What to tackle if you have 15 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour, or half a day to clean.
By Maria Shollenbarger
Easy Steps for Cleaning the Kitchen
Kitchen duty isn't easy. The main culprit: grease. Before you start combating it, move small appliances off the counters to ensure that bacteria (kitchen enemy No. 2) won't flourish underneath the toaster oven or the coffeemaker.
If You Have 15 Minutes
-Clean countertops and the sink. Spray disinfectant in the sink and let it soak. "Otherwise the product won't have time to kill all the bacteria and viruses you're trying to remove," says Janice Stewart, owner of Castle Keepers, a professional cleaning service in Charleston, South Carolina. Meanwhile, spritz the counters with disinfectant. Then scrub the sink with a sponge, rinse well, and dry. Return to the counters and wipe dry with a fresh cotton or microfiber cloth.
-Sweep or dry-mop the floor. Make a pass using an electrostatic mop (like those from Swiffer) or cloth. This will pick up dirt and hair and make wet-mopping more efficient.
-Clean the refrigerator handle. It takes only seconds to wipe down this bacteria-friendly spot with disinfectant.
If You Have 30 Minutes, Add the Following
-Wet-mop the floor. A few spritzes of an all-purpose cleaner and a damp microfiber mop will do the trick. "You can finish the kitchen floor in minutes―with no dirty water bucket," says speed-cleaning expert Laura Dellutri.
-Wipe down appliances. Clean the surfaces of the gadgets.
-If You Have an Hour, Add the Following
-Wash the cabinet fronts. Wipe from top to bottom with a soft sponge and a solution of warm water and dish soap. If the cabinets are wood, use a wood cleanser.
If You Have Half a Day, Add the Following
-Deep-clean appliances. To freshen the refrigerator's interior, clean it with a solution of three tablespoons baking soda and four cups warm water. No self-cleaning oven? Wipe down the inside with an all-purpose cleanser. Use a plastic scraper (or an old credit card) to get bits of food off the racks and drip pan.
-Dust and degrime inside and out. Remove crumbs from inside cabinets with a vacuum attachment or a damp cloth.
Related: Kitchen Cleanup Problems, Solved
Kitchen Cleaning Products
Mr. Clean Antibacterial Multi-Surface Spray: "It degreases, cleans, shines glass and metal, and sanitizes surfaces without an overly harsh scent," says Laura Dellutri, the author of Speed Cleaning 101.
To buy: $2.50 for 22 ounces, at drugstores.
Weiman Cook Top Quick Wipes and Stainless Steel Wipes: These towelettes are made to clean and protect surfaces that traditional cleansing formulas can damage.
To buy: $5 for 30 wipes, weiman.com for retailers.
Casabella Magnet Mop: Thanks to a dense microfiber sponge head with a scrubbing nap, this pivoting mop is a great option for both those who keep eco-friendly households (it cleans well with just water) and those who want seriously sanitized floors (dampen it with an all-purpose cleaner). The removable, refillable head will last through at least 100 machine washes.
To buy: $30; $13 for refill, casabella.com
Related: Organize Your Cleaning Supplies
Easy Steps for Cleaning the Family Room
In everyone's favorite flop spot, clutter reigns supreme. DVDs, crayons, chew toys―they all find their way here. Dirt also collects quickly in this heavily trafficked zone, so floors and furniture need a bit of extra attention.
If You Have 15 Minutes
-Clear the clutter. Tour the room with a laundry basket in tow, picking up any out-of-place items for redistribution later.
-Speed-dust at eye-level. Grab two electrostatic or microfiber cloths. Rotate out the grimy cloth, or opt for quick two-handed dust-busting, says Donna Smallin, author of Cleaning Plain & Simple (Storey Publishing, $17, amazon.com).
-Fluff pillows and fold throws. These small adjustments result in a big visual impact.
If You Have 30 Minutes, Add the Following
-Vacuum or dry-mop the floor. It's time-consuming but important. "Dirt can cut carpet fibers and damage wood floors," says Jeff Campbell, founder of the Clean Team, a residential cleaning service in Jackson, California. He recommends concentrating on the areas around doorways, which harbor tracked-in dirt.
If You Have an Hour, Add the Following
-Tackle upholstery and window treatments. Use the vacuum's brush attachment to get dust off sofas and chairs. Clean under and behind cushions, then flip them to distribute wear evenly. Close the curtains and use a vacuum attachment to clean. For blinds, wipe each slat with a damp microfiber cloth.
If You Have Half a Day, Add the Following
-Wash the windows. To minimize streaking, use a glass cleaner and a lint-free material, such as a cloth diaper or an old T-shirt. Graham and Rosemary Haley, authors of Haley's Cleaning Hints, suggest cleaning with vertical strokes inside and horizontal ones outside (or vice versa) so you'll know which side any remaining streaks are on.
-Spot-clean the walls. Remove crumbs from inside cabinets with a vacuum attachment or a damp cloth.
-Combat hidden dirt and dusts. Get behind, underneath, and on top of tall furniture with a long-handled duster. Roll back rugs and clean the floor below.
Related: Readers' Best Cleaning Tips
Family Room Cleaning Products
Swiffer Duster With Extendable Handle: This expandable duster gives you three extra feet of height. And the head pivots and locks into four different positions, so you can skim the tops of ceiling fans and window frames and even reach into tight spots behind furniture.
To buy: $8 for handle and two heads; $8 for 10 refills: at chain stores.
Don Aslett Microfiber Towels: A must for any room, as agreed on by most of the experts Real Simple canvassed. Fibers one-hundredth the width of a human hair grab dust and dirt off any surface, with or without the aid of a cleanser. To minimize scratches, these washable towels are 100 percent microfiber, including trim and tags.
To buy: $16 for 15, qvc.com.
Easy Steps for Cleaning the Bedroom
Probably the easiest room to get―and to keep―clean. Yet this lightly trafficked, memento-laden area presents one big problem: dust. The room is a breeding ground for the stuff (think under-the-bed dust bunnies and powdery picture frames).
If You Have 15 Minutes
-Freshen the bed. Shaking out or changing sheets kicks up dust, so do those tasks first. To further freshen, spray sheets with linen spray before making the bed.
-Damp-dust surfaces. Spritz an electrostatic or microfiber cloth with dusting spray and make your way around the room in a clockwise circle. "Otherwise you'll bounce from corner to corner having no idea what you've cleaned and what you haven't," says San Francisco Chronicle cleaning columnist Tara Aronson. Start with the perimeter, then hit the interior.
If You Have 30 Minutes, Add the Following
-Tackle the floor. If it's wood, run a damp (not wet) microfiber mop around the edges of the bed and all other exposed areas. (Remember don't wet-mop hardwood floors, as they could warp.) Vacuum the same zones if you have carpeting.
If You Have an Hour, Add the Following
-Get under the bed. And behind it, too. Use an electrostatic dusting tool, such as the Starfiber Dusterator. It will clean hardwood floors and also pick up some dust and hair from carpeting, cutting down on those times you need to push aside the whole bed.
If You Have Half a Day, Add the Following
-Do the windows, walls, and lights. Use a microfiber or electrostatic cloth and a glass or all-purpose surface cleaner to clean panes, frames, and windowsills in one fell swoop. Wipe down light switches and fixtures. Use an eraser pad to take any scuffs and stains off the walls.
-Hit the closets. Why? Because dirt and dust are in there and will eventually find their way out. "Dust is microscopic and can aggravate allergies and asthma," says Sarah Smock of the Memphis-based cleaning service Merry Maids. "Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it can't do some harm." Vacuum or mop the floor. Also, dust the shelves and wipe down the doors with a damp microfiber cloth.
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