Even the smallest pocket of time can be made to count in the fight against clutter, as the cleaning experts Rachel Burditt and Aggie MacKenzie explain

So, you want a tidy house, but feel too busy? Even the smallest pocket of time can be made to count in the battle for a calm living space. We spoke to two cleaning and decluttering experts about how you can make spare moments count – and how to maximise longer chunks of time to create the serene home of your dreams.

Three minutes

If you have kids, put on a song and get them to pick up and put away as many toys as they can before it finishes. At my daughter’s nursery, they use the Mission Impossible theme tune – anything that makes them get up and go will work. Make it a game to see who can do the most before it finishes.

Rachel Burditt, AKA the Declutter Darling, is a professional declutterer

Five minutes

Tackle the junk drawer. Clear out all the old batteries, forgotten keys, matches, old takeaway menus and anything else that is taking up space. Even if you don’t fully organise it, just getting rid of stuff you don’t want is a good start. RB

Ten minutes

Tackle any marks on the walls with a magic eraser; these are readily available on the high street and can remedy scuff marks on painted surfaces, marks from contact with bags and shoes, and fingerprint marks around light switches. It is a quick job, but it makes such a difference.

If you have only 10 minutes before visitors arrive, I would give the bathroom a quick once-over. Make sure the toilet is clean, polish the tap and put out clean towels.

Aggie MacKenzie co-presented How Clean Is Your House? on Channel 4 from 2003 to 2009

Half an hour

Sort out a kitchen cupboard. Remove everything and discard food that has gone off or that you are not going to use. Clean it thoroughly – shelves, handles and all – before placing like-for-like items back into the cupboard. (You may be surprised by how many similar items you have.) You could also put storage baskets or boxes in there to group items for easy access. RB

An hour

If you haven’t done it for a while, an hour should be enough time to clean your oven. Take everything out and start with the racks, which can be cleaned using a sheet of sandpaper. Next, turn the oven on for 10 to 15 minutes, until it is warm, then wet the bottom with bio washing powder. Leave this for 10 minutes, then don your rubber gloves and scrub and scrape everything away, before giving it all a good wipe down. The sides of the oven don’t need doing, but remember to wipe down the front. AM

Eight hours

If you have a full day, you have enough time to take on your clutter by category. Gather all the items in each category (books, clothes etc) in one place; you may think this will take longer than doing it room by room, but the end result is that the whole house is fully functioning and decluttered. It will also stop you repeating yourself and organising similar items in different areas – you will know exactly what is where.

Set up a decluttering schedule with end goals for each area. Choose a large, flat area to work on, such as a clean floor, and have bin bags, boxes and recycling bags ready to sort what can go to charity or be discarded. Keep sticky notes and pens at the ready for labelling.

Have water or a hot drink at hand to keep yourself hydrated, as well as a playlist of motivational songs to keep you going. You want to keep up the momentum for as long as possible, so take as few breaks as possible. You can do this! RB