10 Lifehacks That Will Cut Your Cleaning Time in Half

I'm an odd bird when it comes to cleaning. I used to be the kind of person who abhorred cleaning with a passion, but then slowly grew to love it. Cleaning is now a way I help myself feel in control of my life, and keep my chaos to a minimum.

That being said, I realize that spending hours upon hours of time cleaning isn't the way to go about things. There are plenty of reasons why this is true. To clean efficiently, you should aim to cut your cleaning time by as much as possible.

As I've moved out on my own, I've realized that there are some pretty awesome lifehacks that can reduce cleaning time immensely. Here are my favorite ways to keep your home clean.

Don't put it down; put it away.

This concept, which is known as mise en place in French, remains one of the most popular bartending tips you'll learn when you're studying how to serve up drinks.

It's a classic rule among both restaurateurs and bartenders because it will cut your cleaning time by half when you're prepping any form of food. If you apply the same type of rule to your housekeeping, keeping your home clutter-free will be a cinch!

Cleaning enthusiast Marie Kondo came up with this tip, and it's one of the best cleaning lifehacks I ever learned. We all have a tendency to bring clutter into our lives, but what good does that ever seem to do for us? Nothing! If anything, it drags us down.

Kondo made one of the best self-help books ever when she started to talk about cleaning. In her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Kondo explains how important it is to reduce clutter.

By having fewer items, you will be able to deal with less clutter, which in turn, means less cleaning time and more bliss.

Learn to love white vinegar and baking soda.

There are so many uses for white vinegar, it's actually a wonder chemical. The same can be said of baking soda. Using these products can cut your cleaning time by reducing the need to haul extra goods for a clean session while providing above average results.

For real, it's baking soda and vinegar science. Here are some of my favorite tips:

• Get rid of window and mirror streaks by spraying them with white vinegar, then scrubbing it with newspaper.
• Add a mixture of vinegar and baking soda to calcified showerheads, then wait 20 minutes. Scrub it away, and you'll have zero buildup.
• Mix equal parts white vinegar and dish soap for a mixture that destroys shower scum instantly.

Lint rollers are some of the most underrated cleaning products out there. Along with keeping your clothes fresh and fly, they also happen to be one of the best dusters you can have.

Rather than put extra elbow grease into getting rid of stubborn dirt, just pass a lint roller over it. All the dirt and dust will be done with, and you'll cut your cleaning time in half.

Clean your microwave in seconds.

Do you spend 10 minutes every time you have to get your microwave clean from all the splatters that happen every time you nuke your curry? There's an easier way to do this. Wet a sponge and add a little white vinegar to it.

Then, put the sponge in the microwave for 30 seconds. The steam will loosen the food up. After, just wipe it with your sponge and you're good to go.

Bottles can be brutal, time-consuming little things to clean, aren't they? Well, you can cut your cleaning time with these things pretty easily. Just fill up bottles with raw rice, water, and dish soap. Then, shake the bottle to cleanliness.

The raw rice scrapes away the grime from bottles pretty well, while the soap cleans the bottle out perfectly. When you're done shaking, pour the rice-water-soap glop out. Speed cleaning has never been easier.

Do 10 minutes of cleaning a day.

This is another one of those cleaning tips that will cut your cleaning time immensely. Most people who hate cleaning will put off cleaning for days, weeks, or even months at a time. This causes the time it takes to clean up everything to multiply.

The easiest way to cut cleaning time is to just do about 10 to 15 minutes of cleaning per day. You'll be surprised at how little you have to clean when you do this.

Vacuum cleaners are totally underutilized, even if you use them to clean your rugs daily. These vacuum hacks will cut your cleaning time, big time:

• You can clean blinds by running a vacuum cleaner extension perpendicular to the blinds.
• You can also remove odors from a couch by sprinkling baking soda on it, waiting half an hour, then vacuuming that powder up.
• You also can vacuum your mattress if it's gotten really grody.

Freshen that rancid mattress!

If you're like me, your mattress has a tendency to absorb certain *ahem* odors after partying. Keeping a clean house means that your mattress can't smell like a bordello, so you may need to freshen your mattress. Not a problem!

Mix a quarter cup of vodka and a couple of drops of essential oils that you enjoy. Then, spritz it onto your mattress and walk away. The vodka kills bacteria, while the oil helps cover up odors.

Everyone loves smoothies, right? Well, they are great—that's no lie. However, cleaning a blender isn't that fun if you do it the old-fashioned way. Thankfully, this tip can help you cut your cleaning time hugely.

Rather than sponge it out like you usually do, just fill it up with water and dish soap. Then, put on the lid and turn on the blender. Rinse it out, repeat, and you're good to go.