How to Clean Your House in 30 Minutes Flat

We partnered with Miele to give you a cheat sheet on how to get your home shipshape in no time flat—and which tools to keep around to help you do it.

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We've all been there: It's been a week or two (maybe more) since you've had a chance to tidy things up around the house. Maybe the counters are feeling a bit grimy or the carpets could use a much-needed once-over with the vacuum—either way, you want to get things spick and span ASAP.

Take a deep breath. You cant get every room feeling fresh in no time by being strategic with your cleaning (and leaving the more time-intensive stuff for when you have an hour or two on your hands).

Here’s how to get your abode into shape in just 30 minutes—seriously:

Freshen up the bathroom: 5 minutes

Before you start on anything else, spray the toilet bowl with a fast-acting cleaning product and let it work its magic while you’re doing other things, so there’s minimal scrubbing required.

Quickly wipe down the sink (and make sure to clear out anything that might be lingering in the plughole) as well as the vanity, swapping out well-worn toothbrush for shiny new ones. If you have one, use a microfiber cloth to polish up the faucet and mirror—the resulting sparkle will make your bathroom appear way cleaner than it actually is.

Remove clutter: 5 minutes

Remember how, as a kid, you could “clean” your room by pushing everything under the bed? Well, you can apply a similar strategy here. Rather than try to sort through all the clutter that’s currently in your living space (nobody’s got time for that right now), toss it all into the laundry basket and put it somewhere out of sight: the laundry, the closet, even the garage if you have one. Once you have a bit more time, you can then give it some real attention.

Let the vacuum work its magic: 10 minutes

Sure, you could try to dust every surface in your home with a dusting cloth, but that would take forever. Instead, slip the dusting brush attachment onto your vacuum and use it to do a lightning-fast round on anything that might be within guests’ eyesight: bookshelves, picture frames, windowsills, etc. While you can also use the dusting brush to clean the drapes, blinds, and curtains, it'll take a bit longer (why not save that for when you've got an afternoon to deep clean?).

Once you’re done dusting, use the floor attachment to blitz every room, including the hall, living room, bathroom (using the hard surface attachment), and kitchen.

Nix those dishes: 7 minutes

To make your kitchen feel ten times more put together in a flash, clear out the dirty dishes. If you’re the fortunate owner of a dishwasher, liberate your sink by filling it up with dishes and get it going. Otherwise, give everything a good rinse off and place it neatly on the drying rack. Finally, give your counters and stove a quick swipe with some cleaning wipes and throw out the trash if it’s a little bit stinky.

Add a Calming scent: 2 minutes

Even better than that “just cleaned” scent? The gentle aroma of a candle, some diffused essential oils, or burned palo santo. Keep the emphasis on gentle though; you don’t want an overpowering smell wafting through the house.

Once your speed cleaning session is done, take a deep breath, make yourself a cup of tea, sit back and relax—you've earned it.

We've partnered with Miele to show you how cleaning your home can be easy and stress-free when you have the right tools for the job—like a vacuum from Miele's HomeCare line.