Quick Clean: How to Tidy Up Your Room in 20 Minutes or Less

Elisa Greenberg
Written by Elisa Greenberg
Updated March 30, 2022
A woman organizing the sofa
Photo: AsiaVision / E+ / Getty Images

Because no one has unlimited time to clean

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We all want a clean and comfortable room to wind down in after a long day. But, staring down at clutter and dust can be intimidating, and it can be hard to know where to start. That’s why we’ve rounded up eight tips to help you clean your room fast for an effortless shine.

8 item checklist on how to clean your room in 20 minutes or less, including making your bed

1. Create a Plan

Before you start pulling your room apart, it’s a great idea to prepare for a fast clean—one that will ideally take 20 minutes or less.

  • Target your most essential spots for cleaning.

  • Gather all of your supplies in advance—trash bags, storage baskets, bins, and boxes, vacuum cleaner, broom, and mop—if needed.

  • Set a timer if you want to challenge yourself. This will ensure you clean your room fast. 

2. Perform a Quick Sweep

Grab a large trash bag. Remove any dirty dishes, cups, and trash, empty the trash can, and place dirty clothes in the hamper. 

Sweep the room—get rid of trash and broken items. Don’t forget to look under the bed and behind dressers.

3. Re-Hang Clothes in Your Closet

A woman clearing out her wardrobe
Photo: Westend61 / Westend61 / Getty Images

Grab any clean clothing lying around your room and hang them up or fold them neatly in your closet.

Keep your closet doors open so you can quickly dust, vacuum, sweep, and mop at the end of your fast clean. This step will help eliminate any musty odors that gather in your closet.

4. Clear the Floor and Furniture

A culprit of a messy room is cluttered furniture and floors. Take all bulky items that consume too much space in your room and place them in a bag or storage box. You can decide later whether you want to move these items to another spot in your home.

5. Tidy Up Your Belongings

You'll want items on your shelves, nightstands, and dressers to look organized and uncluttered. 

Quickly rearrange your things—place miscellaneous items in storage bags or boxes to reorganize later. You may want to move makeup, brushes, and personal hygiene items to the bathroom during this step. This will provide another excellent opportunity to take advantage of storage bins.

6. Make Your Bed

A woman making her bed
Photo: franckreporter / E+ / Getty Images

The fastest way to make your room look clean is to make your bed—it will look and feel fresh instantly. You won’t have time to wash sheets or put on new bedding, but it will make a big difference.

7. Dust and Vacuum Your Room

Grab a duster and a damp microfiber cloth—clean the tops of high-touch areas—dressers, nightstands, the headboard, mirrors, and shelves. If you have time, run your cloth over your baseboards—a big dust collector!

Finally, vacuum, sweep, or mop. You’ll probably only have time for one, and you won’t be able to move furniture or hit hard-to-reach areas. Still, the visible portions will impress your guests with their cleanliness. 

Keep Your Room Clean and Orderly

Now that your room is sparkly clean, you'll want to make sure it stays neat. Make it a habit to add a daily cleaning checklist to your schedule. Make the bed, pick up any items—clothes, books, chargers, etc. and put them back where they belong—closet, hamper, or shelves. 

Integrating these simple cleanup tasks into your daily routine will ensure a calm and relaxing domain that you’ll love coming home to every day. 

Pro tip: If your room becomes hard to clean, you may want to consider hiring a professional home organizer near you to help maintain a well-kept and pristine room.

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