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Speed Cleaning
Spontaner Besuch kündigt sich an und die Wohnung sieht aus, als hätte eine Bombe eingeschlagen, das Bad ist nicht geputzt, in der Küche steht jede Menge dreckiges Geschirr und die Spülmaschine ist schon voll? Kein Problem, wenn Sie die Speed-Cleaning-Strategie von Courtenay Hartford kennen! Denn mit ihren cleveren Ideen und innovativen Putztechniken bekommen Sie in nur 8 Minuten Ihre Wohnung sauber. Außerdem liefert die Autorin praktische Checklisten und Tipps zum Ordnen und Entrümpeln, die Ihnen dabei helfen, mit wenig Zeitaufwand Ihren Haushalt zu meistern, durch einfache Gewohnheiten Ihr Leben zu verbessern und mehr Zeit für die wirklich wichtigen Dinge zu haben.
- GenresNonfictionHow To
205 pages, Paperback
Published March 1, 2018
16 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
December 9, 2023
I am so glad I got this book out of the library instead of buying it. This was a dud for me even though I loved the idea of it. Seriously, look inside the book on the Amazon page for her 8 minute cleaning list that's on page 2 or so, and call it good. Even that isn't great advice because it's not really going to fool anybody (throw your dishes in the dishwasher or soapy water in the sink, light a candle, use your hand towel on the bathroom, throw away garbage on your counter and table, etc.).
The rest of the book is about how to clean things but it's so weird to me. She never mentions mopping. Ever. Not even bathrooms and kitchens. ??? She recommends cleaning some things way more than I'd ever say they needed to be, but then other things are never done. In the sparkling bathroom section it never mentions things like washing baseboards, which is something I definitely need to do occasionally (and take apart your toilet seat every couple of months to clean all around it but again, no mopping or even spot washing the floor?). There's also no weekly list or even a daily list -- there's her 8 minute crisis cleaning and then a monthly list for every room that's totally random and leaves a ton of stuff off but adds a bunch of stuff you don't need to, and then there's a master list for every room at the end that has tons of really finicky stuff but nothing at all in some areas like still no mopping. How does this woman never ever mop?
She recommends a lot of stuff that I find wasteful and terrible for the environment, like having a pack of disposable gloves for cleaning everyday and microfiber cloths (which are horrible for the environment and are leading to microplastics in our water, fish and our own bloodstreams... seriously, use a damn rag, your need for an easily cleaned kitchen is not more important than every generation after us having a safe planet) and a ton of cleaning equipment but then she never even goes into when you use that equipment. Dust mops and string mops are on her list of things to buy, but as I've mentioned too many times, she never ever talks about needing to mop.
She also says that you'll notice that lots of things like changing sheets or watering plants are not on any of her lists because she says once you start cleaning regularly you'll notice when things need to be done and don't need to be reminded. Um.... clearly those of us who buy books like this do want to be reminded! This should be common sense. At least one list! So many things are just never mentioned, like an invisible fairy is going to come down and do it for you as you sleep. She also never talks about things like putting things away. There seems to be an assumption that your house is mostly empty, other than stuff piled in the baskets she tells you to buy (everything looks better in a basket -- even I know this doesn't really work for long) and to label everything because then people will think you're organized.
She also tells you to use scented candles and room sprays to make your house smell clean, which is just terrible for all the people who have chemical sensitivities and will immediately come down with a migraine once coming into your overly perfumed house. Don't assume your guests want those smells.
Also, she says to use your hand towel every day to wipe down the bathroom and then toss it in the laundry, so every single day you put out a fresh hand towel and have used the one-day-old one to clean your bathroom. Ew. No. Just ugh. We have rags under the sink for that and it works well. Why on earth wash a new (now gross) hand towel every single day, and why use a nice towel on bathroom surfaces instead of rags or sponges?
My house is nearly 100 years old and I also don't apparently have the kind of house she is talking about. There is a ton of information about cleaning and using garbage disposals, dishwashers, glass topped stoves, air conditioning systems, marble counter tops..... I ended up not having to read a good half the book because I have a simple house with simple stuff.
And the advice to leave cleaning chores half done for a day so the rest of the house knows that you've done something like cleaned all the drapes? Um.... I have no words. I think we have different goals in our cleaning jobs.
The 8 minute gimmick is a cool idea, though I'd have to add at least vacuuming the living room to my 8 minutes and I really don't think I could do my giant table in one minute but the rest of the book just struck me as filler to sell a book based on a quick blog post.
The rest of the book is about how to clean things but it's so weird to me. She never mentions mopping. Ever. Not even bathrooms and kitchens. ??? She recommends cleaning some things way more than I'd ever say they needed to be, but then other things are never done. In the sparkling bathroom section it never mentions things like washing baseboards, which is something I definitely need to do occasionally (and take apart your toilet seat every couple of months to clean all around it but again, no mopping or even spot washing the floor?). There's also no weekly list or even a daily list -- there's her 8 minute crisis cleaning and then a monthly list for every room that's totally random and leaves a ton of stuff off but adds a bunch of stuff you don't need to, and then there's a master list for every room at the end that has tons of really finicky stuff but nothing at all in some areas like still no mopping. How does this woman never ever mop?
She recommends a lot of stuff that I find wasteful and terrible for the environment, like having a pack of disposable gloves for cleaning everyday and microfiber cloths (which are horrible for the environment and are leading to microplastics in our water, fish and our own bloodstreams... seriously, use a damn rag, your need for an easily cleaned kitchen is not more important than every generation after us having a safe planet) and a ton of cleaning equipment but then she never even goes into when you use that equipment. Dust mops and string mops are on her list of things to buy, but as I've mentioned too many times, she never ever talks about needing to mop.
She also says that you'll notice that lots of things like changing sheets or watering plants are not on any of her lists because she says once you start cleaning regularly you'll notice when things need to be done and don't need to be reminded. Um.... clearly those of us who buy books like this do want to be reminded! This should be common sense. At least one list! So many things are just never mentioned, like an invisible fairy is going to come down and do it for you as you sleep. She also never talks about things like putting things away. There seems to be an assumption that your house is mostly empty, other than stuff piled in the baskets she tells you to buy (everything looks better in a basket -- even I know this doesn't really work for long) and to label everything because then people will think you're organized.
She also tells you to use scented candles and room sprays to make your house smell clean, which is just terrible for all the people who have chemical sensitivities and will immediately come down with a migraine once coming into your overly perfumed house. Don't assume your guests want those smells.
Also, she says to use your hand towel every day to wipe down the bathroom and then toss it in the laundry, so every single day you put out a fresh hand towel and have used the one-day-old one to clean your bathroom. Ew. No. Just ugh. We have rags under the sink for that and it works well. Why on earth wash a new (now gross) hand towel every single day, and why use a nice towel on bathroom surfaces instead of rags or sponges?
My house is nearly 100 years old and I also don't apparently have the kind of house she is talking about. There is a ton of information about cleaning and using garbage disposals, dishwashers, glass topped stoves, air conditioning systems, marble counter tops..... I ended up not having to read a good half the book because I have a simple house with simple stuff.
And the advice to leave cleaning chores half done for a day so the rest of the house knows that you've done something like cleaned all the drapes? Um.... I have no words. I think we have different goals in our cleaning jobs.
The 8 minute gimmick is a cool idea, though I'd have to add at least vacuuming the living room to my 8 minutes and I really don't think I could do my giant table in one minute but the rest of the book just struck me as filler to sell a book based on a quick blog post.
May 29, 2019
Quick, funny read--if I spent as much time cleaning as I do reading about cleaning, my house would be a lot cleaner :)
March 12, 2017
The title of this book is misleading, really. The first chapter covers the author's technique for "cleaning" your house in 8 minutes, which consists of:
1. Light a candle to cover up any disgusting smells in your house.
2. Frantically shove any crap that's on your kitchen table/counters and in the living room into a garbage bag, unless it's dishes, which should be shoved into your dishwasher. If you don't have a dishwasher or it's already full, shove your dishes into a soapy sink to "trick" your guests into thinking you were in the middle of washing the dishes. (Spoiler alert: no one will be fooled by this.)
3. Use the hand towel in your bathroom to clean your kitchen sink, mirror, and counters. (Can I say EW?! If I did this, that towel would not be a hand towel anymore, it'd be a rag.)
4. Scrub the toilet and do a wipedown of any of your flat surfaces, like your kitchen table or entertainment center.
I mean, OK. If your mother just texted you twenty minutes ago to tell you she's on her way over and your place hasn't been cleaned in about six months, I guess this would make YOU feel better about the state of things. But if your place is so filthy that you have to resort to these kinds of tactics, no one is going to be fooled into thinking that your place is clean by doing these things, you know?
I am no germaphobe, but I am also completely disgusted by the suggestion Hartford makes (multiple places in the book!) that you clean your bathroom using your hand towels. "This way," she says, "you always have a clean towel out because you need to wash the one you just used to wipe down the bathroom!" Am I the only one who understands why the concept of the rag (as separate from clothing and towels) was invented?
I understand that people start at all kinds of skill levels in terms of cleaning, but if I knew someone who truly had no idea how to clean, I'd give them Unf*ck Your Habitat: You're Better Than Your Mess instead of this. At least Hoffman actually gives you instructions on how to clean and doesn't pretend you can convince your mom your place is clean in the span of 8 minutes by throwing all your dishes into the sink.
1. Light a candle to cover up any disgusting smells in your house.
2. Frantically shove any crap that's on your kitchen table/counters and in the living room into a garbage bag, unless it's dishes, which should be shoved into your dishwasher. If you don't have a dishwasher or it's already full, shove your dishes into a soapy sink to "trick" your guests into thinking you were in the middle of washing the dishes. (Spoiler alert: no one will be fooled by this.)
3. Use the hand towel in your bathroom to clean your kitchen sink, mirror, and counters. (Can I say EW?! If I did this, that towel would not be a hand towel anymore, it'd be a rag.)
4. Scrub the toilet and do a wipedown of any of your flat surfaces, like your kitchen table or entertainment center.
I mean, OK. If your mother just texted you twenty minutes ago to tell you she's on her way over and your place hasn't been cleaned in about six months, I guess this would make YOU feel better about the state of things. But if your place is so filthy that you have to resort to these kinds of tactics, no one is going to be fooled into thinking that your place is clean by doing these things, you know?
I am no germaphobe, but I am also completely disgusted by the suggestion Hartford makes (multiple places in the book!) that you clean your bathroom using your hand towels. "This way," she says, "you always have a clean towel out because you need to wash the one you just used to wipe down the bathroom!" Am I the only one who understands why the concept of the rag (as separate from clothing and towels) was invented?
I understand that people start at all kinds of skill levels in terms of cleaning, but if I knew someone who truly had no idea how to clean, I'd give them Unf*ck Your Habitat: You're Better Than Your Mess instead of this. At least Hoffman actually gives you instructions on how to clean and doesn't pretend you can convince your mom your place is clean in the span of 8 minutes by throwing all your dishes into the sink.
February 16, 2021
I really liked this. For a reforming slob/sloth such as myself it is a laid back cleaning manual. It doesn't ask too much of you but it gives simple, quick ways you can improve your living environment, with options for more deep cleaning etc if you have the privilege of time. The cleaning manual for people who hate cleaning. There's even an 8 minute clean up for if you have guests, which to me was quite reminiscent of the "put a throw on it" method from Black Books. Quite hilarious in parts like when she suggests putting your dirty dishes in the sink with hot water and dishwashing liquid, pretending you were just in the midst of doing them 🤣
February 23, 2019
As another reviewer says, the title of this is misleading. I was under the impression this book would be like Simply Clean: how to set up your house to clean 8 minutes a day. Instead it starts out how to clean in 8 minutes, is a check list of things to clean daily, monthly, and when you want that deep clean. The author assumes you are a full time homemaker, have a dishwasher (I don't) and a washer (I do, but it isn't fancy). I was vastly disappointed in this book because I had hoped for a work smarter not harder guide. It is another household management book and other books do a better job of this. If you need an intro to house keeping start here but borrow it from your library first.
August 18, 2017
All I can say is, I'm glad I checked this book out of the library instead of purchasing it. There was absolutely nothing in this book but exclamation points and worthless encouragement. Such as, "always have a hot soapy cloth handy to wipe things up everywhere."
September 29, 2019
This is a good book on cleaning, but falls in line with others in its category. It is still definitely worth the read and has some good advice. Especially if you haven't read a book on cleaning before.
June 19, 2018
This book was funny and a great read for novice cleaners. If you are already a die hard homemaker who knows all of grandmas tricks to cleaning this probably isn't the book for you. But if your new to having to take care of your own home or always struggled with cleaning this might be the book to get you started. It gives some ideas, games and guidelines to get you going and not feel discouraged and overwhelmed with your cleaning.
February 20, 2022
Best take away: the “Ten Times Two,” where you make a list of ten 2-minute jobs around the house and then set a timer and get a move on. You can get a lot of troublesome spots off the list and feel so much better about your home in just twenty minutes!
Beyond that, while I appreciated the author’s attempt to be reasonable, nothing was as practical as Martha Stewart’s (all day every day vs 8-mins) Homekeeping Handbook.
Beyond that, while I appreciated the author’s attempt to be reasonable, nothing was as practical as Martha Stewart’s (all day every day vs 8-mins) Homekeeping Handbook.
December 27, 2017
Let’s face it - I am a fan of self help and organisational books. This book was interesting because despite the title, it never pretended that you can actually have a suitably clean house in 8 minutes. It did, however, have some good tips on cleaning. It is also a little bit motivational around cleaning.
May 3, 2017
Meh. You can't really clean your house in 8 minutes. This is about how to make it seem like you did but is more about how to maintain it so you don't let it get that messy in the first place.
I didn't get any ninja skills from this. The cute ninja on the front let me down a little on that front.
I didn't get any ninja skills from this. The cute ninja on the front let me down a little on that front.
February 21, 2017
8 minutes- takes me more than 8 minutes to wrestle the vacuum cleaner out of the closet.
January 21, 2018
Impulse pick at the library as I prepare to move to a bigger place. Apparently I'm going to need a lot of ammonia?
May 8, 2019
I suppose if you were completely new to housekeeping you might find some ideas.
I prefer Clutterbug's style.
2019 - A book written by a Canadian
I prefer Clutterbug's style.
2019 - A book written by a Canadian
January 29, 2020
I'm more of a Flylady housekeeper. I don't want my house to seem clean in order to fool visitors that drop by--I want it to actually BE clean with a bit of effort every day and manageable tasks. I enjoyed the author's writing style and encouraging tone, but it took a few chapters for her to get down to the nitty gritty and tell me something truly helpful. This book did ultimately satisfy my desire for checklists in the last chapter, which was devoted to deep cleaning. I also found some useful information and ideas for things that you can clean in your dishwasher and washing machine that might surprise you. I will definitely make more use of vinegar and baking soda in my home based on her suggestions for cleaners, and invest in a few more microfibre cloths. Worth reading to get some new ideas and helpful tips but not a how-to manual that I'd depend on every day.
June 26, 2021
This book is full of good tips for working smarter not harder around the home. I liked the idea of using a giant heap of cleaning cloths instead of re-rinsing the same one during any task for eg. She’s big on DIY cleaners which honestly I have never understood - just buy some windex people.
The only section I was completely unconvinced by was the laundry section - this is where I got the sense that she didn’t know her stuff. If you want real, science-based cleaning advice and help on getting rid of any stain under the sun, follow clean cloth nappies on Facebook. They test the best methods out on different stains (rust, blood, pen etc) almost every week and help you create a proper laundry routine.
Can I also point out that her laundry section was all about washing and not the actual hard part - folding, ironing and putting away!! Sigh. Someone help. My mountain of unironed shirts is threatening to overwhelm me …
I’m also totally unconvinced by the ‘I get it, I’m actually a slob just like you’ vibe she’s trying to get across. I mean, the whole book is full of tips like ‘just give your shower a once-over while you’re in there every day anyway!’ Seriously? I don’t want to be thinking about housework during my nice relaxing shower. I just get the sense that this author has cleaning constantly on the brain - I do not relate.
But at least after reading this book, I cleaned the bathroom!!
The only section I was completely unconvinced by was the laundry section - this is where I got the sense that she didn’t know her stuff. If you want real, science-based cleaning advice and help on getting rid of any stain under the sun, follow clean cloth nappies on Facebook. They test the best methods out on different stains (rust, blood, pen etc) almost every week and help you create a proper laundry routine.
Can I also point out that her laundry section was all about washing and not the actual hard part - folding, ironing and putting away!! Sigh. Someone help. My mountain of unironed shirts is threatening to overwhelm me …
I’m also totally unconvinced by the ‘I get it, I’m actually a slob just like you’ vibe she’s trying to get across. I mean, the whole book is full of tips like ‘just give your shower a once-over while you’re in there every day anyway!’ Seriously? I don’t want to be thinking about housework during my nice relaxing shower. I just get the sense that this author has cleaning constantly on the brain - I do not relate.
But at least after reading this book, I cleaned the bathroom!!
April 2, 2019
This book is full of helpful cleaning and organizing tips. I'm a guy that *hates* puttering but Courtenay has helped me see that keeping your place neat and tidy doesn't have to be an all-day (or all-weekend), once a month effort.Written in her usual personal and entertaining style, there's something for everyone in The Cleaning Ninja.
October 17, 2017
I loved this book! It has totally changed my cleaning habits for the better. I loved her advice and tips they have really worked for me and my house! It doesn’t take me as long to clean as it used to! Yay cleaning ninja!
October 9, 2021
Very practical, easy to read and follow guide to housecleaning that almost anyone could use. It reminded me of a simpler version of SHE. I would like to see if there is an app with the lists as I think that would make it even easier.
January 27, 2023
A “professional development” read for 2023. Fun and quick. I pulled a tip or two away, though most of it is your average “make your bed every morning” fare. Appreciated the 8 minute rapid-clean game plan.
May 18, 2017
Good resource. Could be organized better.
February 24, 2018
I checked this out from the library and loved it so much I asked for it for Christmas. It has many great tips and tricks and I wanted my own copy to reference over and over again.
May 3, 2019
Bah, insomma, il solito libricino di consigli.
October 30, 2019
Ha deluso le mie aspettative da ogni punto di vista, non è utile, non è scritto bene, non è nemmeno divertente! E nella parte finale sembra essere chiuso in fretta e furia.
November 12, 2022
This had some good ideas for how to tackle cleaning and make routines for getting things done. It's not long so it's an easy read to get the idea wheels turning!
November 16, 2024
Vài mẹo khá hay
May 31, 2021
Not all of the suggestions I will use but there were some good tips in there especially the ones about the laundry. NO need to waste an hour washing clothes when a quick wash will do.
February 12, 2017
This book is full of tips and tricks to help you quickly clean up your house. I found a few things to try. It is written in a fun and humorous way and makes cleaning sound fun.
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January 20, 2023Manuale ironico sulle pulizie domestiche. Si parte all'attacco con un programma di 8 minuti prima dell'arrivo degli ospiti. Non so se funziona, ma secondo me l'idea di fondo è che basta fare qualcosa ogni giorno e piano piano con costanza si può ottenere una casa più pulita e ordinata. Il libro contiene molti consigli, da quelli di pulizia veri e propri a quelli per "fare credere" di essere ordinati (i più divertenti). Nel complesso, è un libro da leggere se l'ordine è la pulizia della è un vostro interesse ed è forse il libro più veritiero che io abbia letto sull'argomento: con ironia, tenacia, abitudini e qualche segreto si può ottenere una casa migliore.
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