Speed Cleaning

Before you read this post, please refresh your understanding of speed. The definition for speed, according to Wikipedia, is "the magnitude of its velocity" or "the rate of change of its position". There are many examples of speed that permeate our culture including: speed dating, speeding, Speed Racer, the Speed Channel, and, dare I say, even speed pills.

Speed is good, I like speed. Not the pills, the concept. I can get more done in a shorter timeframe. I can feel more productive and get though my whole list of chores.

Oh, and I have been known to speed in my truck...often.

Today, I coin a new example: speed cleaning.

Speed cleaning is like speed dating. In speed dating, you are allotted a finite amount of time, about four minutes, to meet with a finite number of people, about 15-20, in one evening. This gives you only so much time to ask the questions you want and get the answers you need before you move onto the next person. Speed thinking, speed talking, speed listening, and speed comprehending are critical. In order to make this efficient, you have to carefully select which questions to ask and have very little time to explore the details.

In the same way, speed cleaning requires that you carefully choose what to clean and how much to clean. The difference is you determine how much time you want to spend. No matter what that number is, it allows only certains areas to be cleaned, and only to a certain level of detail. You won't have time to scrub the toilet with a toothbrush, or detail the grout in the tile floors.

Let's face it, speed cleaning is all about getting your house somewhat clean and getting you out of the house to do whatever makes you happy.

Like anything where speed is concerned, important details get passed by or forgotton. When speeding in a car, you might forget to signal when changing lanes or you might not see that car making a right turn in front of you. In speed dating, you might not have time to ask that one brilliant question or you might forget to smile when he compliments you.

In other words, the fine details.

Speed cleaning is no different and because of this might not be for everyone. In fact, germophobes and neatnicks need not apply for this methodology.

You have to choose between cleaning your kitchen completely or cleaning only the countertops in both the kitchen and the bathrooms, but also the refrigerator, the laundry room, and the toilets. Another day your choice might be only vacuuming and dusting, or washing floors. Not every room will be completely clean all the time, but quite a few rooms will be partially clean some of the time.

You may choose to clean only those rooms that guests to your home will see. I do this quite often. In fact, most people comment on how clean my house always is. If only they could see my closet, my kids' rooms, sometimes my shower, and any other room that has a door that closes. They might change their minds.

Speaking of kids' rooms: they are impossible to speed clean. Maybe this applies only to my kids' rooms. I have tried a multitude of ways over the years to clean their rooms; moreover, to maintain their rooms. I fantasize about my kids' cleaning their own rooms. Cajoling, bribing, threatening, elimination strategies, pop cleaning (yes, just like pop quizzes). Nothing works. The floors remain covered 6-8 inches deep with both clean and dirty clothes, and the desks and sidetables remain littered with junk. The best I can do is to keep the trash and food litter out. After that, like I already mentioned, I simply close the door. I do believe even my animals maintain a cleaner environment than my kids.

The speed cleaning dilemma is mine again since my maid went MIA. It works for me because I would much rather have my personal time to pursue other interests than have the cleanliness of my house permeate my every thought. Sure, it seems like I am always cleaning, but wouldn't it also be that way if I was a neat freak? I would be cleaning all of my house, all of the time.

When would I blog?
Run?
Cycle?
Yoga?

Dream?

Try it sometime!