9 Cleaning Products and Tools That Actually Save Time, According to Pro Cleaners

The last thing you need when cleaning your home is cleaning products that lengthen the process. After all, you have set aside a good, valuable chunk of your day for this, and the quicker you can get through it, the better. Even house-cleaning enthusiasts would agree that ease and efficiency are key to getting the job done.

Luckily, there are a number of cleaning products and tools on the market that actually reduce cleaning time, simplify repetitive household tasks, and cut down on effort. We went to cleaning experts to find out which ones they swear by to lighten their load and ease the demands of the jobs at hand. The results are sparkling.

Robot Vacuum

“If I could recommend one cleaning product that saves the most time, it would be a robot vacuum,” says cleaning expert Kellsie Zapata. “Floors accumulate dirt, crumbs, pet hair, dust, and everyday debris much faster than most people realize. Between kids, pets, and regular foot traffic, it’s one of the most repetitive cleaning tasks in the home.” 

Because a robot vacuum is automatic, it replaces daily floor maintenance. The vacuum can be run while you are out running errands, at work, or even sleeping, notes Zapata. “Consistently maintaining floors prevents dirt and debris from building up and eliminates the need for frequent manual vacuuming,” she says. A robot vacuum can save homeowners a considerable amount of cleaning time each week.

Microfiber Cloths

Over the last few decades, microfiber towels have become an indispensable part of our lives. They are known and adored for their ability to trap dirt, dust, and bacteria, rather than just push them around in the same spot. These multi-purpose cloths are constructed of wedge-shaped synthetic fibers that act like microscopic hooks, effectively lifting messes with less effort. 

Founder at NW Maids, Ilya Ornatov, recommends ditching your paper towels for microfiber cloths. These handy little towels lift the dust and grime with minimal product, combined with a bit of water, “instead of just smearing it around like a paper towel does,” she says. 

Pro Tip: Try color-coding your microfiber cloths for bathrooms vs. kitchens to prevent any cross-contamination.

Squeegee for Glass Shower Doors

Cleaning your glass shower doors with a conventional rag and cleaning spray is bound to take you a significant amount of time. The shower glass surface tends to be large, and all that physical work requires considerable effort. Enter the squeegee. This age-old miracle tool will cut down on your cleaning time and reduce the effort of wiping down your shower doors. Ornatov recommends it for daily use. “If you squeegee the shower glass after each shower, you barely get water spots, so you're deep-cleaning the whole shower way less often,” she says.

Cordless Vacuum With a Brush Head

Heavy electric vacuums can be extremely cumbersome to use on furniture, and their handy attachments often don’t cover enough fabric at a time. However, a cordless vacuum with a brush head will let you tackle your couches with ease. According to Ornatov, a cordless vacuum is preferable for these very reasons. “Less back and forth, fewer passes, and you still get all the pet hair out of that couch,” she says. Surfaces and nooks and crannies can all be addressed efficiently and thoroughly with this time-saving tool. 

Enzyme Cleaners

When your pet has an accident or ketchup spills on the carpet, you will no doubt be in a rush to treat that stain. In these cases, heavy-duty chemical cleaners can overwhelm a fabric, leaving stains of their own, while gentle dish soap can produce excessive suds without eliminating the substance. However, an enzyme cleaner offers a thorough and efficient solution. Ornatov praises this cleaner for its ability to dissolve and absorb the mess, which keeps you from having to scrub the same spot repeatedly—time saved, effort reduced.

Dish Wand Kept in the Shower

The squeegee isn’t the only cleaning tool that helps minimize cleaning time and effort in the shower. “One of my favorite maintenance-cleaning tools is a simple dish wand filled with dish soap and stored inside the shower,” says Zapata. “Instead of waiting until soap residue, body oils, and grime build up, you can quickly scrub the shower walls, fixtures, or tub every few days while you’re already in the bathroom.” This approach turns deep cleaning into simple maintenance. “By tackling small amounts of buildup regularly, you avoid spending large amounts of time scrubbing heavily soiled shower surfaces later,” she says.

Extendable Duster for Ceiling Fans and High Trim

We all know dust and grime lurk in those overhead spaces that don’t get much attention in the cleaning realm. The simple knowing haunts the home dweller, as eventually, all of the unseen areas have to be addressed. Luckily, with the extendable duster, there is no need to drag the ladder around the house in order to reach these remote spots. This handy tool allows you to readily clean those hard-to-reach spots without any heavy lifting or climbing even a step.

Microfiber Flat Mop with Washable Pads (Swiffers)

For dirty floors, Ornatov prefers a microfiber flat mop with washable pads over a traditional mop. “[Swiffers] are way better than a string mop and a bucket of dirty water,” she says. They minimize the transfer of bacteria, which spreads via the reuse of dirty water in a conventional bucket-pail setup, as well as the effort involved in cleaning. The washable or disposable pads are also far less time-consuming than repeatedly wringing out cumbersome mop heads. Depending on your flat mop, you simply throw the pad in the machine or the trash, according to the manual instructions.