This 15-Minute Weekday Cleaning Routine Means You Don’t Have to Clean on the Weekend

Take it from someone who’s spent far too many Saturdays cleaning the garage: Cleaning is not what weekends dreams are made of. Even if—no, especially if—your weekdays are full of work and other obligational activities, your weekend should be spent enjoying your time at home, not fussing over it.

Cleaning-free weekends are do-able. By tucking your cleaning routine into 15-minute super-charged chunks every weekday, you can relax in your home rather than exhausting yourself making it clean for the part of the week you’re gone.

There are two things to keep in mind for this plan to work. First, you have to put your whole soul into those 15 minutes. Clean hard so you can clean fast. Consider gathering and storing your cleaning tools strategically before implementing this schedule. For instance, you might store a whole set of cleaning supplies in a portable caddy you can bring from room to room. Bonus tip: You can clean more and even faster if someone’s helping you.

Second, you have to commit to performing a few tasks every day that aren’t part of your “cleaning routine.” This includes habits like taking care of mail as you bring it into the house, doing a load of laundry a day, and “shutting down” the kitchen every night by cleaning up thoroughly after dinner.

Here’s a day-by-day routine that leaves your house ready to embrace you in cleanliness and order by the time Friday evening rolls around:

Clean the living room and entryway: Pick up items, quickly dust shelves and surfaces, and vacuum the floors and rugs.

Clean the bathroom: Put things away, wipe mirrors, clean the toilet, scrub the sink and faucet, and mop the floors.

Pick up the bedroom: Put items away as needed, clear off surfaces, dust, straighten up your clothes, and vacuum the floor.

Clean the kitchen: Wipe down appliances, clean the backsplash and counters, wipe down cabinet fronts, clean fridge and cabinet door handles, and sweep the floor.

Catch-all day. This could involve cleaning something you saw during the week that needs a little bit more attention.