Sherry Petersik from Young House Love has a slamming house (we know because we’ve studied photos of just about every adorable inch of it on her blog), and she cleans it in just minutes per week. Here’s how.

Be a shoe-free house. Remove shoes at the front door and all the dirt, pesticides, and motor oil you step in outside will stay there. Worried about etiquette? “We keep a basket of shoes by the door as a subtle suggestion for guests,” Petersik says. “It’s a lot less pushy than a big ‘no shoes’ sign.”

Practice the art of maintenance cleaning. Load the dishwasher before bed. Wipe down countertops as you’re cooking and bathroom sinks after you wash your hands. Return shoes (and other items that pile up by the front door) to your closet when you’re heading to the bedroom anyway. Keep the toilet brush handy (fill the brush holder with half water, half non-chlorine bleach to keep the brush clean) to give the toilet a fast scrub every few days.

Use less stuff. “We clean almost every surface with one eco-friendly cleaner,” says Petersik, who likes Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day All Purpose Cleaner. Bonus: Because you dilute ¼ cup cleaner to 1 gallon warm water, one bottle lasts forever ($8 for 32 ounces, mrsmeyers.com).

Break up the big jobs. Petersik dusts every surface, vacuums every rug, wipes down her baseboards, and cleans the tub every week—but never all at once. “I’ll dust for 20 minutes while I’m on the phone one day, then take a spare half hour to tackle the vacuuming the next day,” she explains. (Reusable microfiber cloths from 3M are perfect for dusting; $4 each, target.com or shop3m.com).

Clean only what’s dirty. If you’re following the first tip, you can just vacuum area rugs (which trap dust and pet hair), and use a handheld vacuum (like the Dirt Devil Kurv, $50, dirtdevil.com) to zip around baseboards, into corners, and under chairs.

Schedule a seasonal deep clean. “I’ll take a day every four to six months to clean the windows and thoroughly mop the floor,” notes Petersik. “We also seal our shower grout every six to 12 months so we never have to scrub it.” She promises: “These bigger jobs don’t feel like a huge pain when the rest of your house is on autopilot.”