49 Quick Household Tasks: 15 Minutes or Less
When your list of to-dos is endless but your time is limited, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Sometimes we don’t have the luxury of dedicating a day, a week or a month to daily household chores. This list of 49 Quick Household Tasks That Take 15 Minutes or Less will help you stay on top of the stuff that needs staying on top of!
I know I am not alone right now in feeling that my home and all it’s ‘stuff’ have really gotten the better of me. Like many of you, this summer has been one chock full of travel, entertaining and good times. Oh, and yeah, we are also trying to sell our home, move my parents and prepare my son to go away to college…like next week.
While a great deal of fun, it also meant that we would come home, unpack, do laundry, repack and hit the road again or completely pivot to help my parents move or organize for college. All good and wonderful, but it meant the little bits and bobs of life got stored where they don’t belong or were completely neglected along the way and daily household chores fell along the wayside.
When I recently landed home for an extended period of time, I was a bit paralyzed when I thought of everything that needed attention…from the yard to the fridge and all things in between.
I am typically of the ‘Go Big or Go Home’ mindset when I undertake a project. You might remember that 2 years ago we spent the month of January clearing our home of clutter (over 1,000 pounds of clutter I might add). We dove in with both feet, and with a single-minded focus that was perfectly suited for the cold and dreary January days.
However, I don’t have the luxury of clearing my calendar right now, nor I expect, do many of you.
So what do we do when the list of the daily household chores is seemingly endless and our time to focus on them is limited?
We just chip away, in little bits, ultimately making the progress that we need to make.
I brainstormed these quick household tasks, that could take 15-minutes or less, that I could do while dinner was cooking, or while I had 15 minutes before I had to leave the house for an appointment, or if I was waiting for a repairman to arrive, or to just allocate throughout the day.
And while I tasked myself with trying to find chores that could be done within 15 minutes, surely you could spend as much time as you have.
And I have to tell you, just doing a few of these quick household tasks each day has really helped me feel a little more in control of my world.
If you’d like to print this list of quick household tasks to keep handy, click the button below or pop over to the Subscriber Benefits Library.
Some of these, like #22-#24, can be done while sitting in traffic, filling your car with gas or if arriving early for an appointment.
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And a few of these quick household tasks, like #45-#47, I will set a timer for.
When I sit down at the computer, it’s so easy to get sucked into the time black hole and not emerge again for hours, so I set a timer (actually, I tell Alexa on my little Echo Dot to set a timer) for 10-15 minutes (or however much time I have) so that I stay on task and don’t end up down some rabbit hole watching videos of Twiggy the water-skiing squirrel. Don’t EVEN tell me you’ve never been down that hole! ( I think I heard that Twiggy was ‘retiring’ or has ‘retired’ but I’m not sure and don’t want to find out because then I’ll have to see if there is an understudy squirrel waiting in the wings…and I might never resurface.)
So, here’s my list of 49 Quick Household Tasks That Take 15 Minutes or Less and help me stay sane and feel productive.
And as always, I’d love for you to chime in with your suggestions! What are some of your go-to daily household chores?
- Scan the fridge and remove past prime food.
- While you may not have time to clean the whole refrigerator, you could probably clean one drawer or one shelf.
- Chop as necessary and put fruit that is starting to go bad in the freezer for smoothies (De-stem cherries/strawberries, peel bananas, slice apples or peel oranges)
- Does your ice bin need to be emptied? I know my ice gets stale after a bit.
- If you have to empty the ice bin, put 2 cups of the ice and a cup of rock salt (or coarse salt) in your garbage disposal and run it with cold water to clean the elements.
- Scan freezer…fixings for a meal? Make a list of meals that you have the fixings on hand for
- Wipe out your utensil drawer
- Remove all utensils from Utensil Crock and put them in the dishwasher, then wash out the crock.
- Wipe out your garbage can or compactor.
- Go through your potholders, do some need washed or tossed?
- Give your counters a deeper wipe, as in move what’s on your counter and wipe underneath them.
- Wipe the front of your cabinets.
- Wipe down your appliances. (FYI, on a related note…I switched several months ago from using a spray cleaner on my stainless steel to these e-cloth stainless steel cloths. Gotta say I’m pretty pleased. Not only do I not need any additional chemicals, but only need to grab the rags to clean)
- Wipe out the microwave, put the glass tray in the dishwasher.
- Sharpen pencils
- Toss pens that don’t work
- Use forced air to clean out your computer keyboard. (for whatever reason, this is a quick household task that I look forward too!)
- Wipe down washer and dryer
- Fold a load of laundry
- Put away a load of laundry
- Start a load of laundry
- Clean out the glove box in your car. If you are like me you have several years of registrations…you only need the current one, as well as a current insurance card.
- Wipe out the cupholders in the car
- Remove trash from the car
- Clean out your purse
- Clean out your wallet
- Sweep off front porch or back porch or both!
- Water your houseplants or porch plants
- Clean glass on the front door
- Clean your mirrors
- Depending on the size of your junk drawer, clean it out or at least remove the obvious trash or things that don’t belong.
- Write a thank-you note
- Look ahead to see whose birthday is coming. Then, make a list of cards to buy or write the ones you already have.
- Need stamps? order them from the USPS.
- Drink a glass of water (Maybe not a ‘quick household task’, but it’s good for you!)
- Sweep or Vaccum a room. One of my all-time favorite ‘appliances’ is the Dyson Cordless V11 that I got for my birthday last year. It is so easy to take off of the wall, run over the kitchen floor and stash back up on the wall. It makes keeping the pet hair at bay and easy chore. And the cordless feature is the BOMB!
- Use your vacuum attachment and run it over your sofas and chairs.
- Use a clean 2″ paintbrush to clean your pleated lampshades.
- Rub a walnut over any scratches on your furniture. Finish up by rubbing your finger over the scratch to warm the area and help the wood absorb the oil.
- It takes less than 3 minutes to make a bed…you could fit in 4-5!
- Or deep clean one bed by stripping the bed, vacuuming the mattress with your vacuum attachment and then re-making it.
- Put on a pair of rubber gloves and rub them over your furniture to remove pet hair.
- Wipe down your bathroom counters, front of cabinets and clean the toilet.
- Spend 15 minutes going through your makeup or prescriptions and remove expired, no longer needed or no longer used items.
- How many junk emails can you unsubscribe from in that time?
- How many emails can you delete?
- Any you need to respond to?
- Do you have a receipt you need to file or scan?
- You could surely get several air filters changed within 15 minutes.
- …what would be your 50th suggestion for quick household tasks?
Bookmark this page or Pin this image of 49 Quick Household Tasks for the next time you can carve out a few minutes in your busy day.
Interested in More Decluttering or Organizing Posts?
- Read all 4 weeks of the Unclutter Your Nest Bootcamp here:
Week 1: Bedrooms and Bathrooms
Week 2: Kitchen and Craft/Office Space
Week 3: Den/Living Room/Play Room/Coat Closet/Laundry Room
- Other Decluttering and Organizing Posts:
Personalized Kitchen Drawer Organization
Organizing and Storage Ideas for an Uncluttered Bathroom
Organized Closets and Cabinets
Organized Office and Craft Room
Freezer and Refrigerator Organization that Works
Where to Recycle and Donate when Decluttering
Technology and Digital Declutter Ideas – Week 1
And once again, if you have some quick household tasks that you are willing to share, please pass them on!
Thanks so much for spending a few minutes of your busy day with me!
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Until next time…
I cannot even tell you how much I loved this blog post. Great tips!!!
Aw, thanks Kristi! It was good for me to write as it really made me realize how much we can accomplish in bite-sized bits…so much easier!
Thanks for popping in my friend.
Hugs, Lynn
This is the way I work most of the time too, Lynn. Not sure if it’s ADD or just too much going on but I get distracted so keeping it quick works best. It’s amazing what you can get done in just a few minutes.
I knew we were kindred spirits! But I’ve got to be honest, I am new to this ‘quick task’ way of thinking, but it makes so much sense!
#50 for me would always be scoop the litter boxes and sweep around them. Or shred a handful of documents and old bills.
Oh yes Joan, the litter box ALWAYS needs attention. What a great one…and shredding documents is a perfectly quick task as well. I may have to do a sequel and will surely add your suggestions.
Thanks my friend.
Hugs, Lynn
In addition to my cordless Dyson vacuum which is so handy for kitchen cleanups, I splurged and bought a robot vacuum cleaner. I love it!
Rhonda…Don’t you just love that Cordless Dyson? I get giddy every time I use it! And I might do another robot vac in the near future…I got one of the originals and I think the hair from our then 3 cats and dog was just too much for it.
Hopefully a slight improvement keeping stainless shiny in your kitchen. Wipe down with butcher block oil, and wipe to a luster with a microfiber cloth. Keep the microfiber under your sink and give your appliances a wipe down every few days. You only need to refresh the butcher block oil a FEW times a year. I swear by this!
Many hugs
Lee! What a great suggestion! I just so happen to have some butcher block oil and microfiber cloth! Doing this today! Thanks so much for sharing my friend.
Hugs,
Lynn
Still digging deep into older posts, we all have extra time these days. Never realized how often we hopped in the car to do something, anything.
You are the bomb! Received my Dyson 7 pet vacuum last week. Yowzers!!!
Sadly, last year, we lost our beloved yellow lab, but I have realized he is still here. I always have vacuumed 2 times a week, with the Dyson way more often ( because it’s actually enjoyable). Where is his hair still coming from? We also have a LONG hair Norwegian Forest cat and a medium hair orange manx. I zip through the rooms every evening now and love, love, love. When do you stop throwing your hand back to move the cord out of the way, realizing there is no cord?
Thanks again, stay safe, stay healthy, keep sharing.
Hugs
Grammalee
Hi Lee!
I am so glad you found these tips useful! I’m actually compiling another list to add to it, so do let me know if you have suggestions! And Lord knows, we do have the time, don’t we?
I am SOOO glad you like your Dyson! We have 2 now, the V7 like yours and my regular vacuum. I’m afraid I’m spoiled for life now. And you are right, it makes zipping through so much easier, almost effortless. With all the pollen falling, it is crazy to see it accumulating in the bin as it does. Rather immediately gratifying!
With a Golden Retriever at home, I know your heart still has a yellow lab sized hole in it. Ours just had surgery to remove cancer, but now we are on alert for any metastasis. They are our babies, for sure. Kinda sweet that he left you these mementos for you to find months later. ❤
Stay safe my friend! I’ll keep publishing knowing that you are on the other end reading.
Hugs, Lynn
Great post! I always enjoy reading…I learn new things all the time. I’m a knitter and crocheter so I’ve been knitting your wash cloths which I have enjoyed, thanks for your patterns.
Aw, thanks Sherry! I am so happy that you find something interesting to read in my musings! I do love this wee job of mine, but it is all the more rewarding when I know that readers like you are on the other end of my ramblings.
Are you getting a good stash of washcloths finished during our ‘staycation’?
Stay safe, my friend.
Hugs,
Lynn