5 Steps For A Quickly Clean Home | Live Lovely

With all of the wedding planning on top of our very abundant lives, Matthew and I haven’t had much time to keep our apartment squeaky clean. The mess has been causing me a lot of stress. Piles of paperwork, dirty dishes, laundry, and a bathroom that needs scrubbing doesn’t do much for my mood when I am trying to plan out the final wedding details. I don’t consider myself a slob, but lately I have been questioning my adulting skills. 

I had Wednesday off of work because of the damage from the tornados (in Connecticut, crazy!) so I decided to make the most of my time at home. After spending the morning helping my old neighborhood after the storm, I dedicated my afternoon to tidying up the apartment. At this point, I don’t have time to do everything, as I know many people with busy schedules know how this feels, so I focused on the top five areas of my home that have the biggest impact. There are five things you can clean in a short amount of time that will make your home look like there is no mess at all. I still have plenty left to do, but at least now I do not feel so overwhelmed. 

1. The carpet. A quick vacuum (or sweep up) of the floors is a really fast way to dramatically change the cleanliness and appearance of a room. 
2. Clear off and wipe down all surfaces. Surface clutter (counters, dressers, shelves, bookcases, tv stands, and window sills) is the easiest way to make a room look messy. Remove the clutter and this has the largest impact on making your entire apartment look 90% cleaner. Spend twenty minutes sorting through the piles and put everything back where it really belongs. When that task is complete, wipe down the surfaces to remove dust and grime. This is the most time consuming of my five steps for a quick and clean home, but after doing just one counter I felt so much better. 
3. The kitchen sink. Want a clean kitchen fast? Focus on your sink. Don’t just wash and put away the dishes, but scrub down the sink too. When it shines, it makes the entire kitchen look so much neater. 
4. Make your bed. In a hurry to clean your bedroom but no time to clean it all? Simply make your bed. It takes less than two minutes, but it is the fastest way to make your bedroom look like it is under control. 
5. Light a natural soy candle. The way your home smells has one of the largest impacts on your home. When guests walk in one of the first things they will notice is the scent. The same goes for you. Whether or not you think about this, the scent of your home does effect you and your mood. Open a window, let in some fresh air, heat up some essential oils, or light a soy candle and your home will feel fresher.