As Ideal Home’s Cleaning Editor, part of my job is testing out cleaning hacks and routines, so you don’t have to. And if you, like me, are a sucker for anything that cleans my house quickly and efficiently, I have a feeling that you’re going to love the “3-30” cleaning rule.
Over the past few years, I’ve tried everything from the Japanese Kiyomeru cleaning ritual to the one-tool cleaning method in an attempt to find time-saving cleaning routines to maintain a clean, clutter-free home. But now spring has sprung, I’ve been on the hunt for something that will allow me to ditch my lengthy (and, quite frankly, boring) spring cleaning routine for something much more manageable.
And while I do have a few spring-cleaning hacks up my sleeve, the 3-30 cleaning rule has already transformed how I’d normally deep-clean my home. Every inch is cleaner than ever, and it was low-effort, but still seriously effective. The best part? I didn’t feel overwhelmed, and it was easy to slot into my busy schedule.
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What is the 3-30 cleaning rule?
Like many of the cleaning hacks and rules I come across, I first spotted the 3-30 cleaning rule on social media – on Rylie Jasmine’s Instagram page, to be exact. And while my schedule is nowhere near as busy as that of the stay-at-home mum who also homeschools her children, I still find it difficult to set aside time to properly spring-clean my home each year.
That’s where the 3-30 rule can help. This rule suggests that you set aside three 30-minute slots each day for household tasks of your choosing – totalling an hour and a half of manageable cleaning that won’t take over your life, but still leave your home clean.
To be completely honest, outside of the spring-cleaning window, I do think this rule is still a little too much for the average home (because who really has a spare hour and a half to clean each day?). But when you want to tick off that big, springtime refresh to banish the grime left behind after the winter months, I do think it’s a game-changer.
Rylie says it’s worth breaking these 30-minute chunks down into “shifts” (the morning shift, afternoon shift, and nighttime shift) and incorporating the tasks that make the most sense at those times. For example, the morning shift could be dedicated to popping on a load of laundry, making the beds, cleaning the floors and wiping down surfaces.
The afternoon shift can be dedicated to bigger spring cleaning tasks, like cleaning the fridge (and don’t forget cleaning underneath and behind the fridge, too), rotating and decluttering your seasonal clothes to free up space in your drawers, cleaning the windows, or even cleaning the carpets in one room of your house.
The nighttime shift should then be similar to the ‘closing shift’ cleaning method – where you shut down your house for the day by unloading the dishwasher, putting the clean clothes away, or giving the bathroom a deeper clean.
The idea is that these 30-minute chunks take the pressure off your cleaning routine, allowing you to make time for essential maintenance without it taking over your life and leaving you with little time to do the things you actually enjoy.
And while you can incorporate the 3-30 routine into your daily life if you feel the need to, the beauty of this hack is that you can use it however and whenever you see fit. You may choose to do this every day, once a week, or for a week during the spring-cleaning season to tick all the tasks off your to-do list. That’s what I did, anyway.
How I used the 3-30 cleaning rule
I’m typically someone with a little-and-often cleaning mentality, so I was really excited to try the 3-30 cleaning rule in my home. I told myself I would follow this rule every day for a week to completely deep-clean my home for spring, focusing on a different room each day.
I started the process in my kitchen, using the morning shift to clean the coffee machine (after making a very strong cup for myself, of course), wipe down the exterior doors of my cabinets, and give my tiled floors a deep clean using my vacuum mop.
As this didn’t take too long, I also took a few moments to go through my food packets and tins to throw out anything that had expired, and decant food into new jars and organisers I’d ordered ahead of time (I bought these Fine Glass Storage Jars with Bamboo Lid, £37.99 at Amazon, if you’re feeling nosey).
At lunchtime, I took on the bigger tasks – steam cleaning my fridge and cleaning the insides of my kitchen cupboards. I thought these tasks would take me longer than the 30 minutes, but I was able to tick them both off my to-do list with just a few minutes to spare. Then, I still had 30 minutes to enjoy my lunch break before getting back to work.
For the nighttime shift, I was surprised to find that I didn’t have too much to do. And while my oven wasn’t overly dirty, I decided to make it sparkle using the 30-minute oven cleaning hack my colleague recently tried out.
By the end of the day, my kitchen felt as though it’d been given a huge amount of time and attention, but I didn’t feel exhausted or overwhelmed by the amount I’d cleaned. In fact, the whole process left me feeling rather invigorated.
The next day, I moved on to my bathroom, deep-cleaning in 30-minute chunks spread throughout the day. The day after that, I focused on my living room, and on the fourth day, I ventured into the bedrooms. But it was here that I realised I wouldn’t need an entire week to deep clean my entire home.
In fact, I felt confident that I’d ‘spring cleaned’ my home as much as I could by the end of the fourth day, which meant that I finished three days earlier than planned. This was a huge win in my book, especially as I’d managed to fit it all in without feeling stressed or overworked. I was able to slot the cleaning seamlessly into my routine, spurred on by the visible (and impressive) results.
But while I loved using the 3-30 cleaning rule, it’s fair to say that I won’t be using it every day. It’ll certainly help me out in the future, but an hour and a half of cleaning a day when I’m not gutting my home after winter is not something I can keep up with. Once or twice a week, though? I’m sold.
My cleaning must-haves
Beldray 15-in-1 Steam Cleaner
No deep clean is complete without one of the best steam cleaners and mops. This model can be used to clean and sanitise everything from hard floors to upholstery, grout and taps to ovens and even windows.
Scrub Daddy Power Paste Multi Purpose Cleaner
If I could physically make my way up to my rooftop to shout about this all-purpose cleaner, I would. It really can be used anywhere, and the included Scrub Mommy sponge helps to break down grime on almost every surface.
Dr. Beckmann Carpet Stain Remover
I test the best carpet cleaners and spot cleaners as part of my job, so my carpets aren’t looking too bad this spring. But I’m still keeping this cleaner handy just in case any stains or spills need my attention.
Will you be giving the 3-30 cleaning rule a whirl this spring?
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