You’ve found yourself in a situation where your house looks like a mess and you’ve got friends or family coming over in fifteen minutes. How do you use the next ten to fifteen minutes to make the maximum impact in making it look like you have a clean and tidy home? We’ve put together this list of steps which you can work through. They’re in order of importance so don’t worry if you don’t manage to get through all of them, you’ll still get through the most important ones first.
Prepare Your Equipment
Spend a minute or two gathering your equipment and getting organised, this will ensure that you can quickly and effectively get through each task without wasting time wandering around looking for things.
You’ll need:
- Air freshener spray, mist or a scented candle/melt pot
- Large basket, box or bag
- Handheld vacuum cleaner or broom
- Cleaning wipes or a damp cloth and cleaning spray
- Dishwasher or a sink full of soapy water.
Get The Air Smelling Good
Nothing puts guests off a home quicker than a strange smell or odour in your home, so get this out of the way first. Open up some windows and doors to get air movement through your home and give each room a quick spray of air freshener. Alternately, light a candle or melt pot in your main living room or kitchen.
You could also throw come cookie dough into the oven and you’ll fill your home with a freshly baked fragrance and you’ll have freshly baked cookies for your guests.
If you’ve got a few extra minutes, put on a simmer pot to fill your house with a homely aroma.
Get Rid Of The Clutter
Next, grab your large basket, box or bag and go around the main living areas and kitchen (anywhere your guests may go) and put anything which is lying around, out of place or just generally cluttering up your house into the basket. Don’t worry about packing them away for now, just get them into the basket and find a place to store the basket until they’ve left.
Once your guests have left, you can work on these simple rules to de-clutter your home.
Clean Up The Bathroom
If your guests are coming over for any period of time or have had a long drive, they’ll likely need to use your bathroom. Give your bathroom sink and counter a quick wipe, make sure that there is enough toilet paper and hand soap and give the toilet a quick flush. If you’ve got a toilet fizzy or some toilet cleaner handy, a quick squirt around the rim will help to freshen it up.
Clean Up The Living Room
This is probably where your guests will be spending most of their time. You’ve already got rid of the clutter and freshened up the air, now give the surfaces a wipe and quickly vacuum or sweep the main areas around the coffee table and walkways. A cordless vacuum cleaner is really handy to keep your home clean and tidy if you lead a busy lifestyle.
Fold any throws or blankets and put them into the cupboard or hang them neatly over the back of the couch.
Straighten any books or magazines and put them in a neat pile in the middle of the coffee table or on the shelf underneath the coffee table.
Sweep or Vacuum The Entrance
Give your home’s entrance a sweep or vacuum and wipe up any shoe prints or dirt spots on the floor.
Clean The Dishes
By now your home should be fairly clean and tidy. If you’ve got a minute or two to spare then pack the dishes into the dishwasher or give them a wash in the sink. Stack them neatly on the drying rack and then give your kitchen surfaces a wipe.
If you’ve got a pile of dishes and really don’t have time to clean them. Stack them neatly and put them into the refrigerator or oven, this way they’ll be out of sight. Just don’t forget that they’re in there.
If you’ve worked your way through the whole list then your house should now be guest ready. Now get yourself ready as well, you don’t want to be flustered when they arrive.
Have you got any tricks to quickly clean up and make it look like you’ve got a tidy home? Let us know in the comments section below.
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