The Low-Energy Cleaning Hacks That Save Me Hours Every Week!

Does cleaning feel like a never-ending battle? If you’ve ever spent an entire afternoon cleaning only to wake up the next morning to a mess, you’re not alone. The dishes multiply, the laundry pile never stops growing, and the floors? They always need sweeping. Traditional cleaning routines aren’t designed for overwhelmed caregivers.

A New Approach That Works for Busy Parents Instead of spending hours scrubbing, vacuuming, and folding, what if you could keep up with housework in a way that feels effortless? The secret isn’t more effort—it’s smarter systems. Using low-energy cleaning hacks and integrating Cue Systems, you can create a home that stays functional without draining your energy.

5 Low-Energy Cleaning Hacks That Work

1. The “While You Wait” Pairing Rule

Instead of dedicating entire blocks of time to cleaning, use the small moments you already have:

• Waiting for coffee to brew? I know I have about 3 minutes while my coffee brews each morning.  If I am efficient I can unload the dishwasher and start my load of laundry (loaded last night in my evening sweep.) Then I can enjoy that hot cup of coffee as a reward.
• Microwave running? A great time to scan your counters.  What can you put away?  If they are already clear, grab that cleaning cloth and wipe them down!
• Waiting for your pasta water to boil? I have a regular spaghetti night each week. While I wait for the water to boil I go through my pantry and add anything we need for the upcoming week to my grocery app shopping list.  Remind me to tell you about my days of the week bins in another blog! 

These micro-movements prevent tasks from piling up.

2. The 5-Minute Reset

Housework feels overwhelming when we assume it takes forever. Instead, set a 5-minute timer, play your favorite song, and tackle one small area:

• Morning: Make the bed & clear bedside clutter.
• Evening: Load the dishwasher & wipe counters.
• Returning home: Empty your purse into a drawer (no more lost gift cards or decades-old receipts!).

A clean-as-you-go mindset keeps chaos in check.

Bonus Tip: My goal is to never leave a room undone!  I used to work in restaurants and there was a ‘clean as you go’ idea.  I have brought that into my home.  We clean up items and toys before we transition to a new area or task.  It took some getting used to but now I do not have a huge cleanup at the end of the day because we did it throughout the day.

3. Cue-Based Cleaning Habits

Tying cleaning tasks to existing routines makes them automatic:

• After meals: Wipe the table and rinse dishes so they’re ready for the dishwasher later.
• Laundry baskets near changing areas: If it’s easy, it gets done. Pre-sorting laundry saves time later.
• Before bedtime: A 5-minute house reset—from scanning your laundry baskets to plugging in electronics—keeps things in order overnight.

By associating tasks with natural routines, they become effortless instead of overwhelming.

4. Shift from Perfection to Progress

Instead of aiming for a 100% clean home, do small consistent things each day to stay on track:

• Clean from left to right, top to bottom, in a circle. Always start at the same place to avoid confusion and skipped spots. I clean from left to right and top to bottom.  I have a starting place in every area of my home, so if I forget where I left off I just start at the beginning.  Sounds silly but after doing it awhile it now keeps me on track with cleaning in every space of my home without a checklist.
• One load of laundry per day—but don’t start a new one until the last is put away.
• Struggle to clean the shower? Do one part daily (one wall, floor, etc.). This way everything gets cleaned weekly.  I keep the spray and cleaning rags in front of my shower items in the bathroom cabinet to remind me.
• Too tired for the kitchen? Get the sink empty and shine it to gleaming!  It’s my nightly goal

The goal isn’t perfection—it’s progress.

5. Give Your Things a Home

If everything has a place, cleanup is easier:

• Lost socks? Keep a bin near the dryer and check for matches monthly.  Either reuse the remaining stand alone socks for another purpose or toss them - you don’t need that nonsense in your life! 
• Dinner stress? A small whiteboard meal plan eliminates the nightly “What’s for dinner?” panic.
• On-the-go cleaning kits (this might be a little strange…hang with me.) I care for people who need constant supervision.  So we shift and move throughout the house during the day.  I often found I had these 5 minute pockets while they were occupied.  I used to just scroll on my phone but then I figured out how to keep a cleaning kit in each room in a safe place.  So whenever you have 5 free minutes, everything you need is right there.

When things have a home, they’re easy to track, use, and put away.

Takeaway: Make Cleaning Easier, Not Harder Housework will never fully disappear, but it also doesn’t have to consume your life. With these low-energy cleaning hacks and Cue Systems in place, you’ll spend less time tidying and more time enjoying your home.

Want to simplify home routines even more? Inside the Cue Systems Method Course, I teach overwhelmed caregivers how to create sustainable, low-effort home systems that work with their life, not against it. Enrollment is open now through March 3rd 2025!  Click HERE for a link to purchase. If you are reading this after March 3rd you can always click here to jump on the waitlist for our next round.