Cut cleaning times in half with out compromising quality by using the tools the Pro’s do.

Speed cleaning is about eliminating steps, using the right tool for the job, and cleaning in a continuous motion without cleaning an area twice.  To do this it takes tools to clean tough jobs and tools to clean lighter jobs.

Spending time trying to get grime off a surface will only cost you money and energy. Having to walk back and forth to a cleaning caddy will cost you LOTS of time. And in the cleaning business TIME is MONEY.

It is not always easy to raise prices in the cleaning industry to increase profits.  But what we can control, is the time we spend in homes.

Speed Cleaning allows for house cleaning business owners to clean faster without compromising quality. In turn you can increase profits with out raising rates.  This keeps customers happy and your wallet happy.

Related Resources: How to Give a House Cleaning Quote and What to Charge for House Cleaning Services

Below is a list of tools Professional Cleaners use every time they clean.  These tools help them to work smarter not harder!

Please note, this article may include affiliate links. You can read the full disclosure at the bottom of the page.

Tools for Speed Cleaning

Apron

Aprons are a MUST for speed cleaning.  Aprons allow you carry your tools and supplies with you as you clean. This limits your steps by having all of your tools in reach when you need them.

Supply Maid offers an outstanding Apron.  The Apron was designed by Maid Service Owners for Maid Services. You can purchase the apron here —-> Supply Maid Apron

I highly recommend you carry clean microfiber towels, your cleaners, razor blade, scrapers, small tile brush and other tools needed to get the job done.

As your moving around a room whether dusting, cleaning a bathroom or kitchen, you will not need to take unnecessary steps to get a tool to tackle a task.

Here is the idea of how an apron helps with speed cleaning

When dusting a living room moving in a continuous motion starting from the left of the room.  With your hand duster, you dust a table with frames, move to a couch place hand duster in back pocket, grab whisk broom and quickly brush off pet hair and food crumbs.

Moving your way to the other end of the couch to a glass table with a lamp, use the whisk broom to brush off the lamp shade.

Put the whisk broom back into the apron, grab hand duster to dust remaining parts of lamp and table contents.

Place hand duster in back pocket grab glass cleaner and microfiber, spray glass, place cleaner back on apron wipe down table. Place microfiber back into apron.

Continue around the room until you are done.  Using the apron you can have the living room cleaned and dusted in 5 minutes tops.

Couches and chairs are straightened, lamp shades are dusted, all glass is wiped down and all surfaces are dust free.

What kind of Apron is best for speed cleaning?

When buying an apron for cleaning, you will want to make sure it has loops on both sides and has several pockets for all of your gadgets.

You can find full length aprons or those you just tie around your waste. Either works great, the full size will protect your clothes but are more costly and not necessary.

My recommendation is the apron over at Supply Maid. This apron was designed by maid service owners. It has pockets for all the needed gadgets, loops for spray bottles and additional attachments for other tools.

This article Reviews Cleaning Aprons and what to look for when purchasing one.

Long Duster

Dusting in high and low areas can take up time when having to climb a ladder and bend over.  You don’t have time to spend bending over to clean baseboards.

Cleaning a ceiling fan requires a ladder so most cleaning businesses just don’t clean them in a normal cleaning visit. Using a long duster will allow you to clean these areas quickly and safely.

I recommend this Long Duster from Microfiber Wholesale. You can purchase the duster here —> Chenille Microfiber Duster

What kind of Long Duster is best for Speed Cleaning?

When buying a long duster make sure to get one that is retractable.  Not all houses will have the same ceiling height.

You want to make sure your long duster will reach vaulted ceilings.  But you also want it to quickly retract to dust base boards efficiently.

Another thing to keep in mind is a removable dusting cloth.  Make sure to use one dusting cloth per house.

You do not want to cross contaminate between houses.  Choose a duster which has removable microfiber dust clothes that can be washed with each use and purchase enough to clean multiple houses in a day.

We found these chenille microfiber dusters at Microfiber Wholesale.  They are good quality and hold up over time.

Hand Held Duster

A hand duster will allow you to quickly dust objects and surfaces in area’s like the living room and bedrooms.  These are used for dry dusting.  If you have to use a cleaner, you will want to use a separate cloth.

I recommend these Hand Held Dusters by Microfiber Wholesale you can purchase them here —->  Small Microfiber Duster

When looking for a hand duster make sure it can easily fit into a back pocket.  This will make it easier to carry around with you when cleaning.

I am not a huge fan of feather dusters, though there some cleaning companies and business coaches will recommend them.  I don’t like that they can not be washed from house to house.

Feather Duster or Microfiber Duster?

When I first started out, my cleaners wanted to try feather dusters.  I gave them a go ahead for a few months and finally said no.

Feather dusters start loosing feathers over time. I found feathers would drop in clients homes and would not want them to find feathers around their house after we cleaned.  So we switched to a reusable and washable microfiber duster.

I highly recommend using a microfiber removable cloth which can be removed with each house and be washed.

Microfiber Wholesale has a great and affordable small microfiber duster. It is small enough to fit in your back pocket and similar to the Swiffer hand held dusters except the microfiber covers are washable and reusable.  It makes your pocket happy and the planet happy!

Razor Blade

This tool has multiple uses and is a must have in every cleaning apron or caddy.  It helps to remove tough spots and goo on surfaces without scratching quickly saving you elbow grease and time!

When using, make sure your blade is not compromised with rust and not dull, as these can scratch surfaces.

I recommend a small pocket sized retractable razor blade. These carry easily in your apron, are easy to use for quick use and are an inexpensive tool.

We purchased ours in bulk at Amazon —-> Hyde Tools 13050 Delta Heavy Duty Glass Scraper

Razor blades are very versatile and can be used for many different jobs.  Here is an idea of what we used them for in our house cleaning services:

Showers and Soap Scum

This is extremely helpful on first cleans or move in/out cleans.  Using a razor blade in conjunction with your all purpose cleaner, you will be able to remove soap scum instantly in a shower.

Don’t spend extra time and energy trying to remove heavy stuck on soap scum with a scrub brush.  You will waste time and tire out quickly.

Glass stove tops

Razor blade work wonders on a glass top stove.  Avoid buying expensive cleaner marketed for glass stove tops.  The less cleaning chemicals you use the more efficient and cost effective your cleanings will be.

Using your all purpose cleaner spray it on the stove and scrap off spots with your razor blade. Tip: Using the blade on a dry surface can cause scratching, so make sure you spray enough cleaner down before using the razor blade.

Glass and Mirrors

Razor blades are a must when cleaning windows and glass.  Hard to remove stickers or gunk can be quickly removed with a razor blade.

Just spray your All Purpose cleaning on the spot and remove with the blade. You will save lots of time and not scratch the glass.

Again, you want to make sure you are spraying your All Purpose cleaning on the window first to avoid scratching.

Floors

Don’t spend a lot of time mopping over a spot that is hard to remove. You can use a razor blade to quickly get up gunk, old food or even gum.

Small Tile Brush

The small tile brush is a small nylon brush that can get into crevasses and detail grout between tiles.  This little guy is a must for speed cleaning while maintaining a high level of detail in the kitchen and bathrooms.

Use the small tile brush around sinks, drains and faucets.  You will be able to clean into the crevasses round these areas very quickly.

It is a huge pet peeve of mine when a cleaning company cleans a house and just wipes over these surfaces without clean around a faucet.

I recommend purchasing 2 different colors, 1 for kitchens and 1 for bathrooms. This way you won’t bring the bathroom yuck out into a customers kitchen.

Small Whisk Broom

Whisk brooms are great for dusting fabrics.  Fabrics collect lots of dust and crumbs, dusting with a cloth does little to remove either and vacuuming can be very time consuming.

A whisk broom is tough enough to remove pet hair and dust and easy to carry around in your apron.  It will save you lots of time while helping you to provide a more detailed cleaning.

Just another way for you to provide an excellent service!

Where to use your Whisk Broom

Couches

Use the whisk broom to brush off any crumbs, pet hair or dust.  For our biweekly and weekly cleaning clients we provided rotational services which included vacuuming living/family room furniture.

Using the whisk broom in between vacuuming, helps to keep down the pet hair and debris.  Clients really appreciate this as most cleaning companies do not vacuum furniture.

Dinning Room chairs

Dinning chairs almost always have food crumbs on them.  Use the whisk broom to quickly remove the crumbs to the floor for easy vacuuming.

Lamp Shades

Lamp shades are like dust and animal hair magnets.  Using a whisk broom to quickly dust them will help you provide an excellent service in

Incorporating these cleaning tools into your cleaning routine will help to improve your cleaning time significantly, while still maintaining a high level of quality.

Make sure as you are looking for ways to improve your cleaning times you are not sacrificing quality!

Next Steps: If you are looking for a cleaning supply checklist, visit our page House Cleaning Supply Checklist.

Speed Cleaning Tools