Daily Cleaning Checklist to Tidy Your Home in Just 20 Minutes

Most of us don't have time to complete an elaborate deep-cleaning routine every day. Between work, taking care of kids, preparing meals, and other household duties, there typically isn't a lot of time left for scrubbing floors or dusting the furniture at the end of the day.

Fortunately, you can save most of those time-consuming chores for a more substantial weekly once-over or an in-depth monthly cleaning routine. On a daily basis, simply focus on a few trouble spots, such as countertops crowded with dishes or that pile of clutter on your coffee table, to maintain order and keep housework under control. Set up a daily cleaning checklist that includes a handful of quick tasks in each room. By zeroing in on certain spots for just a few minutes each, you can breeze through daily cleaning in 20 minutes or less. If you get the rest of the family involved, it'll take even less time.

Consider running through this to-do list at the end of each day so you can go to sleep with a clean house and wake up ready to start the next day. Alternatively, you can easily divide the tasks up throughout the day so you're only dedicating a few minutes here and there to cleaning. Figure out what works best for you and adjust your daily cleaning checklist to fit your schedule.

Quick Kitchen Cleaning Tasks

Kitchens see a lot of traffic throughout the day, which means clutter, crumbs, and debris can quickly add up. To remedy the day's messes, follow this daily cleaning checklist for the kitchen after all the cooking is done. This will help bring your kitchen back to order so it's ready to use again first thing the next morning.

• Put away dishes
  Unload the dishwasher, then fill it back up with dirty dishes from the sink. Quickly wipe out the sink with a sponge when you're done.
• Wipe down countertops and range tops
  Use a cloth and an all-purpose cleaner to wipe away spills, splatters, and crumbs.
• Clean messy spots on the floor
  Wipe up any spills or sticky areas on the floor. Grab a dustpan to sweep up crumbs.
• Tidy up clutter
  Relocate anything that doesn't belong in the kitchen, and straighten up items on countertops. Fold and hang dish towels.

Daily Cleaning Tasks for the Bathroom

Bathrooms need regular scrubbing and mopping, but neither task is necessary to complete every day. You can keep germs and grime at bay with a few simple daily cleaning steps. Use this bathroom cleaning checklist for a speedy clean each day.

• Wipe down the sink, mirror, and countertops
  Wet a paper towel or washcloth with a little water (or an all-purpose cleaner if you store one in the bathroom) to wipe down surfaces. You can use the same cloth to quickly swipe the sink, clean splatters off the mirror, and wipe off the countertops.
• Clear countertop clutter
  Return any cosmetics, toiletries, or other clutter to their rightful homes.
• Pick up and hang towels

Living Room Cleaning Routine

Forget vacuuming or washing the walls for now. Daily living room cleaning is about finding simple ways to restore order. Keep everyday clutter and messes under control with these quick living room cleaning tasks.

• Reset the sofa
  Fold throw blankets, fluff pillows, and straighten the cushions.
• Pick up clutter
  Grab toys, games, or miscellaneous objects off the floor and stash them. Remove extra items from the coffee table, then straighten any books and accessories on top.
• Tackle quick messes
  Give main areas, such as the sofa and area rug, a once-over with a handheld vacuum to pick up crumbs or dust bunnies.

Day-to-Day Bedroom Cleaning

Complete these steps every day to make sure your bedroom is tidy and ready for you to climb into bed at night. A clean space that's free of clutter can help you relax and rest easier. Take just a few minutes in the morning or at night to reset your bedroom.

• Make the bed
  Do this every morning as soon as you get out of bed.
• Pick up and put away clothes
  Clear floor space of clothing and quickly fold or hang clean items. To make this easier, get in the habit of putting clothes away as soon as you take them off.
• Spruce up your nightstand
  Clear off any clutter or trash and straighten books and accessories.