30+ Homemaking Quick Wins

As busy women, wives, and mothers, we could all use some homemaking quick wins once in a while. Quick wins that don’t take a lot of time but have a big impact on our homemaking and overall sanity!

Set aside 5 to 10 minutes and choose a few items off this list of over 30 homemaking quick wins. It’ll feel good to cross something off your list and to visually see the fruit of your labor!

A little over 5 years ago, I quickly wrote this blog post on a whim because it was on my mind to share a few quick things I do each day. It has since become one of the top 5 most popular posts on the entire blog which kind of makes my head shake in disbelief a bit.

The things I do each day aren’t revolutionary by any means, they are just simple homemaking quick wins. Yet that post hit a chord with so many.

We all need homemaking quick wins.

Our time is a precious commodity, we don’t have a lot of it so we have to use what we have in the best way possible.

When that comes to our homemaking roles, most of us don’t have a lot of time to do deep cleaning each day (and if I’m being honest, the deep cleaning isn’t happening all that often in my home…) ?

But quick wins keep my house clean, picked up, and relatively clutter-free for the most part.

It’s been a few years since I wrote that post and a lot has changed but there are still homemaking quick wins I do every day. For example:

1. I still make my bed and I have taught my kids to do to the same.
2. A quick wipe down of the bathroom after showers and brushing of teeth takes less than a minute but keeps it clean.
3. One load of laundry a day, with the help of the kids, keeps the dirty clothes hamper from piling up.
4. Putting dirty dishes in the dishwasher right after meals, or hand washing keeps the sink & counter clutter-free.
5. Cleaning as I go while prepping & cooking meals keeps the kitchen organized and helps me to get dinner on the table a lot faster.
6. Teaching my kids to bring down their dirty clothes each morning and to tidy up their bedrooms has kept their rooms from turning into a dump.
7. Our living room furniture has changed but I still love the throw pillows on the couch and we do rearrange them after lounging on the sofa
8. Part of our before bed routine is still doing to a quick house sweep through but now that my kids are older, they are responsible for picking up their belongings and putting them away.
9. My planner is still my best-loved productivity tool & I use it every day, all day long but it’s especially helpful at the end of the day to look ahead.
10. While I don’t lay out the dishes anymore, I still prep the coffee machine, layout school folders, and get water bottles filled and in the refrigerator for school the next day. Anything we can do the night before to make our mornings smoother, we do!

There are plenty of other things that have been added to my quick wins list over the years, but these 10 are still going strong.

What are your homemaking quick wins?

If you have never really thought about it, take a few minutes right now to think through the routines and rituals you do every single day that has become a habit.

This simple activity can show you what your quick homemaking wins are…. and we all need quick wins!

Need some help in creating some new quick wins & to refresh your homemaking?

I have a list of 34 items below, most of which can be done in less than 10 minutes from start to finish (a few require a bit more time but are still easily done quickly to give you a quick win)

30+ Homemaking Quick Wins

Order Groceries Online- Thanks to Instacart or other online grocery store pick-ups (Target, Walmart, and most major chains) you can now meal plan, make your list, then place your order all from the comforts of your kitchen! I order my groceries online every Sunday evening, then pick them up on Monday mornings after school drop-offs. This has literally saved me so much time, not to mention my sanity! 😉

Clean the Microwave- Place equal parts vinegar and water in a microwave-safe bowl or cup. Set the microwave for 5 minutes then carefully remove the cup. While the microwave is still warm from the fresh steam, quickly wipe it out. All of that baked-on gunk should easily wipe clean!

Beat the Clock- Set the timer for 10 minutes and quickly clean one room as fast as you can. To make it more efficient, have all the supplies ready to go, crank up some music, and grab your kids to help out. Dust, clean the windows, and quickly sweep the floor… you’ll be surprised how much cleaning you will get done in just 10 minutes! (It’s also a nice cardio boost too! I’m all for double duty cleaning + moving my body!) 🙂

Take out the Trash- Daily empty all wastebaskets and recycling bins throughout your home. It keeps them from overflowing and keeps your home from getting smelly.

Touch It Once- As soon as mail, school papers, work files, church flyers, or any piece of paper comes into your home, deal with it then. File keepsakes, hang artwork or snap a photo for your digital collection, write down important dates on the calendar, pay or schedule bill payments, file important documents, place magazines to read in their proper place, and then recycle or shred the rest.

Quick Sweep-Through- Grab the laundry basket and do a quick scan of one room, area, or space. Remove items that don’t belong and put them away, throw away the trash, and pick items no longer used, needed or played with that can be given away.

One Load of Laundry- After the laundry has been washed and dried, fold it and put it away. Listen to a podcast, audiobook, online sermon, or even a Bible recording while you fold the basket and then put away the clothes.

Workout During Wait Times- OK so technically not an actual homemaking task but using those moments while you wait for your coffee to brew or for a pot of water to boil, or some other activity that requires a few moments of waiting, to move your body really do make an impact. Do counter planks or pushups, squats, lunges, march in place, stretch, or even jumping jacks if you are wearing supportive shoes… the possibilities are endless for quick and effective body movement activities.

Fill Your Soul- If you don’t already have the YouVersion Bible app download on your phone or tablet, do it now. Then search for reading plans, I personally love the plans from Love God Greatly. Read your Bible and have a quick devotion for yourself, or with your kids during afterschool snacks.

Empty the Bags- Dump your purse, diaper bag, gym bag, backpacks, coat pockets, or anything you use to transport your stuff. Remove all the trash, clean out the compartments, wipe it out and only put back in the necessities.

Clean the Car- If your car is especially dirty, start with just the center console and declutter and wipe out that area. If you have more time, move on to the glove box and front seats.

Just 1 Cabinet- If your kitchen is too cluttered, make a goal to just tackle 1 cabinet or drawer every day. It only takes about 10-15 minutes to remove everything, wipe out the inside, and evaluate the contents before placing them back inside.

Gather the Hangers- Remove all the empty hangers from the closets. Keep them in the laundry area to place clothing on as soon as they come out of the dryer. If you have lots of extra misc. hangers, purge through them. Most dry cleaners will recycle the wire hangers, and thrift stores are always a great place to give extra hangers too.

Clear the Phone- Remove the visual clutter and potential time-suckers by removing apps from your phone or arranging them in folders (preferably off of your home screen).

Easy Dinner- Take a few minutes after breakfast and throw dinner in the crockpot. It doesn’t get any easier than that! A quick win and a hot dinner tonight with very little prep on your part!

Wipe ’em Down- Take a disinfecting wipe (homemade or store-bought) and wipe down all the door handles, light switches, remote controls, keyboards, and phones.

Cook Once, Eat Twice- Double (or even triple) a recipe while you cook. Eat one, give the other away to a family who could use the blessing, or freeze for a night when you need a quick dinner with no time to cook.

Take Stock of the Refrigerator- Scan the leftovers in the fridge and make a plan of how you will use up the leftovers today or tomorrow, and get rid of the food past its prime. While you are in there, take a quick inventory of all open condiments, dressings, and other foods. Are they past their expiration date? Will you finish it? Toss out whatever needs to go.

Miscellaneous Laundry Room Piles- I don’t know about your home, but in my home items that are missing there companions (socks, mittens, etc.) and other random objects seem to make their home in the laundry room. It’s where junk goes to die. Not today… sort through those random piles of junk. Give worthwhile items a proper home and space, giveaway gently used items you no longer need and throw away the junk that just needs to go.

Clean the Dishwasher- Make sure it’s empty, then remove any food items on the bottom or in the filter (it gets really gross if you don’t keep it clean… trust me on this!). Then place a small bowl on the top rack filled with white vinegar. Run a normal cycle to clean the dishwasher.

Purge the Recipes- Have an unruly pile of magazine clipping filled with recipes? Quickly go through it and be honest about what recipes you actually will attempt to make, recycle the rest. Get rid of older recipes you made but never made again. There is a reason why they didn’t repeat (too many steps, hard-to-find ingredients, or just not tasty) so there is no reason to hang on to them anymore.

Clean Out Your Wallet- Count your change and consolidate bills. Gather all loose change in a jar, when it’s full, take it to your bank. Most have machines that will quickly sort, count, and deposit it straight into your accounts for free or for a very minimal fee. At last count, our change dollar added over $60 to our savings!

Delete Junk Mail- Is your inbox overwhelming? Set the timer for just 10 minutes and delete ALL the junk emails from retail stores, blogs you subscribe too but never read (not mine of course!) 😉 and all other emails that are not important. Just hit the delete and get it out of there. If you have a few more minutes, go ahead and just unsubscribe to those promotional emails.

Use a Daily Checklist- Perhaps the biggest win is to check off items on a checklist! 🙂 Use a pre-made home management checklist to keep caught up on your every day, weekly, and annual homemaking tasks. You can find my favorite checklists here in the resource library.

 

What homemaking quick wins would you add to the list?