The holiday season is here!!!  It’s exciting and stressful all at the same time.  How are we supposed to buy presents, wrap presents, stay on budget, visit family, prepare extra food, take care of the kids, travel, all while keeping a tidy house!?  Enter the SPEED CLEAN. 

I religiously follow my 6/10 list, like I know a lot of you do (if you don’t know what that is I’ll link it here: https://organizedchaos4bus.com/2022/11/03/the-6-10-list-holiday-edition/).  But what do you do when you’re busy cooking meals for holiday get-togethers, or wrapping presents or when the kids are out of school and stuck at home for two weeks!?  You need a system for tidying the house when your schedule is jam packed.  Something beyond the 6/10 List.  So, adapting a method I found on Woman’s Day, I’ve created a Speed Clean Checklist – Holiday Edition.  This will get your home tidied up, company-ready, whatever you want to call it, in 30 minutes or less.

Let’s go through this checklist step by step to ensure success.  I’ll link a PDF copy below, as well.

BATHROOM – 8 MINUTES

1. Start with the bathroom that your guests will be using, because we don’t have time to tackle them all.  Grab a disinfectant wipe and wipe down the counters and toilet. 
2. Change the trash.
3. Scrub the toilet bowl
4. Replace the hand towel

*If you have a little time left, go ahead and get that mirror sparkling.  If you don’t have the time, leave it.  A dirty mirror is far more appealing than a pee-soaked toilet.

KITCHEN – 10 MINUTES

1. Declutter the countertops.
2. Using a disinfectant wipe, wipe all countertops and the stove top.  As well as the inside of the microwave and fridge.
3. Load the dishwasher.
4. Scrub the sink.
5. Replace the kitchen towel.

*If your microwave is extra gross, warm a cup of vinegar in there for 5 minutes.  The gunk should wipe right off. 

LIVING ROOM – 8 MINUTES

1. Using the basket method (you can find that here: https://organizedchaos4bus.com/2022/11/29/the-basket-method/ ), do a quick surface clean.
2. Quickly dust the furniture and lint roll the couch.
3. Deodorize.

ENTRYWAY – 4 MINUTES

1. Declutter shoes and coats.

It may seem like a lot, but I promise anyone can do this.  And don’t feel like you need to take care of the cleaning on your own.  The whole family CAN and SHOULD help when it comes to the well being of your home.  My kids speed clean all the time.  Download your copy and get started, you’ll enjoy Christmas that much more!

-Aud