Speed Cleaning – Making a Cleaning Apron

Speed Cleaning, by Jeff Campbell and the Clean Team, advocates the use of a cleaning apron.  OK, “advocates” is not a strong enough word.  Per Chapter 2, page 9, “Nothing makes sense in this [house cleaning] system without an apron.  It saves more time than all the other products combined.  It carries the supplies and tools that allow you to ‘walk around the room once and you’re done.’  If you’re mad at having to wear one, especially with all this stuff packed into it and dangling from it, go ahead and have your tantrum.  Then get over it.  Wear it when cleaning – start to finish.”

When I tried the method years ago, I didn't use an official cleaning apron.  I found an old apron with pockets and wore it for a while, but it didn't have the loops to carry the cleaning liquids, and it didn't have enough pockets for the tools and supplies I needed.  So even though I wore the apron, it didn't save me the time and steps to get items I needed that I didn't have pockets (or loops) for.  Eventually I quit wearing it.

Not this time.  Here’s how I made my own cleaning apron:

1.  I used a denim apron I already owned.  I chose the denim because a) I already had scrap denim to make more pockets, and b) I already had a heavy duty needle and blue thread on my sewing machine from patching a pair of my husband’s pants.

2.  I sewed the existing pocket (10 x 6.5) into three separate pockets (2.5, 2.5 and 5) for smaller tools like the scraper and the toothbrush.

3.  I cut a new pocket out of scrap denim, finished the edges and sewed it below the original pocket.  Finished measurement was 16 X 7.5, creating two 8 X 7.5 pockets.

4.  I cut a six inch length off each of the ties to make the loops for the cleaning liquid bottles.  With the apron on, I pinned the loops in the place that would be most convenient for me to carry, grab, and replace the cleaning liquids. I securely sewed them on.  

Done in about 45 minutes!  The photo shows the tools recommended in the Speed Cleaning method – in their proper places in the apron.  On to cleaning….