Many of us don’t exactly enjoy cleaning, but it’s a necessity of life, so it’s important to try and establish a cleaning routine that can be fitted around your lifestyle and schedule, without causing unnecessary stress or effort. One way of beginning to think about your routine, is to consider what your priorities are. If you know that you’re always in a rush in the mornings, then it might be reasonable to expect that you can only perform minor cleaning or tidying tasks, such as making your bed. If this is the case, then you know that most cleaning will need to be completed later in the day, and you’ll need to prioritise what needs to be done so that you don’t get bogged down in it.  

Prioritise and refocus

Looking at all the house cleaning tasks that need to be done can be overwhelming, especially if your free time is at a premium, so, try to think about which tasks are more urgent, and get those done first. If there are dirty dishes in the sink, but your windows are also dirty, it makes sense to get the dishes done first, since that’s more important. Break your entire home down into manageable sections by prioritising tasks, and you’ll feel like you’ve achieved much more that way. 

Recent studies have shown that multitasking (or trying to!), can decrease productivity by up to 40%, meaning that when it comes to cleaning, you’ll end up getting less work done than if you focus on one thing at a time. 

Try to clean more regularly

This doesn’t mean that you clean your entire home from top to bottom every day, but what it does mean, is that you take some of the smaller cleaning tasks, such as dusting or wiping down kitchen counters and do it more often. Keeping on top of spillages, stains and dirt can make your workload much lighter. 

Make a mess, clean it!

If you make a mess, it can be tempting to delay cleaning it, especially if you’re tired or busy. However, every time you do this, you’re simply increasing your workload, especially as many stains become harder to remove the longer you leave them. 

Keep your cleaning products to hand

Create a portable cleaning kit and either keep one in every room or keep the kit in a place where  you can easily pick it up and take it to the area that needs cleaning. Searching for tools to clean with, not only makes the job take longer, but increases your chances of giving up and leaving it for another day.  

Try to incorporate cleaning tasks into your daily routine

Right after you’ve brushed your teeth, give the basin a quick wipe down or clean the mirror; this is often more effective than setting time aside each day to complete smaller cleaning tasks. 

Finding a cleaning routine is all well and good if you have a schedule that has time for it, if you don’t, you might be better off hiring a professional cleaning company and letting them work around your busy day.