We love a fresh new year, brimming with enthusiasm for all the projects we’re going to tackle and still pumped full of energy from a fabulous holiday season with family and friends. Since the year is now 2020, we thought you’d appreciate details on how to keep your house clean in 20 minutes— it just rolls off the tongue: 20 in 2020!

Speed cleaning is all about maintaining order and cleanliness. If you want to cut down your weekly cleaning time, you need to clean more often— 20 minutes of daily maintenance will help you stay on top of things. If you have unexpected guests arriving in a few minutes or if you’re simply interested in tackling a quick cleaning, we hope these tips can help.

Declutter for a quick win

If you’re short on time and visitors are soon to arrive, start by doing a quick sweep of your home with an empty laundry basket in hand to gather clutter and review areas that visitors will see, like the entryway, kitchen, bathroom, and living room. Pick up mail, coats, toys, dirty laundry, newspaper, and anything cluttering floors or countertops.

Cleaning apron is essential

Wherever you go in your home, carry your cleaning supplies with you in a Speed Cleaning™ Apron. Having pockets to stash your cleaning supplies keeps you from running back and forth to grab tools that you forgot, saving you precious minutes. You won’t have to walk back to the under-the-sink stash of cleaning supplies each time you switch up what you’re cleaning.

Have a system

Decreasing the time you spend cleaning starts with having a system, cleaning the house in the same order every time. Start and finish in the same spot in a room so you don’t waste time running in circles, backtracking over what you’ve already cleaned. Do the same thing every time you clean so it becomes a routine. The speed in speed cleaning comes from having a routine you can do automatically— not from hurrying.

Top to Bottom, Left to Right

Start at the top of the room by dusting ceiling fans and removing cobwebs then work down to the floor. Use gravity to your advantage so dirt and dust drops down onto unvacuumed carpet. Cleaning left to right ensures that you cover the entire room instead of darting from place to place, wasting energy and time. If you work top to bottom and left to right, you’re working once instead of cleaning areas you’ve already cleaned. Clean floors last.

Sample schedule: clean your home in 20 minutes

Feel free to modify this sample schedule to meet your needs. Just try not to skip a day because it will take more time to bring your house up to a level of cleanliness if you overlook something for a week and let the grime build up. Stay consistent and cleaning will be easy.

MONDAY: Dust every room, working your way through your house from top to bottom.

TUESDAY:  Vacuum every room, working your way through the house from top to bottom.

WEDNESDAY: Clean bathrooms. Scrub toilets, sinks, and wipe down mirrors.

THURSDAY:  Clean the kitchen. Wipe down all your kitchen appliances and scour the sink.

FRIDAY: Mop or swiffer any hardwood or linoleum floors.

SATURDAY: Clean your bathtub and shower doors after getting the laundry going.

We hope this helps give you some ideas about how to get into a 20 minute routine in 2020 and stay on top of cleaning your home. By applying 20 minutes each day to cleaning, you’ll find your home is much easier to keep clean than putting things off till the end of the week or month. Happy New Year!