Cleaning every room of your home can often be an arduous task. Even if you have the best intentions to tackle everything in one go, there just never seems to be enough time in the day.
Which is why I’m always on the lookout for new methods to cut my cleaning time in half. I’ve tried an abundance of viral cleaning hacks and methods over the years, including the rather morbid-sounding Swedish Death cleaning hack.
However, I finally found a quick method promising to totally transform your cleaning game!
It turns out that I’ve been cleaning all wrong, and that this task should actually be done in short bursts. Enter the 5x5 speed cleaning method that aims to deep clean specific areas, in a short amount of time — 5 minutes to be exact!
Here’s what happened when I finally tried the 5x5 speed cleaning method.
What is the 5x5 speed cleaning method?
Essentially, the 5x5 speed cleaning method is exactly that. Simply set your timer for 5-minute increments, and focus on five zones in your home that you aim to tackle.
The idea is that you’ll focus only on that particular area before the timer goes off, and you move onto the next.
This might seem like a shortcut, but the concept is to make cleaning more productive and less overwhelming in small, workable spaces.
So rather than zipping around the entire house, and often missing those key places you’re forgetting to clean, you can now focus properly.
I tried the 5x5 speed cleaning method
With that in mind, I divided my home into five zones/areas to tackle, to see whether this 5-minute cleaning method really works.
Bathtub
The bathtub is the one place that can get grimy, and often requires deep cleaning on a regular basis.
And if this isn’t exactly your favorite chore, the 5-minute method is ideal to ensure you don't spend longer than you want to!
I simply set my time and thoroughly cleaned my bathtub, ensuring that I don’t miss out on any spots.
A good tip for stubborn marks or residue is to rinse the bathtub with hot water first before sprinkling baking soda generously over it.
Leave for a few minutes, and this will help to lift scum, making it easier to scrub and rinse away thoroughly with water.
Baking soda is a great, natural stain remover, and can be used around the home. Check out these 10 things you didn't know you could clean with baking soda.
Dusting blinds
I always find my venetian blinds in my dining area tricky to clean properly and a cleaning task that is often neglected (partly due to laziness!).
Once I set my 5-minute timer however, I was able to finally tackle the layers of dust head-on, that I wouldn’t normally do.
What’s more, I found an easier way to banish dust in seconds. Rather than using a traditional feather duster or even a microfiber cloth, I tried the viral Scrub Daddy Damp Duster.
Simply wet it with water, and swipe over dusty areas. Dirt and dust will quickly stick to the duster’s surface, without leaving any traces.
Unlike traditional dusting methods, the damp duster won’t disperse the dust into the air (which creates more work).
This actually bought me more time, and I was able to complete the task within the set time!
Descaling my kettle
If you enjoy your daily cuppa, there’s nothing more off-putting than seeing a build-up of limescale inside the kettle. And if, like me, you have a glass kettle, this can often look unsightly.
Using my 5 minutes wisely, I decided to tackle this task once and for all, with a simple hack.
Beside smelling fresh, lemons are known for their natural descaling properties. So I cut a lemon in half and submerged it in a little water inside the kettle before boiling.
I then let it sit for a few minutes to give the lemon enough time to lift the stubborn limescale. (I could have left it in for longer, but didn't want to cheat the timer!)
Then, I used the lemon half to gently scrub away at the limescale inside the kettle, until all was removed. After giving it a good rinse a few times, my glass kettle was limescale-free and shiny!
Cleaning my mirrors
There’s nothing worse than unsightly streaks or fingerprints on mirrors. And it can often be a chore to get the glass spotless and gleaming again.
Typically, I'd just give it a quick wipe during a housecleaning session in a bid to get other jobs done.
This time, though, I was able to focus on my oversized mirror in my living room to ensure it was tackled properly and given some TLC.
I even had time to spare to move onto my entry way mirror, and still keep within the 5-minutes. Win-win!
For more tips check out how to clean a mirror without leaving steaks.
Entryway
My entryway can get pretty dirty on a daily basis, especially with dust and debris from the constant foot traffic. As a result, I’ve always found it hard to stay on top of my wooden floor cleaning regime.
Armed with my best vacuum cleaner, I set to work on zoning in on my entryway for the allotted 5 minutes.
Admittedly, this was tougher than I thought, and I almost went over the time. However, this was probably because I thought I could take on the stairs at the same time, which would have really needed to be a separate ‘zone’.
If you have plenty of footwear cluttering up your space, try one of these space-saving ideas to organize shoes in your entryway.
5x5 speed cleaning method verdict
The 5x5 speed cleaning method is just like doing a mini workout — and I found trying to beat the clock a little challenging at first.
But once you get used to it, the 5x5 speed cleaning method is pretty simple, even though it does force you to be ruthless. I often found myself tempted to go over the allotted time to quickly finish off my vacuuming or dusting chore.
In fact, if you do find yourself struggling with heavy-duty cleaning, I’d recommend to maybe start off with 15-minute increments, before reducing this to 5 minutes over time.
Still, rather than wasting precious time in one area (and still not making much of an impact), this method allowed me to concentrate on a specific task — and do it properly.
It does take discipline, but it pays off once you see the sparkling results. I’ll definitely be sticking to this 5x5 speed cleaning method in the future — and get fit at the same time!
More from Tom's Guide
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
