How to clean your room fast — 6 steps to transforming your bedroom

Let’s face it — there are times when you need to clean your bedroom very quickly. “Friend” coming over for Netflix and chill? Parents arriving in 10 mins? Landlord coming over? These things happen. Knowing how to clean your room fast can pay off, whether you're equipped with incredible cleaning supplies or only one bottle and a cloth.

If there’s one thing that I’m good at, it’s being time efficient. Add that to my love for cleaning (specifically, finding and trying out TikTok cleaning hacks) and I’m the best gal to be giving you advice on sorting out your space speedily. And chances are you’re reading this article because you need the help right now. Take a breath, because we’re about to sort things out together.

If you can’t give your room a total deep clean but still want it to look and feel fab, these are my top tips for getting your room sparkling, pronto. 

How to clean your room fast — in 6 steps

1. Put all of your trash in a bin liner

You don’t have time to be going back and forth between the trash bin every time you find something that needs throwing away. Instead, get a bin liner and walk around the room, then place any pieces of trash straight in there. This way, you can just grab everything as you go. Once you’re done, tie it off and throw it in your kitchen trash can) before any guests arrive, so no one sees the mess. Phew. 

2. Sort out your floordrobe

I too am super guilty of using my floor as a space for storing my clothes. But it takes up so much space, and no one wants to see worn garments on the floor. To make going through your floordrobe easy, make two piles and sort between pieces that need to go in the laundry and pieces that need to go in the wardrobe. For the clothes that fall into the latter category, fold them as you go so you aren’t lumped with a big mound to deal with at the end. Pop them in the relevant places, and your floordrobe will be no-more-drobe. 

3. Make the bed completely

Now the bulk of the tidying is done, it's time to get started on the bigger stuff that everyone always notices. Now, I know you’ve probably already made the bed. But if you’re anything like me, you’ve thrown on the pillows, given it a smooth over, and carried on with your day. There’s more you can do to make it look super cozy, though. Plump up the bed pillows (fluff the sides together, then give the middle a chop for serious volume), lean the decorative pillows on them, and lay on a couple of throws to give your bed a lovely hotel-style finish. Perf.

4. Dust and wipe the obvious areas

Going over all those surfaces such as TV stands, desks, and storage shelves sounds like a lot, but it’s not if you just narrow down key areas. Take a step back, and assess what’s eye level and what’s immediately obvious when entering the room. With a duster in one hand and a damp cloth with cleaning spray in the other, go over those areas with the duster first, then the cloth. Keep it simple and snappy, people.

5. Tidy your vanity, your nightstand and your desk

You probably have one of these furniture items in your bedroom, and annoyingly, they’re all easy areas to clutter up fast — my vanity is crying for help as I type this TBH. Focus on the pieces that are taking up the most space, like chunky eyeshadow palettes and big notebooks, and put them away neatly. If you’re very short on time, just store everything in a drawer, give the surface a wipe over, and deal with it later. I won’t tell anyone, promise.  

6. Bring in scents

The first thing people notice when walking into a room is the smell. It’s also said that you can’t smell scents in your room that other people can, as you have become desensitized to them. For a daytime clean, open up a reed diffuser and spritz the bed with a fabric spray. If it’s evening time, light a couple of scented candles too for a beaut glow too (perfect if you have a friend over, *wink wink*). Or for a very fast refresh, just spray around air freshener and open a window. 

You can find all of our favorite home fragrances, as tried and tested, in our guide.