5 Minute Cleaning Tasks That Make a Huge Difference

Do you ever find yourself with just a few spare minutes and wonder how you can make the most of those minutes?

I am a huge believer in 5-minute cleaning tasks!

As moms, we tend to think that a 5 minute task will NOT have a big impact on your home, but I here to tell you that is not the case.

It will shock you just how much you can get done in 5 minutes or less!

Today, I am going to share the best quick cleaning tasks that take so little time, you can easily incorporate them into your daily routine, making your life simpler and your home cleaner.

5 Minute Cleaning Tasks that are Life Changing!

Wipe down your countertops
Load or unload a dishwasher
Wipe down small appliances
Take out the trash
Clean the microwave
Clean the toilet bowl
Wipe the bathroom sink
Dust furniture
Sort and load clothes into washing machine
Mop a room
Make your bed
Hang up clothes

Cleaning Tasks That Take 5 Minutes Or Less

Incorporating these 5-minute speed cleaning tasks into your routine can help maintain a tidy and organized space without requiring hours of dedicated cleaning time.

Below are a few examples of quick, easy tasks that can make a significant difference in your own kitchen, when you find yourself with a few spare minutes.

Get these uber simple tasks on your to do list today!

Quick Kitchen Tasks

What if you changed the way you clean your kitchen, and broke it down into smaller tasks that can be done in five minutes or less!

Don’t forget to sign up and get my list of 20 household chores in your house that can be done in just a few minutes!

These quick cleaning tasks are best done during a morning or evening cleaning routine, or just as quick hitters when you have a few spare minutes.

It’s almost like you’re speed cleaning in 5 minutes, which you are!

Wipe down your kitchen counters: Clear crumbs and spills from your kitchen counters to maintain a clean and hygienic cooking area.
Load the dishwasher: Get all dirty dishes loaded into the dishwasher. This takes just a few minutes, but makes a huge difference
Unload the dishwasher: Unload your clean dishes.
Trash can: Vacuum any dirt behind your trash can.
Small appliances: Quickly wipe down any countertop appliances, or a small appliance you have in your cupboard.
Take out the trash: Keep your home clean and smelling fresh by taking out the trash often.
Clean the microwave: A quick wipe-down can help prevent build-up and odors from lingering.
Toss expired items in your fridge: Check your fridge for expired food items and dispose of them.
Wash your coffee maker: Empty and wash this out when you are done with coffee.
Dish soap: Filling up your dish soap
Kitchen sink: Fill your kitchen sink with hot water and some liguid detergent, and give your sink a good cleaning.
Clean stovetop: It will take 5 minutes or less to give this a good wipedown.
Wash the dirty pans: Wash any dirty pots and pans and leave them to dry.
Kitchen shelves: Pick one shelf and give it a good wipe down with a damp cloth.
Organize kitchen cabinet: Pick one cabinet and one shelf, and spend 5 minutes organizing it.
Pantry: Pick a shelf in your pantry and check it for expired food items.
Kitchen cabinets: Give them a good wipedown.
Sweep kitchen floor: Give your kitchen floor a quick sweep.
Mop floors: Yes, you can spot mop your kitchen floors in under five minutes.

Quick Bathroom Tasks

You can easily prevent a messy house, by taking care of bathroom cleaning tasks that don’t take more than five minutes, when you are already in the bathroom.

These can be done when you are finishing doing your teeth at nightime or first thing in the morning when you have a few spare minutes.

Wipe the toilet: Give the toilet bowl a quick scrub with a brush, and wipe down the seat and rim.
Wipe the sink: Remove watermarks, toothpaste splatters, and any other grime in your sink area.
Wipe counters: Give these a quick wipedown
Straighten up and declutter countertops: Neatly arrange your toiletries and remove any unnecessary items from the countertops. Too much stuff laying around will make your bathroom seem cluttered.
Empty trash: Always leave extra bags at the bottom of your trash can so you can empty it easily.
Medicine cabinet: Check for expired medicine.
Makeup organizer cleanup: Take a few minutes to get rid of old brushes or makeup that is expired.
Clean mirror: This can easily be done in under 5 minutes.
Refill toilet paper: I use one of these in my bathrooms, so I always make sure it is full.
Shower doors: Give your shower doors a quick wipedown to get them glistening again.
Bathtub: Little bits of dust and grime always seem to land in my bathtub, so a quick wipe around gets rid of them.
Clean bathroom drawer: This is another super fast task that helps you to declutter your house.
Vacuum or sweep floors: Keep your bathroom tidy by giving the floors a quick sweep when you are in the room.
Mop Floor: It can take 5 minutes or less to quickly mop your floor.

Quick Living Room Tasks

Again, we do not want to get into a living room deep cleaning, but just a quick spruce-up when you have a spare 5 minutes.

Taking care of a couple of cleaning tasks that take 5 minutes or less, will help you tremendously to keep your house clean.

Clear clutter: When you find that there is too much stuff laying about, quickly gather items like toys, books, or clothing that might contribute to the mess and return them to their designated storage space. This task alone will immediately help to make the house clean looking and freshen up the atmosphere.
Dust surfaces: Use a microfiber cloth or swiffer duster to remove dust from furniture, shelves, and decor.
Clear cobwebs: Put an old rag on the end of your broom and get those dust webs from the ceiling, or use an extended duster for hard to reach areas.
Fluff and arrange pillows: Keep your couch looking fresh by taking a few seconds and fluffing and adjusting throw pillows. This is a good time to fold throw blankets and put them in their proper place too.
Dust window sills: Give any window sills in this room a quick dust.
TV remotes: Using a disinfectant wipe, give your remotes a good clean.
Light switches & door knobs: Give these a quick dusting with a disinfectant wipe.
Under the cushions: Using your handfree vacuum to quickly vacuum up any debris under your couch cushions.
Vacuum floor: Give the carpet or hardwood floors a quick vacuum.
Clean mirrors: Clean spots off the mirrors in seconds
Dust Ceiling Fans: Clear cobwebs from your ceiling fans and give them a good dust.
Pet hair: Pick up any clumps of pet hair you come across, alint roller will great for this.
Dust blinds: Give your blinds a quick dust to keep them looking fresh and clean.

Make life easier for you by incorporating these 5-minute tasks into a cleaning schedule can help you to keep your house clean without too much effort.

Quick Bedroom Tasks

There are lots of 5 minute tasks to add to your to do list for the bedroom. Taking care of these chores will make a huge difference to help you have a clean house as opposed to a messy house.

These can be done first thing in the morning, last thing at night, or as you’re passing by throughout the day.

Make your bed: Doing this first thing in the morning makes a huge difference, and doesn’t take long at all.
Dirty dishes: Remove any dirty dishes and bring them back to the kitchen.
Dust ceiling fans: This only takes a minute.
Fold clothes: Fold and put away any clothes laying about.
Trash: Empty trash can.
Dusting: Dust your light fixtures, door knobs, and decor with a microfiber cloth.
Bedside Table: Take a few minutes to clear your table and drawer of any clutter.
Organize a drawer: Take a few minutes to clean your underwear drawer of holey socks and ony other underwear that is past its prime.
Wall Decor: Dust any wall decor you have.
Clear cobwebs: Dust any cobwebs that you see in the corner of your room.

Quick & Easy Laundry Tasks

Laundry can seem like an insurmountable task, especially when the piles just keep growing.

But if you break it down into smaller chunks, a load of laundry doesn’t have to be so daunting – there are plenty of quick tasks you can do in five minutes or less!

Add a load of laundry: You can set up a load of laundry so when you are ready to put it on, all you have to do is push a button. I do this at night, so it’s ready to go for the morning.
Remove clothes from dryer: Depending on what kind of clothes you have in the dryer, this could be done in less than 5 minutes. If it’s towels, no problem, if it’s undergarments, you could throw them into a hamper to be folded later in front of the tv.
Restock laundry supplies: Take a few minutes to take note of what laundry supplies need to be replenished.
Clean the filter: Clean the filter in your dryer.
Clean washing machine: Your washing machine should get a good cleaning every month. It only takes a few minutes to throw a tablet into your washing machine and turn it on.
Wipe down your washing machine and dryer: Give the outside of your machines a quick wipe down with a damp cloth to keep them clean.
Check behind your machines: I don’t know how many times I find clothes on the side of my washing machine or behind, take a few minutes to find socks you thought you’d lost.
Sorting clothes: Sorting your clothes by color/type into designated laundry baskets.
Put away clothes: Put away any clothes that are hanging in your room.
Vacuum floors: Do a quick vacuum with your handheld to pick up any dust hanging around.
Mop floors: Depending on the size of your laundry room, it shouldn’t take too long to give the floor a quick mop.

Quick Home Office Tasks

If you have a home office in your house, there are some simple cleaning tasks you can do in under 5 minutes to maintain a clean home.

Go through your mail pile immediately and get rid of anything you don’t want. If you can, stop paper statements and get everything online.

Mail: Go through mail and get rid of all junk mail, file important papers straight away.
Desk: Tidy your desk and get rid of any trash.
Empty trash: Empty your trash can.
Dishes: Remove any dirty dishes.
Vacuum: Do a quick vacuum.
Mop: Mop the floors in under 5 minutes.
Markers/Pens: Get rid of any pens and markers that no longer work.
Old Receipts: Get rid of expired receipts.

Other Misc Simple Cleaning Tasks

Front Door: Cleaning the glass on your front door.
Pet: Fill up the water bowl for your favorite pet.
Front entryway: Vacuum or sweep your entryway.
Kitty litter: Clean out the kitty litter.
Declutter: Pick a room, set a timer for 5 minutes and get rid of any clutter.
Pet hair: Vacuum or pick up pet hair anytime you see it.

Cleaning Supplies Management

Proper storage and management of your cleaning supplies can save time and make cleaning tasks much easier. I recommend putting together a cleaning caddy that you can grab when you go to clean. Having this also lets you know what cleaning supplies you need to order. I use Amazons subscribe and save, because after the initial setup, Amazon sends me out cleaning supplies as they are needed.

2 Seriously Epic Tips for Maintaining a Clean Home

Maintaining a clean home can feel overwhelming, but breaking tasks into smaller five-minute chores can greatly increase efficiency and stop the overwhelm.

Here are a few quick tips to help you maintain a clean home without spending hours on end tidying.

Use a Basket

Sometimes clutter is unavoidable, but a simple solution is to have a designated bin or basket (get one at the dollar store) for collecting last-minute clutter. This way you can quickly tidy up while still keeping everything organized for easy access.

If certain items belong upstairs, put the basket on the stairs, and anyone going upstairs can take the basket with them, and put things where they actually belong.

Do This at Nighttime

Have the kids spend 5 minutes each night to pick up toys, or dirty dishes and return them to their designated area. By spending only 5 minutes, the kids won’t grumble about doing this, and a messy house will turn into a clean one very quickly.

When You Have Five Minutes to Clean

By tackling these small tasks that honestly just atake a few minutes to complete, you will spend a lot less time cleaning your home, and more time having fun with your family.

Some of these tasks can even be done before you leave for work or school in the morning,

If you do these quick cleaning tasks that take 5 minutes of your time, your house will stay tidy without too much effort from you.

Doing this has made a huge difference to my life!