Overwhelm is my middle name right now. Between dealing with the aftermath of the house fire, going full time with my day job, and working on a new book, I’m juggling a lot of balls right now. I don’t have time to deal with a lot of day-to-day housecleaning. Thankfully, I know a lot of quick cleaning hacks, and I want to share them with you!

Put Together a Cleaning Kit

Don’t waste time gathering cleaning supplies — gather them once and have it done. I use an adorable cleaning caddy from Grove Collaborative to corral my most used cleaning products. In it, I keep these products (all from Grove):

• Mrs. Meyers Multi-Surface Cleaner
• Mrs. Meyers Glass Cleaner
• Microfiber cleaning cloths
• Full Circle’s Dust Whisperer Filament Duster

I also recently added a new tool to my cleaning kit: ecloth’s Cleaning Pad. I received one free for review from ecloth, and you guys, this thing ROCKS! It’s not just a regular microfiber cloth, it’s actually padded, making it extra absorbent for cleaning wet areas such as sinks and around bathtubs and showers. You just need water — it cleans chemical-free to remove dirt, grease, and grime.

Plan the Work…

Is your kitchen a disaster? Then that’s what you’re going to focus on. Is it the living room, dusty and cluttered with toys? Then do that. Or are you expecting guests and need to do a spruce-up of the bathrooms? That will be your focus then. Whatever it is, plan your attack. You’re almost guaranteed to get sidetracked if you approach cleaning with a CLEAN ALL THE THINGS attitude. Don’t overwhelm yourself more than you already are. Choose an area, and focus on that.

Set a Timer

No, really. Set a timer, for 15-20 minutes, and see how much you can accomplish. Racing the timer really does help light a fire under your rear!

Now Work the Plan

Start that timer and go! Clear off horizontal spaces of clutter, then use your all-purpose cleaner and microfiber cloths to wipe them off. Put back only the items that need to be there, as neatly and prettily as possible. Don’t get sidetracked returning other clutter to its rightful home — instead, dump it all in a basket so you can make the rounds returning items just once.

In the bathroom, grab that ecloth cleaning pad, dampen it, and use it to wipe down sinks, showers, and tubs. It absorbs a lot, so you can just rinse and squeeze before moving on to the next part, and it doesn’t spread bacteria, so no worries about that!

Let technology help you too — if you have a dishwasher, start a load of dirty dishes, and include any other pieces that are dishwasher safe for a thorough cleaning. Start a load of dirty laundry, and include towels, washable rugs, and cleaning cloths as you use them.

If you’re not finished when the timer goes off, do another round. The timer is serving to keep you on task, so use it as a friend, not a foe. If you need a break, set the timer for 5 minutes and put your feet up, then get back to it once the timer runs out. You’ll be finished in no time!

Plan Ahead for Touch-Ups

Take a few minutes to consider what you need to make touch-ups easy in the future. I keep a dishwand scrubber of dish soap and white vinegar in my shower so I can clean while I’m in there. We keep disposable cleaning wipes in the kitchen and in each bathroom for quick touch-ups whenever we’re in there (and we have our kids wipe the bathrooms down several times a week as well!) Keep extra trash bags in the bottom of your trash bins so you can take out trash quickly before company shows up. Put clean dishes away promptly so you can load the dishwasher as you go and run it right away every time it gets full. And don’t run out of your favorite cleaning supplies! I get a monthly shipment from Grove Collaborative with all my favorite cleaning products so I never run out (I’m a sucker for the Mrs. Meyers stuff, but I’ve got my faves with Seventh Generation, Method, and ecloth too — and they carry them all!)

What can you do right now to make cleaning quick and easy so you’re not so overwhelmed by the little tasks?

I received a free ecloth cleaning pad for review purposes from ecloth.com. This fair and honest review contains my own opinions. I have received no other compensation for this review. This is disclosed in accordance with FTC guidelines.

This post contains affiliate links. I receive a small percentage from sales made using affiliate links. Thanks so much!

I was very excited to receive a review copy of Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life One Night At a Time by Arianna Huffington. A passionate sleep advocate, Arianna came to her love of sleep after collapsing from exhaustion several years ago. I was hoping for some major help and revelations to help with my own sleep issues. I’ve suffered from insomnia for almost 20 years, made even worse now due to fibromyalgia and CFS. Unfortunately, sleep is still elusive to me, even after reading Arianna’s 300+ page book.

Most of the book focuses on sleep studies showing how deeply important sleep is our functioning, performance, and success, as well as a review of sleep history and how various cultures view sleep. It’s fascinating, but not as hands-on informative that I had hoped for.

The end of the book does give some tips for best sleep practices, but there’s not much new. It boils down to setting the stage for sleep with dim lighting, actual pajamas, getting rid of caffeine, and turning off the electronics well in advance. She also mentions getting good exercise during the day, watching your diet, and considering acupuncture. Arianna also discusses how naps can help add sleep time when you’re having problems at night.

The book was fascinating and a good read, but not really hugely helpful if you’re struggling with sleep.

I received a copy of this book for review purposes through Blogging for Books. This fair and honest review contains my own opinions and do not reflect the views of the author, publisher or any other third-party. I have received no other compensation for this review. This is disclosed in accordance with FTC guidelines.

This post contains affiliate links. I receive a small percentage from sales made using affiliate links. Thanks so much!