Who wouldn’t love a sparkling clean home with minimal effort and maximum results? When it comes to the art of cleaning, no one does it better than hotel housekeepers, who manage to tidy up dozens of rooms every day with efficiency and precision. While our homes may not need the level of attention that a hotel room does, we can still learn a lot from their methods.
In this blog, we’ll explore 7 essential hotel tricks that will help you clean your home both faster and more thoroughly. These expert tips, straight from the pros who keep hotel rooms immaculate, will make your cleaning routine feel easier and more organized.
1. Start by Tidying Up
Cleaning is always smoother and more efficient when you begin with a blank slate. Before diving into scrubbing or dusting, declutter your space. Hotel staff are trained to tidy up before they start cleaning to make the process faster and avoid unnecessary steps.
Here’s what to do:
- Empty trash cans.
- Remove dirty laundry and collect any scattered clothing.
- Strip the bed to prepare for fresh sheets.
- Clear surfaces of unnecessary items like books, toys, or decor that don’t belong.
- Relocate misplaced items to their proper storage areas.
By tackling clutter first, you won’t waste time cleaning around objects or moving them back and forth, and you’ll be able to clean surfaces more thoroughly.
2. Work from Top to Bottom
One of the fundamental cleaning principles in hotels is working from top to bottom. This ensures that dust and dirt from higher areas like shelves or ceiling fans don’t fall on surfaces you’ve already cleaned below.
Here’s the ideal sequence:
- Start with dusting ceiling fans, lights, and shelves.
- Clean windows and mirrors next.
- Wipe down counters, dressers, and tables.
- Finally, vacuum or mop the floors.
By working from top to bottom, you minimize re-cleaning surfaces and get the job done more efficiently, just like hotel housekeepers do.
3. Use Microfiber Cloths
One secret weapon that hotel staff use to clean faster and more effectively is microfiber cloths. These little miracles attract dust and trap dirt, making cleaning quicker and more efficient.
- Why microfiber? Microfiber cloths are great at picking up dust and grime without leaving streaks or lint behind. They’re also gentle on surfaces, making them perfect for use on mirrors, glass, and countertops.
Pro tip: Use a damp microfiber cloth for dusting. It will catch the dust particles instead of simply spreading them around.
4. Follow the Two-Bag Rule
Hotel staff often use a cart with multiple compartments to keep cleaning supplies organized. At home, you can mimic this method with the two-bag rule.
- Use one bag for trash and another for laundry.
- Keep these bags with you as you move from room to room, so you can quickly gather any dirty clothes, towels, or garbage without making separate trips.
This trick helps you stay organized and cuts down on the time you spend walking back and forth to collect waste or laundry. Streamlining the process means less wasted movement, which equals faster cleaning.
5. Use the “10-Minute Rule” Per Room
Professional housekeepers know that time is money, and they work under tight schedules. At home, you can assign yourself a time limit for each room to help maintain focus and prevent the cleaning from dragging on.
- Set a timer for 10 minutes per room.
- Stick to that schedule by focusing on the most important tasks first—such as wiping down surfaces, vacuuming, and tidying up.
- Don’t get sidetracked by smaller, less urgent chores. Save deep cleaning for days when you have more time.
This method gives you a sense of urgency, ensuring you clean faster without sacrificing the quality of your work.
6. Use Multipurpose Cleaners
Instead of using different cleaning products for each surface in your home, opt for a multipurpose cleaner. Hotel staff often carry an all-in-one cleaner that works on everything from countertops to glass to bathroom tiles. This reduces the time spent swapping between different products.
- Pick a good quality, eco-friendly multipurpose cleaner.
- For more stubborn grime, keep a magic eraser on hand—it can tackle almost any surface.
With fewer products to manage, you’ll spend less time hunting for the right cleaner and more time getting the job done.
7. Perfect the Bed-Making Technique
Nothing makes a room feel as clean and put-together as a perfectly made bed. Hotel housekeepers have mastered this art because it creates an instant sense of order in the room. Learning the proper bed-making technique will not only make your bedroom feel luxurious but will also save time in your daily routine.
Here’s the step-by-step guide:
- Remove old linens and toss them in the laundry.
- Spread the fitted sheet snugly around the mattress, ensuring it’s wrinkle-free.
- Next, add the flat sheet, pulling it taut and tucking it neatly under the mattress.
- Place the comforter or duvet evenly on top, making sure the sides are aligned.
- Lastly, add pillows and decorative touches.
Making the bed might seem like a small task, but it has a significant impact on how clean the room feels. And once you get into the rhythm, you’ll be making hotel-quality beds in no time.
Conclusion: Clean Like a Pro!
By adopting these 7 hotel-inspired cleaning tricks, you’ll find that your cleaning routine becomes faster, more efficient, and more effective. With techniques like working from top to bottom, using microfiber cloths, and the 10-minute-per-room rule, you can streamline your process and enjoy a sparkling clean home without the overwhelm.
Start by decluttering, get organized with a two-bag system, and embrace the power of multipurpose cleaners to make housework feel like less of a chore. Your home will be just as pristine as a freshly serviced hotel room, and you’ll have more time to relax and enjoy your space.
