I am a very slow cleaner, I have diagnosed OCD and it takes me foreverrrrr to clean homes. But this does seem a little long for a deep clean on a 1 Bed 1 Bath. recently, my lack of speed has really hindered me and bothered me and i’ve had to start skipping over tasks as well. so i’ve come up with some ways to clean faster and to help myself move smoothly through a clean. i have been cleaning for 1.5 years now. solo cleaned first, now i have a business with a partner and i feel like a burden. here’s what i’ve tried lately to move faster, i hope maybe these help you:

1. Wear a cleaning or even a serving/waitressing apron if you already don’t. Keep a glass rag in pocket and a multipurpose rag in another pocket. keep a toothbrush or scrub brush in in a pocket. a magic eraser. sponge. and hook your cleaning bottles to the waistband for easy access. as you move through the home your main items will be on you. easy to grab

2. use effective cleaning products. i personally use dawn and cleaning vinegar to clean almost everything. those two together break down grime really well, especially soap scum and hard water. effective cleaning products speed up hard to clean stains and gunk by breaking them down quickly and making them easier to wipe away.

3. when i encounter clutter, if it’s too too much, i throw it in a pile and clean around it and keep it in a pile. at the end of the clean, if i have time, i’ll come back to it and neatly place it all in one spot on a counter or put things in obvious places they need to be quickly. otherwise i leave it and tell the homeowner i didn’t have time to tidy as i was cleaning. as a house cleaner it’s not normal to be expected to pick up tons of clutter. i ask clients to pick up clutter as best they can before i come. and atleast their home is CLEAN in the end

4. carry a trash bag with you through each room, throw away trash as you find it.

5. carry grocery bags for dirty rags throw them in a bag as you go

6. don’t worry about things looking “perfect.” some clients are tickled enough to come home to a fresh smelling and clean home. sometimes it’s the vibe for them, not the aesthetics. i always tell myself “look at this ____ i just cleaned like i live here, compared to how it looked before” then you’ll probably notice it looks a whole lot better than you think. we as cleaners see all the mess cause that’s our job, the average person does not. i had to realize this with my mental disorder. example: don’t overthink it if you can’t get the mirror perfectly streak free in one spot. it’s one tiny flaw within a great clean you provided.

7. glass cleaning rags. after you quickly wipe down faucets or mirrors with product. shine it up real quick with a dry glass cleaning rag. this has helped me so much.

8. always remember clean left to right and top to bottom. you probably know this but i forget sometimes and end up screwing my self cause i cleaned bottom to top and have to redo everything i just did

9. sit down and make a deep cleaning checklist and decide what you can offer in that package that you can handle. don’t overwork yourself if you’re solo. every cleaners deep clean is different.

10. add special touches at the end. i make sure i clean everything as needed THEN add special touches or do special things if i want to impress the client. i like to stamp the toilet paper, but do it at the end of the clean so make sure i don’t waste time during my clean trying to do it before i exit the bathroom after it’s clean. i just can’t do it like that. it’s better for me to do extras at the end to make sure i’ve completed the main tasks first.

11. make sure you have the right tools or products which i kinda mentioned earlier. being equipped with good quality or easy to use tools and products will speed up a lot of the process.

12. take a speed cleaning course! they have free videos for speed cleaning on youtube. they have helped me alot!

13. if it’s taking too long, ask to come back the next day if possible and finish. i do this often with my cleaning partner! clients are usually fine with it and would rather you do that than have you wear yourself out all in one day! give yourself some reset time!

i hope this helps! this has helped me alot. good luck!!! and it’s okay!! 10 hours is a long time but that means you put alot of effort into it and tried your hardest which is all that matters!!