Many people dread the day of the week that is designated as "cleaning day." Many people even get worried when they only need to clean one room. This is because cleaning seems like a monumental task. And it is when things pile up or dirt builds up. And when you set out to tackle everything at once, then it really becomes a burden. And sometimes you might be so overwhelmed with what needs cleaning that you feel like you cannot even begin. The good news is that you do not have to feel that way. By breaking cleaning tasks down into smaller, more bite size nuggets, you can more efficiently clean your home, and you can also feel as though you are making real progress. Here are a few things that can be done in a few minutes.

Perhaps one of the more daunting areas is the kitchen. The good news is that you do not have to clean the entire kitchen at once. If you have five minutes, you can easily wipe down the counters. Additionally, putting the dishes away from the dishwasher rarely takes more than five minutes. You can do either one of these activities while you wait for your kids to get their jackets and shoes on before you head out the door. The floor may be a little trickier, though. Instead of doing the entire floor at once, if you have a big floor, just do one half. Pick the dirtiest half, and get that cleaned. Then later, when you have another few minutes, you can tackle the other half of the floor. This makes the task seem less daunting.

You can speed up your bathroom cleaning by putting the toilet cleaner in the bowl. While that soaks the bowl, you can clean the sink and countertop. Then, the stuff inside the bowl will be loosened up and require little more than a few easy swipes of the brush. The same is true of the bathtub/shower. Spray that foaming cleanser on the tub/shower and let it sit while you do the bathroom floor. Then you will be able to get the stuff of easier.

Vacuum just a couple areas at a time. The same is true of dusting. You can do one room, vacuuming and dusting, in about ten minutes. You can usually take care of a hallway and another small room or two in another ten minutes. Times, of course, depend on the size of the room and how much you have to dust. However, breaking down each area of the house can help you feel like you are accomplishing more, and that it is doable.

One tip is to assign one area of the house per day. Divide the house up into between three and six areas (depending on the size of your house). Then you assign a day to that area. When you do not have to worry about cleaning the entire house at once, the whole thing seems much more manageable. Another thing you can do is clean in spurts. Set your times for 10 to 15 minutes and clean whatever you can in that time. This method works especially well when you are going through old junk. You work hard and fast for a few minutes, and then take a break. Go do something else for a couple of hours and then set the timer again. This method also works to help de-clutter the whole house. Get your family involved. Every night, just before bed, set the timer for five minutes. Have each person in the house help you pick up the clutter and straighten up the house. You would be amazed how much difference five minutes can make in the way your house looks.