How to Deep Clean Your House in 2 Hours or Less: A Step-by-Step Checklist

Whether you’re expecting guests, it’s time for the annual spring cleaning (US) or Diwali cleaning (India), or you just want your house back to its clean, hygienic and organised glory, a deep clean is the need of the hour.

I do this every time a new guest is coming into the house I Airbnb, and more often than not there’s very little time between one guest checking out and the next checking in, so speed is key. Here’s my process for deep cleaning a house in under 2 hours, by yourself. The time depends on the size and nature of the house, and bigger, more spread-out homes will take longer, but use these steps as your guiding light.

Here’s my step-by-step checklist to take a grimy, dusty house to sparkling clean, fast. The order matters.

Step 1: Turn on the geyser/ water heater

Trust me on this. Before you do anything else, switch on the water heater (if you don’t have central heating). Hot water makes everything clean faster and better, and you’ll need a running supply for mopping, washing and wiping.

Step 2: Arrange all cleaning supplies

Here’s what you need (Indian context, so find your country’s equivalent):

• A tall mop or long-handled brush for cobwebs
• A couple of old rags for dry dusting
• A couple of microfibre cloths for wet cleaning
• A spin mop
• A dry broom
• A dusting brush
• Floor cleaner liquid, like Lizol
• An all-purpose cleaner, like a 50:50 water-vinegar solution
• Fresh bed linen: bedsheets, pillow covers and a duvet
• A toilet brush
• Toilet cleaner, like Harpic
• Tissue paper
• Optional (but highly recommended) – Room freshener, fragrance diffuser, and some

Step 3: Let the toilet soak

Flush the toilet well, then pour toilet cleaner inside the bowl, including under the rim and along the edges. The cleaner needs a good 30 minutes to work, so do this first and move on. We’ll come back to it.

Step 4: Get the cobwebs on the walls and fans

Always clean from top to bottom, so that dust falls onto surfaces you haven’t cleaned yet. (Duh!) Use the tall brush to sweep cobwebs off upper walls, corners and lofts, and don’t miss the fans.

Note: Don’t take off the old bed covers before this step.

Step 5: Take off the bed linen and other covers

Take off bedsheets, pillow covers, mats and cushion covers and put them in the washing machine, ideally on a hot cycle. Let it run while you move on. If you have time, wash the curtains too.

Step 6: Dust and wipe the surfaces

Use a brush to dust sofas, sofa arms, the back of the TV, furniture, mattresses and photo frames. Then spray hard surfaces with an all-purpose cleaner like Colin, or a homemade vinegar-water solution.

Don’t wipe straight away. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes so deeply set dust and grime can “melt”, and do another task while the surfaces marinate. Then wipe with clean, damp cloths. You can also use tissue paper so you don’t have to wash the cloth later, or, my eco-friendly option, a worn-out T-shirt that was headed for the bin anyway.

Step 5: Come back to the toilet.

By now, 30 minutes have passed. Scrub the bowl with the toilet brush, getting into the parts you can’t see, then wash the brush by jet-spraying it with hot water.

Next, make a semi-liquid paste of hot water and detergent. Apply it to the toilet seat, the jet spray, the taps and other surfaces, and leave it for 15 minutes. Here’s my detailed step-by-step guide to deep cleaning a bathroom.

Step 6: Dry sweep the house

With the top areas, walls and surfaces dusted, the floor is now the dirtiest part. Sweep thoroughly, including under the bed, under furniture and in corners. Collect the dust in a dustpan and separate the plastic from the dust and hair before disposing of each properly. (Even with a deadline, be mindful of responsible waste disposal. It soon becomes a habit.)

Step 7: Scrub the wet surfaces

The toilet seat, taps and other soaked surfaces have now sat in the detergent solution long enough. Grab a wet scrubbing brush (not the toilet brush!) and scrub off hard-water and mineral deposits. Rinse with the shower hose, then let them air-dry or wipe them with a clean towel.

Step 8: Make the beds

Now put on the fresh bedsheets and pillow covers and arrange a clean blanket or duvet. Fold the blanket in half so it covers a quarter of the bed, and tuck the sides in so it doesn’t touch the floor. Make sure the bedsheet is aligned before tucking it in. Nothing looks more unsightly than mismatched pillows, creased sheets and lopsided tucks.

Step 9: Arrange the decor pieces

Arrange your decor the way you like it. Fluff the cushions, straighten the curtains, put the mats back, and get rid of packaging boxes and random odds and ends, disposing of them responsibly.

Step 10: Wet Wipe/Mop the floor

Save mopping for last, because any other task afterwards will make the floor dirty again. I use a spin mop so I can use near-boiling water, which you can’t do with a mop you have to wring by hand. (Like I said, hot water cleans to a shine in a way room-temperature water never will.)

First rinse the mop in hot water so you start clean. Then fill the spin mop bucket with hot water, add a cup of floor cleaner like Lizol, and start mopping. Begin with the area furthest from the bathroom and end with the area closest to it. Don’t walk on the wet floor, or you’ll leave footprints.

Step 11: Light an oil diffuser with a few drops of your favourite fragrance

This is an optional step, but to overcome the strong smells from all the chemical cleaners in the steps above and generally to make your house feel like the 5***** hotel it should, use an oil or electric fragrance diffuser for the final touch.

Tada! Your house is as goo as new. It’s clean, hygienic, fragrant and you’re all set to enjoy the best time in your lovely abode which wasn’t so lovely until a few hours earlier. You’re welcome.