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How to Do a Deep Clean on a Busy Schedule
Days are getting shorter, and the air is turning crisp. It’s time for holiday entertaining! Which also means people are going to be in your home. Where all your stuff is.
The idea of trying to fit a good, deep clean into your insanely busy schedule can get you stressed, but you can do a deep cleaning even if you have a full-time job or school.
For a printable checklist, download the comprehensive checklist below.
Maximize your Free Time
Like many of us, I have obligations that prevent me from spending a couple of weeks doing nothing but cleaning and decluttering. I break up the whole-house deep clean into sections and tackle them whenever I have time.
Even 30 minutes after work or school will make a dent. It may take a little longer, but it will be worth it. I developed the list linked at the top to help me keep track of where I’ve been and what still needs to be done.
There are a couple of ways to do this. You can go room by room or organize it by task. I choose which method to use based on how much time I have. If you have a short window, it might be more efficient to pick a task and hit as many rooms as you can. If you have a whole day or two, try doing an entire room in one go.
This post would be ridiculous if I broke out every task. Most of it is just cleaning anyway, and you already know how to do that. Instead, I’ll focus on the first and worst part: Decluttering and Organizing.
Where Did This Stuff Even Come From?
People are really good at accumulating stuff. Our homes are loaded with flat surfaces that seem to be clutter magnets. Some of us are great at knowing exactly what to let go of and what to save. Others have a harder time making those decisions.
There are many decluttering methods to make the hard choices, but my favorite is “If this had poop on it, would I bother to clean it?” This method really lifts the veil on whether I need to keep that old phone case or that sweater I got on a great sale, but never quite seems to make it into the lineup.
If you’re doing a thorough clean for entertaining purposes, you’ll want to focus on the stuff everyone can see, like craft supplies, sports equipment, paperwork, electronic accouterments, and all the other little things we collect just living life that take up visual and mental space.
Where to Start
Certain zones are notorious for attracting clutter:
- Hall Tables
- Hall Closets
- Bookshelves
- Behind furniture
- Desks
- Tables
- Countertops
- Bathroom Vanities and Closets
Grab a few boxes or laundry baskets to use for sorting containers. As you go through your decluttering zones, group items into four categories:
- Keep – For the things you’re definitely hanging on to.
- Maybe – For the stuff you’re not quite sure about. I call this the “purgatory box.” It’s for the stuff I don’t really use but can’t emotionally separate myself from. If you have the space, dedicate a bin to store these things for six months. If you haven’t looked for it by then, it’s probably safe to send it to a donation center.
- Donate – For the stuff you don’t want but someone else can use.
- Toss – For anything that is damaged and can’t be donated.
Assuming you’re using the anticipation of hosting a holiday get-together as motivation to do a good, deep clean, find the most in-your-face clutter, and start there. For me, it’s the insane amount of mail we get; it lives on an entry table that’s pretty much the first thing people see when they come through our front door.
Mail/Paperwork
Sort the mail and paperwork into three piles. One pile will be the important things, like billing statements, bank statements, and other paperwork you need to keep. The next pile will be for things that need to be shredded or otherwise destroyed, like credit card offers and other sensitive materials. The last pile will be for trash or recycling. If your mail pile breeds like mine does, this might take some time. I put on a show or movie and have a little sorting party.
Destroying mail can be done with a shredder or a security roller stamp. Other alternatives are taking advantage of community shred days or tearing them up into very small pieces and mixing them with something gross, like coffee grounds, food scraps, or cat litter.
Since the paperwork you’re keeping needs a home, consider developing a filing system if you haven’t already. It doesn’t have to be a fancy filing cabinet; an accordion file or a milk crate with hanging file folders works just fine.
Electronics and Accessories
Another pain point is electronics and all the crap they come with. Every time we get something rechargeable, it comes with a cord. I keep a box dedicated to working cords and chargers and another for the deceased (which also includes dead electronics). If you have a Best Buy in your area, they have a pretty comprehensive recycling program. If you don’t have one nearby, your community might have a program.
Eventually, you’ll discover you have a bunch of phone cases and other accessories that don’t match your current tech or have just stopped working. Do yourself a favor and recycle or donate these. You don’t need to save them.
Bathroom
The next stop is the bathroom. We tend to collect soap, hair products, make-up, and other toiletries that clutter the tub, closet, and vanity cupboard. And many of us accumulate products we try once, decide we hate, and relegate to the back of the cupboard.
First, toss anything expired, practically empty, and products you’re never going to use again. Once those are out of the way, you can focus on the rest.
If you have traveled, you probably have a bunch of those little soaps and shampoos hotels put in the bathroom. If you’re interested in donating them, check your area for charitable organizations that accept unused travel samples. Then, collect your favorites and put them in a zip-top baggie or empty makeup bag. Now you have a travel kit. Dispose of the rest.
Next, organize the products you’re keeping. If you don’t have organizing trays and caddies, I find the small Amazon boxes work really well to keep stuff corralled. Dollar stores also have a lot of inexpensive options.
Other Clutter
Now that you’ve hit the main offenders, let’s move on to the rest of it. Go around your home and find the piles: you know, the stuff you keep meaning to find a home for but never quite get around to.
It could be craft supplies, a jumbled hall closet, sports gear, or books you aren’t ever going to read. Grab your baskets or boxes and go through it all. Be ruthless. If you haven’t used it in the past six months and it’s not a seasonal item, let it go.
Now you’ve got the main gathering spaces clutter-free. Depending on how much time you have left, you may need to stop here and come back to it later. But if you’re determined to get it all done, let’s hit the kitchen and the bedroom closet.
Kitchenware and Gadgets
When you moved out, you probably acquired a collection of inherited items. And if your space is anything like my first apartment, storage space is practically nonexistent.
Consider using the Rule of Three: if you have more than three of one item and don’t need all of them, save your favorite and donate the rest. This can apply to cooking utensils, cookware, coffee tumblers, etc.
First, evaluate your small appliances. If a helpful relative gave you a small appliance and it is just collecting dust, set it free. It’s okay. Someone out there desperately wants that thing and will go home from the thrift store bragging about their score.
Next, go through your cupboards. At some point, our food storage containers become separated from their lids. Toss or donate anything that doesn’t match.
Clean out your junk drawer. This is where things go to die. Weed out the broken things that are never going to be fixed and give serious thought to how many bread ties you need. Organize the rest. Junk drawers are most useful when you can actually find that screwdriver you need.
Clothes/Shoes
Clothes and shoes are probably the biggest declutter category and also likely the last thing you need to worry about for holiday cleaning. But since we’re on the subject, might as well include it.
Toss anything that is stained or damaged and not suitable for donations, and donate those items that don’t fit or you never wear.
Put the Keep items back in the closet and drawers. A closet hack for the next time you do this is to put your hangers on the rod backward. The next time you clean out your closet, you can easily see which clothes never made the rotation.
If you already own clothes suitable for a special occasion (such as a funeral or wedding), save them if you can. You may have room in your budget to buy new when the occasion occurs, but if you can’t swing it, they’ll come in handy.
Do the same with the shoes. If I haven’t worn a pair in the past year, I send them on their way.
Now that you’ve cleared out the clutter, the cleaning part will go a lot faster. Do you have a favorite decluttering tip or trick? Let me know in the comments!
