in d oors
q u i c k - c l e a n r o u t i n e
KNOW-HOW
Rethink da
efforts an
aylong cleaning
d try these smart,
efficient strategies. In just
minutes each day, your home
can look almost spotless—
and you’ll appreciate the
sense of order you’ve created.
by SARAH EGGE
O
ven if you scour at top speed,
cleaning your house from
kitchen to master bath takes
hours—even days. There’s an
easier way, says Donna Smallin,
organizing expert and author of such books as
The O ne-M inute C lean er.
“I used to do every-
thing all at once, and it took an entire
Saturday,” she says. “But by having the right
cleaning tools handy and doing certain things
on a regular basis, now I’m able to maintain my
house much better.”
Smallin finds the best approach for her own
Detroit-area home is to tackle one chore a day.
“One day, I dust in every room and clean all
glass surfaces,” she says. “The next day, I
vacuum all of the carpets and rugs. The day
after vacuuming, I mop all the floors that need
mopping using a lightweight steam cleaner or
all-in-one floor cleaner—no bucket required, so
it’s quick and easy. The key is to do these
chores on a regular weekly rotation schedule,
and that way, nothing is left undone for more
than a week.” Smallin designates one day for
doing odds and ends such as cleaning toilets,
removing cobwebs, dusting fan blades, or
wiping scuff marks and fingerprints from
doors, walls, and moldings.
With this routine in place, Smallin says,
all it takes to spiff up your rooms is a few
minutes every day. Here are her three guiding
principles and the cleaning strategies she
finds have the biggest impact:
1. DO IT NOW, SAVE TIME LATER
A few daily tasks keep yucky messes and tiring
chores from stacking up as the week goes on.
■ Take off your shoes when you come in, and
have mats both inside and outside your
doorways. This practice can help reduce
lO O MAY 2010 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
P H O T O : J A M E S B A I G R I E / P H O T O D I S C / G E T T Y I M A G E S
