20 Quick Cleaning Tips (For When You Only Have 5 Minutes)

Whether it’s doing those tiny daily tasks or getting all the monthly cleaning out of the way, following these quick cleaning tips can make a huge difference in how you enjoy your home, and they’re a great place to start forming better cleaning habits as well.

We’ll be splitting these tasks up based on frequency. Most of these are likely weekly, or monthly tasks.

While we use my Home, Clean Home system to check off most of these items, I can take 5 minutes here and there to make sure we’re staying on top of the list or just get things back in order.

If you’re interested in giving Home, Clean Home a try for yourself, enter your email to download it for free below!

Whether you find yourself with a few extra minutes before your next task, need specific tasks to delegate to your kids as a part of a chore chart, or are feeling overwhelmed with where to start and just need some small wins – these 20 “bite-size” ideas are perfect for some quick cleaning!

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5. Ideas for Quick Weekly Cleaning and Maintenance

1. Wash bath, kitchen, & Drying Mats

Gather any mats you may have around the house- in the bathrooms or any in the kitchen. If you use a drying mat instead of a drying rack, also include this. I wash & dry these with my usual detergent, but check any labels on yours before doing this. I like to start with this, so it can be washed while I take care of the other items. It’s so important to make sure these often-wet items are cleaned regularly! Consider throwing in any other miscellaneous laundry you have lying around as well, like blankets or hamper liners!

2. Spot Clean & Disinfect your Fridge.

This doesn’t have to be a deep clean! Take a disinfectant wipe, or just a rag with some cleaning vinegar, and hit the high points. The condiment shelves can get dirty quickly, or you may want to clean the shelves you use most.

3. Disinfect your Dish Tools & Wipe Down your Sink.

I like to put cleaning vinegar in a measuring cup, dilute it a bit, then let my dish brush, any scrubbing tools, etc. soak for a few hours! It takes just a few more seconds to wipe down your sink and around the faucet. Although it might take a few extra moments, especially if you have a lot of small appliances, take a moment here to wipe down your kitchen backsplash as well!

4. Wipe down Doorknobs and Light Switches

Whether you want to use disinfecting wipes or another cleaner, just take a few minutes to wipe down any door knobs, handles, light switches, etc. These are some of the highest-traffic items in our home, and it’s good to clean up germs & any gunk regularly- especially if kiddos are involved!

5. Wipe down the outside of your kitchen trash can

This can get gross pretty quickly and is one place I often overlook!

12 Ideas for Quick Monthly Cleaning and Maintenance

1. Clean your Garbage Disposal.

If you have one of these, you know that it will turn on you if you don’t take care of it! The odor can be no joke. Some of my favorite ways to keep ours clean & happy is (1) running it with ice cubes to sharpen the blades, (2) adding cleaning vinegar & baking soda, letting it sit, then washing it down with boiling water, or (3) using frozen, diced oranges & lemons as “fresheners”!

2. Sharpen Knives

A good knife block does not come cheap, so you better take care of them! This is a classic example of how preventative & proactive maintenance can really save you money in the long run. Many knife blocks come with their own sharpening tool & instructions. If you don’t have a set, you can buy something like this to use. (Even though it’s marketed toward sports use, it’s been easy to use and great for us. If you prefer a kitchen set, there are lots of options on Amazon, as well.)

3. Clean your Microwave.

My favorite, favorite trick for cleaning my microwave is using a 1/2 cup to 1 cup of cleaning vinegar. Fill this in a 2-cup microwave-safe measuring cup. Microwave for 5 minutes. This releases moisture, which loosens up any baked-on messes and disinfects the surfaces.

Once done, set aside the vinegar (to clean your dish tools, perhaps). Either use a Clorox wipe or paper towel to wipe out the inside, including the plate and inside of the door. Don’t forget to disinfect the outside, handle, and button area, too! I usually use a rubbing alcohol spray for this, which works well for stainless steel.

4. Clean your Range Hood Filter

Something I would have never thought to clean is what’s called the “range hood filter”. If you have a dedicated range hood or if it’s built in under your microwave, gently pull the tab toward the middle and take it out to clean it.

I typically wash mine with Dawn soap (or a mixture of Dawn, vinegar & water I keep on hand) to break down any grease that has collected. If you’re cleaning it monthly, it will prevent any build-up, but if you haven’t ever done it, it may be a little messy 🙂 Let dry on a towel, then replace when completely dry.

5. Clean your Shower Curtains

I feel like we are always getting pink mildew build-up, so I regularly clean our curtains! Instead of buying a replacement, you can often (1) dilute some bleach in a large container, and let the end of the curtain soak for a while before rinsing or (2) take it down and run it through the washer with just some cleaning vinegar! We recently switched to this type of shower curtain, which makes it easier to go the first route.

P.S. If you need help giving your bathtub a full clean, check out our guide here!

6. Check fire extinguisher

First, if you don’t have one of these in your kitchen- no matter how great of a cook you are- you need to get one. We paid about $40 for ours (you can get it here) and fortunately, we haven’t had to use it. Store it somewhere that is easy to reach in your kitchen. From there, this is the easiest monthly item! Just glance at the gauge to make sure the indicator is over the green spot that says “full”. It should look like this:

It’s better to check regularly and know it’s ready to go, than be surprised to find it empty if you ever need it!

7. Take a Trash Bag out to your Car

Clean out any items that shouldn’t be there! (Alright, I know this isn’t technically your home but it’s still important.)

8. Flip your Furniture Cushions.

Bonus points if you have time to vacuum any collections underneath!

9. Change your HVAC Filter

These should typically be changed every 3 months

10. Clean out your medicine cabinets, and add any expiring items to your grocery list

This is one of the areas of your home that can get cluttered without you even noticing. Take a moment every month to clear it out and keep it organized.

11. Test your smoke detectors and replace any batteries needed

Similar to the point about the fire extinguisher above, checking your smoke detectors regularly is so important to keep your house as fire-safe as possible.

12. Tighten any loose screws around your house (door knobs, handles, etc.)

Loose screws can be super annoying but are super easy to fix. Still, for whatever reason this is something that always gets put off. Think of anything in your house that needs tightening and don’t put it off!

Are there any Quick Cleaning Tasks you would add – specific to your type of home, your kids, pets, etc.?

What else can I do?

If you are working to streamline your cleaning routines and save time around your house, definitely check out my FREE personalized home cleaning system, Home, Clean Home. I would love for you to benefit from this fresh approach.