Freshen up four rooms in a flash

Cruise through the kitchen

"If your kitchen is disorganized, the prospect of cooking can be overwhelming," says Julie Morgenstern, author of Shed Your Stuff, Change Your Life. Morgenstern recommends clearing the clutter with these easy steps:

1. Clean out your pantry and refrigerator of any scary and/or ancient condiments, cheeses, produce or poultry.
2. Recycle all but the most uniform, matching set of plastic containers you've accumulated over the years. Really, how many do you need?
3. Weed through your utensil drawer and toss the rusty, bent or basically useless items that get in the way every time you're hunting for your best spatula.
4. Go through your cookbooks and select six that are the best bet for quick, simple seasonal meals and put them out. Store the rest and sell or donate the ones you no longer use.

Be a demon in the den

"The more knick-knacks you have, the longer it will take you to dust and clean them," says Dana Korey, owner of Away With Clutter located in San Diego, California. In fact, according to the national Soap and Detergent Association, getting rid of excess clutter will eliminate 40% of housework in the average home. With that in mind, Korey suggests a den do-over. Follow Korey's de-cluttering tips:

Throw out all magazines that are more than two months old. "You'll never have time to read them and you can find much of the information on the magazine's website anyway," says Korey.

Gather together all the books you're done reading and donate them or sell them on Amazon, eBay or craigslist.

Take stock of the kids' toys by asking them if they still like playing with them. If not, rather than letting them become dust collectors -- donate them. "You'd be surprised how much kids are willing to let go of if you ask," Korey explains.

Bombard the bedroom

Mary Findley, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Cleaning, says that cluttered bedrooms are a breeding ground for dust and mold. To do a basic bedroom clean-up:

Round up stray books and magazines and put them into stackable tote trays or baskets. "You can always sort them later on a rainy day," says Findley.

Put on a pair of clean, old white cotton tube socks and spray them with your favorite wood treatment product. Work across the furniture with the right hand circling counterclockwise and the left hand clockwise.

Vacuum the floor then spray with straight, food grade distilled white vinegar to kill mold spores and discourage dust mites.

Blitz the bathroom

You're psyched. You're equipped. You're armed with the best mildew remover known to man. Neil Wertheimer, editor-in-chief of Fresh Home magazine, has these speedy solutions to cleaning a bathroom in no time flat.

• Gather together the bathroom laundry and get a load going while you do your other cleaning.
• Spray bowl cleaner inside the toilet bowl. Spritz all-purpose cleaner on the toilet rim, toilet seat, countertop and sink. Sprinkle bathtub cleaner in the tub. While the cleaning solutions are cooking, empty the trash basket into a plastic bag.
• Start scrubbing the inside of your toilet bowl and then wipe down the counter, sink, toilet exterior and toilet rim. Scrub and rinse the tub. Spray all-purpose cleaner on the shower walls and wipe them down. An important safety note: Rinsing the tub first prevents mixing two cleaners in the tub, a no-no you want to avoid.
• Mop the floor while backing out of the room and go straight to the laundry room to toss the clean towels into the dryer.

Karen Leland is the bestselling author of seven books, including the recently released Time Management in an Instant: 60 Ways to Make the Most of Your Day. She is the co-creator of the Productivity Pad™ product line and a columnist for The Huffington Post. Karen has written for Women's Day, Self, The Los Angeles Times and others. She can be reached at www.timetamer.com.