Does having a mess-free home seems like a distant dream to you?
Sometimes it does for me also. I usually make sure my home is mess-free before I go to bed because I hate waking up in a messy house. But I’m also guilty of laziness (and/or procrastination).
Sometimes, I’m too lazy to put things away properly, so I just set them aside. Other times, I’m also too lazy to care for something that needs cleaning. As a result, random mess accumulates in my house, until I’m ready to take care of it all. And when it comes to that point, it’s too overwhelming for me. Many little things need fixing (either by cleaning, throwing, or putting them away) and I don’t know where to start. My brain sees all those little random tasks, panics, and shuts down.
So I came up with a system to help me deal with that: the 5-minute house tour.
I know I didn’t come up entirely with it. It feels like it’s a tip I’ve seen somewhere a long time ago. But I honestly can’t remember where. So you will have to trust me as your sole source of information.
Okay, so what is a 5-minute house tour?
It’s super simple. You set a timer of 5 minutes, grab a basket (or box, or any type of big container), and tackle one room at a time, 5 minutes per room or area in your house.
So yeah, technically, you will not clean your house in 5 minutes. But saying “5-minute house tour” sounds better than “25-minute house tour”, and it tricks my broken brain into believing it will be super fast. Also, the total time will depend on the number of rooms or areas you have to clean.
Here are some tips :
- Think in advance in what order you will do your rooms/area. It will save you some thinking later and make your progress smoother.
- Instead of losing time to get your phone and reset a timer every time you change rooms, find a timer that beeps every 5 minutes.
I use this one. It’s online, and it’s free. In “rounds” you put the number of rooms or areas you want to clean. In “round time” you put 05:00. You can add a “rest time” of 20 or 30 seconds if you want time to move from room to room. In “prepare” you put the time to countdown before starting the timer. It will give you time to move from your computer and grab your supplies. You can add a “round end warning” to warn you some seconds before your time in a room is about to end.
It doesn’t have the best aesthetic, but I haven’t found a lot of timers with that option. I found this one by searching “interval timer.” If you find a better one, please share it with us.
- Stay focused in one room at a time. If you find something that doesn’t belong in the room you’re currently cleaning, just put it in your basket. You can just put it away when you’re cleaning the appropriate room. If you still have some objects remaining in your basket after your house tour, take 2 min to put those back where they belong.
- If you find trash, put it in your basket. Throw everything all at once when you’re done with the whole house instead of running back and forth to the trash can. If you’re the type to accumulate trash, get a separate trash bag and keep the basket only for objects.
- Bring a pack of wet disinfecting wipes with you. I just put it in my basket and get one wipe per room to clean whatever needs cleaning.
- Start in this order: remove first the objects that don’t belong in that room and the trash. Then start cleaning a little bit if you still have time.
- When the timer rings, finish what you were doing and go to the next room. It’s okay if the entire room is not done in 5 minutes. The goal of this system is to reduce mess and dirtiness quickly. If you can get rid of it all in 5 minutes, good for you! But don’t feel pressured. You can do another Tour the next day to finish.
- Don’t do big cleaning tasks like washing dishes, folding laundry, or cleaning the floors. You don’t have time for that. The goal of this system is to pick up the mess and do an occasional spot clean. That’s it.
Bonus Tip
If you have kids, you can include them easily, whatever their age. Strap your baby to yourself and start cleaning. Depending on their age, they can even hold onto your pack of wipes for you. Give your toddler objects to put in the basket. Give more freedom to older kids and let them do their rooms.
The first time I tried this system, I was shocked to see how much my house had improved in just 25 minutes. It motivated me to do a house tour whenever my house needs it.
Life is much sweeter in a mess-free home. Try my hack and tell me what results you’ve had!
If you’d like further reading material, I can recommend this post about cleaning essentials, written by my humble self.
