Eight things you can clean in less than 5 minutes

No one said you have to do everything at once and even when time seems short, if you can manage one task a day, things should start to work themselves out. Adjust this list according to your family's needs and time you have at hand.

Trying to clean everything at once can get overwhelming, especially when you have a busy schedule. Fortunately, you don’t always have to do it all at once.

Here are eight things you can clean just before you head out the door or even as you wait for the oven to preheat or as you wait for someone special to come over for movie night.

There is always a drawer in the kitchen where we tend to throw everything from the counter. This could be coupons, notes or even junk mail. Take five minutes to clean it out and throw away what you do not need. Organise the remaining things by grouping them together. All pens to one side and paper clips to the other. Stack all pads of paper neatly together.

After a tiresome day, we tend to just throw our shoes by the door or in the closet. You can take time in between errands such as cooking and simply organize the shoes. Put them in pairs and place them in a neat pattern. Ensure they are well cleaned you don’t want to bring bacteria and other disgusting bugs into your house.

Magazines will sometimes pull up by our toilet seat. It takes a few minutes to try to tidy them up. Recycle the old issues that you do not need. Put some on your nightstand or the kitchen counter where you can peruse them as you have breakfast.

There are always bottles of cleaning supplies living under the sink. Take them out and wipe down the sink. Make sure to throw away any trash that may have accumulated there. As you put back the supplies make sure to group them for example, put the floor cleaners together.

We often forget to clean the outside of appliances as we clean the kitchen. Take a wipe and some disinfectant and clean the outer surfaces of your microwave, toaster, fridge, oven and coffee maker. Focus on the handles as that is where the germs accumulate.

Tangled cables can be quite an eyesore and will only take you a few minutes to clean up. Look behind your TV or computer and untangle them. Coil them at the base so that they stay organized.

When you have a few minutes to spare, take a few towels and a glass cleaner and get to work on your windows and glass doors. This will take you less than a minute to do and will leave you with super clean surfaces.

Sock drawers can easily get untidy and turn into a dumping nest. Get rid of the socks whose matching pair you still can’t seem to find and those with holes that can’t be mended. Folding your socks in a neat manner will give you even more storage space for other personal effects.