While I find cleaning quite satisfying, I’m all ears for anything that will make the task a little easier. I don’t always have time to address my chores there and then, which often stack up, until I'm left to do them all at once over the weekend. Not always convenient, especially when I have plans. And until then, you’re left looking at a messy home, which can take its toll on your mood.
When I stumbled upon the 5-Minute Clean Routine, I admittedly didn't hold high hopes. What could you really achieve in 5 minutes that would make a significant difference? But, as they say, never look a gift horse in the mouth, so I rolled up my rubber gloves and gave this speedy cleaning method a try – here’s what happened.
What is the 5-Minute Clean Routine?
This method was first introduced by Anna Louisa in her book The 5 Minute Clean Routine. The premise is a simple one; you clean for just 5 minutes a day, whenever suits you. achieving as much as you can in that time. And then, in seeing the results, you’re encouraged to absorb these little chores into your everyday cleaning habits. Of course, you do this alongside your regular chores – it would be fantastic if just 5 minutes a day would keep our homes spotless, but sadly that’s not a reality!
Louisa developed this routine soon after becoming a mum: “With a baby to look after, I needed to keep things simple: put away the laundry, fill the dishwasher, wipe the worktops – five-minute tasks that were easy to achieve and made the house look and feel a little bit better. That, in turn, meant I wasn’t waking up to chaos the next morning, which put me in a better frame of mind for the day ahead.”
In addressing these ‘quick win’ chores, you feel like you’ve got better control over the immediate mess in your home. This gives you a positive mindset and means you don’t have to tackle so much at once with your usual chores – when the timing’s not always convenient.
The routine also encourages you to make a start on your cleaning; when you might be feeling demotivated, you know that it’s only 5 minutes of effort. And if you find you want to keep cleaning afterwards, you do. It makes things more fun too. You want to challenge yourself and can even set a timer to keep count.
What happened when I tried the 5-Minute Clean Routine?
There’re no specific guidelines on what you should do in those 5 minutes; you shape them to your home, based on ‘quick bursts of cleaning’. Although Louisa does give a suggestion for what you could do over a week to cover the fundamentals. But, before we get into that, she suggests giving the routine a try on your own terms for a few days. Simply put, you pick a space or a room and then set your timer and get going.
Source: Mortram, K. (2025, May 30). I tried the 5-Minute Clean Routine and my home has never looked less cluttered. Good Housekeeping. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/house-and-home/household-advice/a64927595/5-minute-clean-routine/