For anyone with young, male flatmates, you'll understand my frustrations when I say that my home never sparkles long enough after my clean.

With such a hectic working life, helping busy Londoners (like myself) find their perfect regular cleaner, it's difficult to find the time to keep the house looking it's best between cleans.

So, how do you keep it sparkling in the shortest amount of time?

Here's 5 ways you can keep it clean that won't take longer than 5 or 10 minutes. You're welcome...

1. Blow it Away

If you see dust starting to gather in your home, in hard to reach places - grab the hairdryer! If you gently blow away the dust, you'll get that sparkling finish when you wipe over the area with a microfiber cloth! After dusting, a quick once over with the vacuum will ensure a clean, dust-free home between cleans!

2. Heat it up

Did you know that household sponges are a breeding ground for bacteria? Yep, that's right - and you've been using them to wipe over surfaces in your home. A quick way to disinfect your sponges and cloths is to microwave on high for one minute. This way, you know that you're not spreading germs around your home between cleans. Careful, don’t burn your fingers!

3. All you need is five

If you're about to head out to a film or to dinner, and you have a little time to spare beforehand - use it. Set a timer for 5 minutes - there is no limit to the amount you can achieve. Reach for the lint roller and run it over furniture to remove pet hair, or take the time to fluff up the pillows on your sofa and fold the blanket that's sprawled across the armchair. 

4. Phone a friend

There are so many apps out there that have been built specifically to save you time when cleaning your home! In fact, we recently searched high and low to find the best home cleaning apps out there - for both iOS & Android. These apps have so many tips for helping you keep your home clean & organised.

5. Wipe it off

It's a good idea to keep anti-bacterial cleaning wipes in the bathroom, bedroom & kitchen. This way, you keep rooms sanitized and germ free between cleaning visits, by giving areas that are at the highest risk of germs a wipe down. In the bathroom, a quick wipe down of the edge of the bathtub, toilet seat, toilet exterior and door handle will help keep it sparkling & germ free. 

If you have any other 5 minute ideas - tweet us @_housekeep and we'll add them to the list!