I Tried This Viral Cleaning Method, And If You Have A Short Attention Span, Get In Loser, We're Going Vacuuming

Hey! My name is Ashley, and I just moved into my first LA apartment, so everything around me is in a constant state of messiness.

My apartment is larger than the traditional studio — around 670 square feet — so in theory it should be easier to keep clean than most one-bedroom apartments. But because it's still one giant room, any small areas of clutter make the entire place look like it's a mess. So I feel like I'm always cleaning and the space never feels neat and put together.

And apparently, I'm not the only one who struggles to find a cleaning routine for their home or apartment after they move, or even after they're settled into a new living space. A 2023 poll by SWNS Digital asked 2,000 Americans about their cleaning habits. It found that 68% of people surveyed took about six months to nail down a cleaning routine. However, 16% of people admitted they never found one.

Thankfully, there's a section of TikTok full of people like Cindell Kimbrough, known as @cindellkimbrough on TikTok. People like Cindell clean for fun and film it so the rest of us can learn. Kimbrough is a 37-year-old content creator living in Tennessee. She also used to clean homes for a living and shared this now-viral TikTok with more than 6 million views, explaining step-by-step how she used to clean giant homes in record time.

TikTok: @cindellkimbrough / Via tiktok.com "I think the biggest house that I ever cleaned was about 5,000 and some change square feet, and I got it done in less than five hours...so this works," she said.

To start, Kimbrough explains that we're taking this one room at a time.

Then, you'll choose the room you're starting in. Choose wisely, because you aren't leaving until it's clean. Cindell starts in her kids' room.

"Next step, you're gonna choose a corner and work around the room," she said.

"Now, we're gonna dust."

"All that's left now is to do the floors."

Now that you're done with that room, you rinse and repeat that process in every room or part of the house that you sectioned off as a room until the place is spotless.

"That is how you get it done quickly and efficiently," she said.

The part of this method that resonated with me the most was dividing my apartment into little rooms, and then tackling smaller sections of the room bit by bit. The epiphany was NOT leaving the room to put things away. I will absolutely get distracted and clean elsewhere, then no specific area gets completely clean.

Also, making my way around each room, from corner to corner, helped me to stay focused on one task at a time.

Now, I will be honest and admit I did not get the whole place cleaned in a day. Once a room was clean, I would give myself a pat on the back and promise to tackle another room the next day. However, that's more of a me problem than a critique on this cleaning method.

In an interview with BuzzFeed, Cindell validated my (our) ability to get so easily distracted as the most common mistake people make when trying to clean their homes. "The mental aspect of cleaning is by far the biggest hurdle. I’ve been using this method of focusing on one section at a time for over 10 years now, and I still have to constantly check in with myself and actively redirect my attention back to the task at hand."

I asked her what advice she's given friends and family when it comes to the roadblocks they face when they're cleaning. "I often hear from friends and family, 'it’s just hard for me to get started,' especially when they’re facing a bigger cleaning or decluttering job…when the mess feels overwhelming, even taking that first step can seem impossible."

"I always recommend looking up videos that relate directly to your situation... These videos are game-changers because they not only give you practical ideas and strategies for your own space, but they also serve as visual proof that a transformation is possible."

What is the biggest hurdle you face when cleaning your living space? Let us know in the comments!