9 Things You Can Clean In Just 5 Minutes (Plus How To Do It)

Things You Can Clean In Just 5 Minutes

Between my work, making meals, and the seemingly never-ending mountain of laundry that resides in my laundry room, it’s not often that I find myself free time during the day. But on those rare occasions when I do find myself with 5 minutes to spare, I try to make the most of it.

Checking even the smallest of tasks off my to-do list can make a noticeable difference in how I accomplish around the house on a given day. Plus, then I have more time in the evenings to spend however I like!

Related: 24 Home Organization Ideas To Get More Organized In Under 5 Minutes

You might be surprised by how many cleaning and tidying up tasks only take about 5 minutes to accomplish! You’ll find a list of such tasks below, so the next time you find yourself with a few minutes to spare, you can check one of them off your to-do list!

9 Cleaning Tasks You Can Do In Just 5 Minutes

5 minute tasks

1. Scrub Your Sink

This dish soap and baking soda paste is my go-to cleaning for scrubbing out my kitchen sink. You don’t even have to mix it up ahead of time—just sprinkle baking soda in your wet sink, add a squirt of dish soap, and scrub with a brush or sponge. Your sink will be sparkling in no time.

5 minute tasks

2. Touch Up The Walls

If you have a few minutes to spare, use it to wipe down any extra grimy parts of walls and doors in one area of the house. For this task, it would be hard to pick a more effective cleaning tool than a damp Magic Eraser, which will make short work of dirty fingerprints, greasy smudges, and scruff marks.

5 minute tasks

3. Clean A Small Appliance

If cleaning every single appliance you have in your kitchen seems like a daunting task, that’s because it is! Tackling them one at a time makes the job much more manageable, and can help ensure they get cleaned more regularly. Your microwave, air fryer, toaster, Instant Pot, or coffee maker are all great candidates for a quick 5-minute cleanup.

5 minute tasks

4. Wipe Down Cabinets

In just a few minutes, you can wipe down the fronts and handles of your your kitchen cabinets, which are typically excluded from everyday kitchen cleaning routines. Spritz them lightly with an all-purpose cleaner, let it sit for a minute, and then wipe them down with a clean cloth.

If your kitchen is large or if you’ve neglected this task for a long time, do focus on the upper cabinets and leave the lower ones for another time.

5 minute tasks

5. Wipe Down Your Condiments

One super-fast task that makes a big impact in my own kitchen is to wipe down the olive oil, vinegars, salt cellar, and pepper grinder I keep next to my stove. It’s always a shock to see just how much grime they collect over time from their spot in the “stove splash zone.”

For this task, I typically use a diluted vinegar solution (1 part vinegar to 2 parts water) and a microfiber cloth, which together make short work of messes and leave things shiny and clean. Reserve the condiment bottles in your fridge to tackle the next time you have 5 minutes to kill.

5 minute tasks

6. Tackle The Mail Pile

I like to keep an “inbox” in the kitchen area to collect all the incoming mail, and I try to go through the contents at least once a week. When going through your mail pile (or tray, or whatever you keep your mail in), separate it into stacks of stuff to recycle, stuff to keep, and stuff that needs to be dealt with (like bills that need paying or letters that need responses).

You probably won’t have enough time to actually deal with the stuff that needs to be dealt with, but it can always wait for the next 5 minutes you can find.

5 minute tasks

7. Clean Out The Car

Head out to the car with a damp microfiber cloth and two grocery bags (or tote bags, or any bag you have lying around). Collect all the trash in your car in one of the bags, and collect anything that belongs in the house in the other one.

Once you’ve collected the trash and things that need to go inside, use the damp cloth to quickly wipe down the dashboard, steering wheel, and center console. You’ll be shocked at what a difference 5 minutes of cleanup can make in the overall state of your car! (And you can make it even easier to clean up in the future using these hacks.)

5 minute tasks

8. Vacuum The Entryway

You won’t have time to vacuum your whole house in 5 minutes, but you can certainly tackle one spot that sees a lot of foot traffic: your entryway. A few passes with your vacuum will suck up all the dirt, dust, and allergens that collect at the front of your home, preventing it from getting tracked further inside and leaving it clean enough to make a good first impression on surprise visitors.

5 minute tasks

9. Tidy The Laundry Room

Get all the detergents put away, clean the lint trap in your dryer, wipe up any drips and spills on your machine or the floors, and make sure the dirty clothes are all sorted into the correct hampers. Easy!

Do you have any cleaning or tidying up tasks you try to knock out when you have a moment to spare?

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Jill Nystul (aka Jillee)

Jill Nystul is an accomplished writer and author who founded the blog One Good Thing by Jillee in 2011. With over 30 years of experience in homemaking, she has become a trusted resource for contemporary homemakers by offering practical solutions to everyday household challenges.I share creative homemaking and lifestyle solutions that make your life easier and more enjoyable!

About Jillee

Jill Nystul

Jill’s 30 years of homemaking experience, make her the trusted source for practical household solutions.

About Jillee

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