This “3-Minute Challenge” Will Make an Instant Difference in Your Home

published Jan 18, 2024
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Apartment Therapy’s January Cure is a free 18-day program that’ll help you reset your home for the year ahead. Sign up here and get all assignments delivered to your inbox.

Adding small habits to your cleaning routine is the trick to instilling big changes in your home — whether it’s shutting down the kitchen every night or adopting a motto to make cleaning easier, like “clean as you go.”

Today, we have another little practice you can add to your life that’ll give your home an instant cleaning boost and make you feel good, too!

Day 12: Do a 3-minute surface sweep.

All you have to do today is spend 3 minutes completing our “surface sweep” challenge. 

Grab a box or bag, set a timer, and then spend that time clearing surfaces. You can stay in one area that has a lot of surfaces to get through or go throughout your home cleaning things away. Gather anything that doesn’t belong and put it in the bag or box you are carrying with you (think: trash, drinking glasses, charging cords, etc.) and work quickly.

Once the timer is up, you’re going to go through your bag or box, return the items to their rightful place, and discard any trash. 

That’s it! How great is this quick “challenge”?

PRO TIP: This small habit can easily work into a daily or weekly routine. You can even add more time to build momentum (like 3 more minutes or make it an even 10!) and get all those surfaces clear or tack on a final task of wiping things down to also get those surfaces clean.

What simple habits have made a big difference in your life? Share it with us in the comments below.

More ways to participate in the January Cure:

The Cure Program is a tradition here at Apartment Therapy — it happens every January, April, and September. Click here to learn more about the year-round program and when to sign up.