A WOMAN spends an extra five hours and 30 minutes cleaning a week, compared to her male counterparts. 

It’s hard graft, so it’s not surprising to learn that 44 per cent of Brits hate cleaning altogether. 

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Unfortunately there’s no getting around the fact chores can be time-consuming.

However rather than waste your life away each week scrubbing, there is a ‘lazy’ way to keep on top of it – and all it requires is a few minutes a day tackling a couple of key areas.

The results? More time for you to put your feet up, and you’ll still have a clean and tidy house all week – win, win! 

Here, the experts reveal the secret to a clean house – with minimum time and effort.

1. Multi-tasking technique  

Olivia Young, Product Development Scientist and Cleaning Expert at Astonish suggests “an easy way to kill two birds with one stone” is to clean the shower when you’re in it. 

“Due to the warm and wet environment, a shower can very quickly become a breeding ground for bacteria and germs if it’s not kept clean,” the expert says. “Keep a bottle of shower cleaner and squeegee in the shower at all times.” 

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So the next time you’ve finished showering, spray the glass and tiles, then wipe away using the squeegee – no scrubbing required and it’ll be clean in seconds! 

“Even better, the shower cleaner will keep soap scum and water marks at bay, reducing the amount of deep shower cleaning that you need to do occasionally,” Olivia adds. 

Another quick bathroom task – when you’ve finished washing your face, why not use the cloth to give the sink and sides a quick wipe down too? Another surface cleaned, in seconds. 

If you’re struggling with hard water and limescale marks, spray Viakal, leave it for five minutes and either rinse it off or give it a quick wipe.

2. Dishwasher double-up 

If you’re lucky enough to have one, your dishwasher doesn’t just need to be used for pots, pans and dishes.

“It’s a quick and easy cleaning solution for many items throughout your home”, Olivia says – and all you have to do is load it and press go. 

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“Fridge shelves and drawers, pet bowls and toys, the microwave turntable, plastic bath toys, ceramic pots, and cleaning sponges are just some of the things you can clean in your dishwasher,” the expert adds.

“Simply pop them in the dishwasher and let it work its magic to clean your items, saving you the task!

“Ideally place them on the top rack and of course with anything, always make sure you follow the manufacturer’s cleaning recommendations for the products you want to pop in the appliance.” 

3. Introduce ‘de-clutter baskets’

“The majority of the time when it comes to keeping your house clean, it’s the mess and clutter around your home that can make staying on top of cleaning harder,” Olivia notes. 

“For example, having a quick vacuum in the bedrooms seems like a simple task, but when you enter and see piles of clothes, toys, books, and clutter everywhere – it instantly becomes something you’d rather avoid doing!” 

Olivia’s hack involves a basket or cardboard box that you assign to each person in your household or each room. 

She adds: “In this basket goes all the items currently living on the floor that you haven’t got time to sort or find their home.

“This will make tasks like vacuuming and dusting much quicker, and you can tackle the ‘de-clutter basket’ another day.”

4. Steam your microwave 

The microwave gets used so many times during the week, from morning porridge, defrosting food, or reheating evening meals – but when was the last time you gave it a clean? 

Laura Marsden, cleaning expert at Marigold says: “Steam is a hidden hero when it comes to cleaning the microwave [as it] saves you time, effort and elbow grease”. 

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The expert explains: “Steam helps to loosen baked-on grease and food stains, so it works a charm for microwave splatters.

“Simply pop slices of lemon into a bowl of water and microwave for three minutes. 

“Leave the steaming bowl of water to do its thing for another three minutes, then carefully remove the bowl and wipe away the dirt inside your microwave with a damp cloth.

“The lemons help to break down the grease and grime due to their natural acidity – and as a bonus, will make your kitchen smell fresh and clean in seconds.” 

Even better – you can use old, wrinkled lemons that you were going to bin!

5. Sleep on the job

Cleanfluencer Danielle Dixon suggests letting the cleaning product do the hard work overnight. 

“Give yourself a head start the night before by cleaning your oven,” she says.

Start by taking a dishwasher tablet and soaking it in a little bit of warm water until it crumbles into a paste. 

Danielle explains: “Coat the inside of the oven with it, avoiding the heating elements, and then all you need to do in the [next] morning is wash it away with soapy water.” 

Dishwasher tablets are also great at deep cleaning washing machines, as Demi Morcom, aka @sparklingwithdemi previously shared with The Sun.

She says: “Washing machines are full of moisture, so mould and mildew can easily build up.

“Remove the drawer and leave it to soak in hot soapy water.

“Spritz mould spray inside it and around the rubber seal, let it sit for 15 minutes, and watch the magic happen.

“A quick wipe down afterwards and you’ll see a huge difference.

“For an extra deep clean, run your washing machine on a hot wash with two dishwasher tablets in the drum.” 

Running the cycle at night will not only save you time but also money as electricity and water rates are cheaper during unsociable hours. 

And some washing machines also have a night mode – a setting that operates at a significantly quieter level. 

If your house is particularly dusty, consider turning your dehumidifier on overnight for a few hours – many newer models are air purifiers too so will remove dust particles from the air meaning less dust for you to wipe later in the week. 

And if you’ve got a robot vacuum – program it to get to work hoovering and mopping your floors after you’ve gone to bed. 

6. Take on the timer 

Sometimes tackling cleaning throughout your home can feel like a daunting task, then often when you start – you can’t seem to stop, which means it can take over your entire day!

To combat this, Olivia suggests setting yourself a challenge of a “timer clean”. 

“This means giving yourself just five or 10 minutes to clean as much as you can – but as soon as the timer ends, you’re finished,” she adds, 

“By cleaning in this way, you’ll surprise yourself at how much you can get done, as you’ll work faster knowing the clock is ticking!” 

It’s also a fun way to get kids involved in a boring task.

“Challenge them with 60 seconds to put their books away, make their bed, or match their odd socks,” Danielle says. 

The cleanfluencer also recommends placing a spare or old sheet on the floor, which your children can play on. 

“Afterwards, when you want to collect their toys, you just have to gather them all in the sheet and pour them into the toy box.”

Job done!