Welcome to my 15 Minutes to Fabulous series! Over the next few days I’ll be featuring some fantastic guest writers sharing ways to be fabulous in just 15 minutes. Let’s face it, give a busy woman 15 minutes of uninterrupted time and she can conquer the world…or at least 15 minutes of it! Today’s guest blogger is fellow Middle Tennessee blogger Christine from I Dream of Clean (don’t you LOVE that blog name?!) who shares tips toward minutes to a clean house.

I like a clean house. As a stay-at-home, work-from-home mom, it keeps me sane. A clean home makes me more productive and helps me stay organized. The benefits are aplenty.

The problem is, I don’t actually like to clean. I’m guessing you might be the same way.

When it comes to cleaning, shortcuts are key! They make what can be an overwhelming task actually seem achievable. So, here are a few tips for cleaning your home in 15 minutes a day.

Use a timer.

If you’re going to set a limit on your cleaning, you need a way to measure it, right? That handy, dandy kitchen time of yours can work wonders!

3 times a day, set it for 5 minutes and get to moving.

I like setting it for 5 minutes a few times a day instead of 15 minutes once a day for several reasons:

• 5 minutes is way more achievable than 15, don’t you think? That means you’re less likely to procrastinate.
• It’s easy for kids (even young, toddler-aged kids) to get involved. 5 minutes is short enough to keep their attention so they’re more likely to work (or play) for 5 minutes alone.
• 5 minutes makes you kick it into high-gear. Speed cleaning at it’s best!

Make a plan.

The best way to work fast is to make a plan and follow it. Here’s what I do:

5 minutes to clean in the morning.

Working my way from one side of the house to the other, I like to…

• Make up the master bed (it takes less than 2 minutes…how do I know? that magic timer!);
• Pick up straggling toys, papers, random stuff left over from the night before and put them in the appropriate location as I move though the house;
• Hit “start” on the washing machine.

5 minutes any other time during the day to clean the kitchen.

• Do you think cleaning your kitchen in 5 minutes is crazy? It can be done, I promise!
• Just make a plan and focus. You can watch this video to see it in action.

5 minutes to clean at night.

Again, working from one side of the house to the other, here’s what I do…

• Grab the laundry basket from the master bedroom with one hand;
• Straighten up pillows, pick up stray papers, bags, toys, etc. and drop them off in the right spot as I move through the house;
• Put the laundry in the washing machine and add detergent so it’s ready to go the next morning.

There’s definitely other things to clean here and there, but spending a focused 15 minutes a day on straightening up and cleaning does wonders for keeping a home clean. When your home is reasonable clean, taking time to vacuum the floors or use a swish a brush in the toilet doesn’t seem to take as long.

I’d love to hear about your cleaning routines. If you had 15 minutes to clean, what areas would you focus on?

With a house full of boys, Christine feels like she’s always cleaning up some kind of creative mess. Thankfully, she’s learned a few shortcuts over the years and shares them daily at I Dream of Clean. She’s also launching a brand new Spring Cleaning site focusing on baby steps that give your home that spring clean feeling. Sign up for the newsletter to receive daily cleaning prompts throughout the year.