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If you’re lucky enough to have one or two other people to help you clean, be sure you have someone to lead the team. This way, you’ll avoid the chaos of having people potentially cleaning areas that were already just cleaned by someone else. Decide who will take which room, and start from there. Parse the home into sections and assign a particular area to one person. Start by dusting the living room and then the bedrooms. Then, when the bathroom person is done with the bathroom, have them vacuum the rooms that have already been dusted. When the kitchen person finishes, have them make the beds with you. Don’t make a bed alone, because two people can make a bed FOUR TIMES FASTER than one person. The main goal is to finish cleaning at the same time. Identify the longest job and get it started at the right time. Usually, this is the vacuuming. Here are the basics of getting this right:  If the longest job isn’t finished when the rest of the jobs are, start that long job sooner the next time you clean.  If you all end up in the same room at the end, then dust that room sooner, or vacuum it sooner, or empty the trash from it sooner.  If dusting is taking too long, have a second person do some of the dusting.  If you aren’t finishing at the same time, save all the short jobs for last—emptying trash, making beds, putting rugs back in place, and finishing touches.  Still having problems finishing together? Sit down and discuss. Someone else on the team might have suggestions for how to get things done more efficiently.

Ode to Stain Gobbler Oh, gather 'round, my spooky friends, For a tale of cleaning that never ends! In the haunted house where we monsters dwell, There's a hero we adore, and we must all tell!  Stain Gobbler, the name we cheer, With enzymes so mighty, it's perfectly clear, Non-toxic and safe, this cleaner's our dream, It tackles our messes with a gleam in its beam!  Witches' brew spills and vampire bites, Mummy bandages and ghostly frights, Stain Gobbler arrives, oh, what a sight, To banish the stains and make everything right!  Its enzymes, they work like magic spells, Breaking down messes in haunted hotel, From ectoplasm goo to zombie slime, Stain Gobbler's the hero in cleaning's prime!  So here's to you, Stain Gobbler, so grand, In our monstrous abode, you take a firm stand, With your non-toxic powers, you've won our heart, Cleaning up after us, it's truly an art!  As Halloween monsters, we give you our cheer, For making our messes disappear, Stain Gobbler, you're the best we've ever seen, Our spooky, stain-fighting, cleaning machine!  Tips for Prepping Your Home for the Holidays! Whether you’re going to be hosting a Halloween party, Thanksgiving, or just having a few casual gatherings with family and friends over the holidays, now is a great time to get your house in order before things start getting hectic. With that in mind, we want to help you with some tips for stress-free cleaning so your home can stay tidy during this holiday season.  Ditch the clutter  We’ve covered this before, but it’s a great tip for tackling clutter: Go from room to room with an empty laundry basket to pick up clutter that doesn’t belong in the room. Move methodically, from left to right around the room so that you know everything behind you is clutter-free and you can focus your attention on the mess in front of you. If you don’t have time to sort through the items before your guests arrive, you can stash the basket in a closet or unused room until you get a chance to go through each item one by one and put everything back in its rightful place.    Prioritize your efforts  Start cleaning in the most important room in your house, the one where you’ll get the most bang for your buck with your cleaning effort. In my house, that’s the kitchen, because the kitchen is where everyone spends the majority of their time during any visit or gathering. You can also decide to start with the most difficult room, the one you’re dreading the most (e.g. the bathroom, in my case!). So tie on your Speed Cleaning™ Apron and get started! This way, even if you run out of steam, you’ll have covered the most important areas of your home first.  Move all your furniture to clean underneath  During the holidays you might have to get creative with making space in your living room to accommodate lots of people. In preparation for a last minute furniture move—did someone suggest dancing?!—take the time now to vacuum underneath all the forgotten spots so that you’re not caught unprepared when the couch gets shoved against the wall. You’ll be able to remove any dust bunnies or misplaced toys that somehow snuggled under the sofa. Looking for a vacuum recommendation? We’ve got you covered.  Kitchen cleanup  You’re going to want a clean and organized kitchen for all that holiday cooking that happens. So get it out of the way now (yes, you’ll have to clean up again once all the cooking has happened, too!). Clean out your refrigerator and toss out expired items so you will have plenty of room for the groceries or dishes you’ve prepped ahead of time. Wipe down your stove top with Speed Cleaning™ Red Juice. Clean off your countertops and sink. Wipe down the exterior of your cabinets and appliances. Just keep the image of all that delicious food in mind as an incentive to get this done.  Bathroom tidying  Be sure that the bathroom your guests will be using is clean and well-stocked with toilet paper, towels, and soap. You could also think about adding some holiday-themed candles or decoration to the room. Your friends for cleaning the bathroom are our Speed Cleaning™ Scum Bum for any hard water stains, Speed Cleaning™ Blue Juice for mirrors, and Speed Cleaning™ Red Juice for everything else. Day-of-party cleaning On the day that you expect guests to come over, here’s a reminder of things you’ll want to have handled: Make the beds, do all the dishes ahead of time so you have an empty dishwasher, check the bathrooms, keep rooms free of clutter, wipe down tables and countertops, and then pour yourself a nice cup of tea to celebrate being prepared for your guests and as calm as a cucumber. Congratulations, you did it! We hope you have a happy and healthy holiday season!

Speed Cleaning is REAL! 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. A 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 any hardwood or laminate 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 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.

Graduation season is upon us, and what better way to celebrate your graduate’s achievements than by hosting a memorable party at home? With the Speed Cleaning method, you can quickly prepare your house for a celebration that’s both fun and stress-free. Here’s how to plan your party, clean efficiently, and ensure everything goes smoothly. PLAN YOUR PARTY Set a Date and Time: Choose a date and time that works best for your family and guests. Consider whether a daytime or evening event suits your needs. Create a Guest List: Write down everyone you’d like to invite. Send out invitations a few weeks in advance to give guests ample time to RSVP.  Plan the Menu: Decide on the type of food and drinks you want to serve. Finger foods, appetizers, and a few main dishes work well for a party. Don’t forget to accommodate dietary restrictions and preferences.  Decorations and Supplies: Order or purchase decorations that match the graduation theme. Balloons, banners, and tablecloths in school colors are great choices. Ensure you have enough plates, cups, utensils, and napkins for all guests. SPEED CLEAN YOUR HOME - OUR 6 POINT PLAN MAKES IT EASY! 1.  Decide which rooms your guests are most likely to spend time in and concentrate on just those rooms. If there’s time to clean elsewhere, fine.  2.  Declutter the most important rooms. This step alone can make a huge difference in how a room looks and it certainly makes it easier to clean.  3.  Clean the bathrooms first after decluttering in case you run out of time before guests arrive. Bathrooms are the exception to the “good enough” rule. They should truly be clean and smell clean. Keeping a tote bin under the bathroom sink stocked with cleaning supplies like Speed Cleaning’s Red Juice, Pro Scrub, paper towels, etc., makes this quick cleanup easy.  4.  Then clean the kitchen to the best of your ability, even though you’re simultaneously preparing dinner for a crowd.  Vacuum or sweep the floor  Run the dishwasher or put clean dishes away  Clean the sink  Wipe the counters  Empty the trash can  Wipe up visible marks and spills on the floor  5.  Moving on to the other important rooms, dust working from the top down. The light fixture over the table might be something that doesn’t get a routine dusting, so be sure to include that. Speed Cleaning’s Flexible Microfiber Duster is perfect for dusting delicate surfaces as well as large surfaces quickly and easily.  6.  Lastly, vacuum. Then you can get yourself ready for your guests and greet them at the door relaxed and smiling. And if something didn’t get done – say it with me – oh well! TIPS FOR A SMOOTH PARTY Create a Flow: Arrange furniture to create a good flow for guests to move around easily. Set up food and drink stations in accessible areas.   Entertainment: Prepare a playlist of your graduate’s favorite songs to play in the background. Consider setting up a photo booth with props for fun pictures.   Delegate: Don’t hesitate to ask family members for help with tasks like refilling food, greeting guests, or cleaning up spills.   Prepare Ahead: Cook or prepare as much food as possible the day before the party. This will free up time on the day of the event for final touches and relaxation.   Relax and Enjoy: Once the party starts, relax and enjoy celebrating your graduate’s accomplishments with friends and family.  By following the Speed Cleaning method, you’ll have your home party-ready in no time, allowing you to focus on making lasting memories with your loved ones. Congratulations to all the graduates and happy hosting!

Do your New Year Resolutions include staying more on top of cleaning your home? We have some tips to make it easier to keep that resolution in 2024! Happy 2024! Did you write down your cleaning resolution yet? If not, get scribbling—writing down your goals clarifies them and gives you a much higher chance of achieving them. Ideally, your new cleaning routine will run on autopilot after you create new habits and make them stick. And the best way to make a habit automatic is to commit to it consistently for at least three weeks. Once you make it through this initial phase, it’s much easier to sustain. So take advantage of your fresh 2024 energy and get started! Daily Simple Tasks Consistency is critical when you want to make a habit become second nature. Make a commitment to doing some cleaning tasks every day during the first three weeks of the year. Keep your tasks relatively simple, like clearing up clutter in the living room on the first day, and vacuuming it the next day. You don’t want to take too much on and burn yourself out in the first few days. As you get comfortable with the routine, feel free to add on complexity and push yourself. Reminders It’s easy to forget that you had planned to change up your cleaning routine, so place reminders to clean every day or you might stumble and miss a few days. Missing those days isn’t the end of the world but it does defeat the purpose of getting your habit set in stone. Calendar notifications on your phone or via email will help keep you on track, or post-it notes in locations you see each day. Splurge on a New Cleaning Tool "Treat Yo Self!" Is there something in the Speed Cleaning store that you’ve been eyeing but haven’t bought yet? Having a new tool to work with will motivate you to stay on top of your cleaning routine. Take a look at our Top Sellers or take the plunge on a Speed Cleaning™ Total Home Care Kit. You’ll look forward to tackling your cleaning tasks when you have new tools to help scour away the grime and remove the dust. Like Clockwork Try doing cleaning tasks at the same time every day. The more consistent your cleaning routine is, the easier it will be to stick to it. Cues like cleaning at the same time every day will work as an internal alarm clock to remind you to take care of business. Studies show that daily habits can become part of your routine in as little as twenty-one days if you don’t skip a day. Figure out a schedule that works best for you and stick to it. Have A Trigger This is a great tip!  In the morning when my first cup of coffee is gone, I used to reach for a refill. Instead, I use that empty cup as a trigger for me to spend the next twenty minutes doing my daily speed cleaning, and then I reward myself with that second cup. Find something that works as a trigger for you to know when to launch into your new cleaning routine. Turn Cleaning Into A Game Take the daily routine and time yourself, seeing how fast you can get your cleaning done. When it’s you versus the clock, you’ll be motivated to work faster and have fun beating your previous record. Put the SPEED in Speed Cleaning! Decide Which Rooms Are MOST Important Pick a room or two where you will focus your cleaning efforts for a little bit every day so that you can keep them in pristine shape. The most important rooms in my home are my kitchen and my home office. I can’t handle seeing stacks of dirty dishes lingering while I’m cooking a meal and I get my best work done when my home office is neat and tidy. So these two rooms are at the top of my list to make sure they are sparkling clean each and every day. The rest of the house can remain a bit untidy until a weekly cleaning happens and I’ll still feel good about things. We hope these tips help you develop a new cleaning routine for the new year. Do you have any suggestions for how you’re going to keep up with your new year’s resolution to maintain a clean home? Let us know in the comments!

Some people love to dust and others absolutely hate it. We’re going to share some tips to help you tackle the dust in your home and make you work as efficiently as possible. From bookshelves to mini blinds and everything in between, we’ll show you how to dust like a pro. If you’re still building out your cleaning kit, check out our recommendations for dusters. 1. Start in one place and work your way through the rooms without backtracking. Chart out your planned route ahead of time so you know exactly where you’re going next. 2. Work from high to low — let gravity be on your side! The dust is going to fall down when you brush it, so start at the top of a room (think: ceiling fans and tops of bookshelves) and work your way down. Train yourself to look up to the molding of a room and to the light fixtures first to dust away any cobwebs. 3. What if you come across a sticky spot while you’re dusting? Put your feather duster away and quickly spray the area with Red Juice and wipe off the mess, then resume dusting.   4. Spray and wipe your way around a room, carrying a drier cleaning cloth over your shoulder for easy access. When that cloth is too damp, swap it out with a dry one and use the damp cloth for wetter cleaning jobs like fingerprints and windowsills.  5. Wield your feather duster like a pro— keep the duster in one hand and the other hand free so you can quickly shift to a heavier-duty cleaning method as needed. Move the dust quickly from wherever it is to the floor where you’ll vacuum it away. At the end of a dusting motion, bring your duster to a complete stop. Don’t let the feathers flip up into the air at the end of a stroke because you’ll be tossing all that dust back into the air. Tap the duster firmly against your ankle, close to the floor, when you’ve accumulated dust on the feathers. 6. Dealing with tables full of objects can be tricky. Continue to work from top to bottom, and feather dust lamps or objects before using a cleaning cloth on things that need more work, then use a polishing cloth on the table itself. Be careful with the small items and pay attention to what’s in front of you. Lift items instead of sliding them across the table to prevent scratches.  7. Should you dust potted plants as well? Yes! Continue on from top to bottom and left to right. You can clean the plant with a feather duster and pick off dead leaves with your other hand.  8. Bookshelves are another spot where dust likes to nestle in. Dust the top of the books and the exposed edges of the shelves with long wiping motions with the feather duster.  9. Mini blinds are usually another area that needs attention with your duster. Lower the blinds to the full length and turn the slats closed so the blinds curve away from you. Slowly dust with long downward strokes and remember to stop your duster after each stroke, tapping away the dust to the floor. Next, turn the slats forward so the blind curves towards you and slowly dust wtih long downward motions.  10. Don’t be a distracted duster! Here are the top things overlooked when dusting: Windowsills and molding on windowpanes  Baseboards Chandelier chains  Hanging light fixtures and their bulbs  Table lamp bulbs  Backs of chairs  Curved feet of tables and chairs  Heater and exhaust vents  Tops of drawers and drawer pulls  Bottom shelves, especially on end tables and coffee tables  Top of drapes

Everyone talks about Spring Cleaning as if it’s the only season to thoroughly tidy up your home, but I’m more partial to Fall Cleaning. And now that fall is officially here, I’m ready to get my house in shape for cozy days and longer nights as the sun goes down earlier and earlier.So how can you turn this into a task that seems manageable? Hopefully you’ve been keeping up with your maintenance cleanings every week so you’re not tackling an extremely messy house. If you’re short on time, pick one or two things to take care of per week with an eye toward having your house in perfect shape by the time company arrives for the holidays.Here are a few other tips to make your life easier as you complete your Fall Cleaning: Make every move count. Be efficient! Work your way around a room once, carrying all your tools and supplies with you in a cleaning apron. Stop wasting energy by darting all around a room, and start cleaning around the room in one direction. Use the right tools. This is where the apron comes in handy, making it easy to carry your supplies and tools. Stuff garbage or wet sponges into the apron’s pockets to save time. Work from top to bottom. You can’t fight gravity, so work with it! Clean ceilings and high shelves of dust and bits of grime that will fall to the floor where you can vacuum them up. Start at the top and work your way down. Don’t overclean things that aren’t dirty. Spot clean areas with your bottle of Red Juice to wipe away fingerprints and move on to the next surface. Clean surfaces before you rinse or wipe them. Don’t rinse or wipe a surface before it’s really clean. Know when to give up on a tool. Recognize if the tool you’re using isn’t working instead of using more elbow grease and tiring yourself out unnecessarily. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Your moves get smoother by practicing them over and over. Put your cleaning tools back in the same spot in your apron each time you use them. When pull out your Red Juice, your hand will know exactly where it is in the apron. Pay attention. Don’t zone out but focus on the task at hand. You may even find that you’re enjoying what you’re doing! Use both your hands. Don’t leave any scrubbing or wiping capacity idle. Spray with one hand while you reach for the cloth in your apron with the other to wipe up behind it. Track your time. Note what time you started and stopped and marvel at how much you accomplished.

For many of us, the arrival of unexpected guests causes heart rates to race and blood pressure to rise - but it doesn't have to scary! As the crisp autumn winds usher in the season of pumpkins, costumes, and Halloween delights, there's another aspect of fall that might send shivers down your spine - the arrival of surprise guests! But fear not, because at Speed Cleaning, we've got you covered. This newsletter is your guide to making your home a welcoming haven for unexpected visitors, without the stress and spookiness. Discover how to use our time-tested Speed Cleaning method to get your house ready for guests in a flash, so you can focus on the treats, not the tricks, this Halloween season. Read on for expert insights and a dash of seasonal fun! Has this ever happened to you? You get a phone call during the busy holiday season that friends are in your part of town and want to stop by. With their thoughtful heads up, you have thirty minutes to dash through your home and prepare it for visitors. Here are some tips on how to whip your house into shape before they arrive.  First things first—decide which rooms get priority. Are your guests going to be hanging out in the living room or are they going to be clustered around your kitchen for a more casual visit? Focus on the room that they’ll be spending the most time in. Strap on your cleaning apron and get started.  If you’ve been following the rules of Clutter Control, you shouldn’t have a lot of items to pick up. Everything has a place, and whenever you use something, be sure to put it back into its rightful place. If the clock is ticking, you can sweep every visible item into a laundry basket to deal with after they leave, then stash the basket in your bedroom.  Be sure to give the bathroom a once-over as well. This is where your speed cleaning training kicks into gear. Wipe the mirror from top to bottom and clean as efficiently as possible. Check to be sure the toilet is sparkling and the sink is clean. Make sure that there are fresh towels for your guests to use to dry their hands and a new bar of soap or plenty of soap in the dispenser.  Giving the entryway a quick vacuum is a great idea, since that’s probably where the most grime has accumulated since your last clean. Slurp up the dirt and quickly cover other carpeted areas that might be seen. If you have time to spare, pull out that batch of cookie dough you’ve been nibbling on and throw some cookies into the oven. You’ll be sure to lure everyone into the kitchen for a cozy treat if they smell those baking when they walk in the door. You can do this! Speed through the cleaning and enjoy your guests!