I think that we’ve all been there; someone calls and asks to stop over for a quick visit in ten minutes. Why does this always seem to happen right after a busy week when you have not had many opportunities to catch up on the housework? While guests are not unwelcome, your home may not be ready for a visitor. (I do think it’s worth pointing out that your friends should love you no matter the state of your home, but we do like them to feel comfortable and welcome when they enter and the remnants of a pillow fort taking over the living room coach or crumbs from an after school snack littered all over the chairs and table isn’t ideal.) Here are seven speed cleaning tips to give the impression of neatness when you don’t have much time.
Speed Cleaning Tip 1: Grab your new best friend
Get a laundry basket or easy to carry tote or box. While you are moving around the different rooms of your home, use it the laundry basket to help you collect things that are not where they belong. The basket can be stashed in a bedroom or elsewhere and the items inside put away after your visitors leave.
Speed Cleaning Tip 2: Begin in the entry
Since your time is limited, you only want to focus on the areas of your home that your guests will see. Take a minute to put away any coats or shoes that are laying on the floor of the entryway. Straighten the rugs. Add a fresh scent to your home by lighting a candle or giving a quick spritz of your favorite room spray.
Speed Cleaning Tip 3: Kitchen
Spending a few minutes in the kitchen if it is open to the rest of the home is an easy way to make your home feel freshly cleaned. First, stash all of the dirty dishes in the dishwasher or stack them in a plastic tub and put them under the sink. Then grab a rag and wipe down all the countertops, and toss any clutter on the cabinets into your laundry basket. If you’ve got stainless steel appliances, use a microfiber cloth to remove fingerprints. Toss any food that might be sitting out into the refrigerator or pantry and close the doors.
Speed Cleaning Tip 4: Living room
With your rag in hand, head over to the living room next. Here you can do a quick pick up of anything that shouldn’t be in the space and place them in the laundry basket. Straighten pillows, fold blankets, and fix curtains. Use the rag to wipe down any dusty surfaces on coffee tables and tv stands.
Speed Cleaning Tip 5: Bathroom
Next turn your attention to the bathroom guests will use. Wipe down the sink using that rag with some hand soap. Close the shower curtain if you’ve got one in the guest bathroom. (You can hide things that wouldn’t fit in the laundry basket here.) Clean the toilet and make sure that there is a clean hand towel in the room. Empty the trash can into a larger one in your home.
Speed Cleaning Tip 6: Vacuum
If you still have a few minutes before your guests arrive, then do a quick vacuum of the places they will be like the entryway, kitchen, and living room. Focus on vacuuming the open spaces in the room. Better yet, put tip number seven to work and have someone follow behind you to vacuum the rooms you have addressed.
Speed Cleaning Tip 7: Put the family to work
Chances are that you didn’t make this mess all by yourself. Recruit your family members to help pick up things in rooms and tidy up spaces. Even young children are capable of picking up toys and putting pillows back on a couch.
While it may not be perfect, speed cleaning your home before guests arrive is possible. Just don’t forget to tackle that laundry basket of stuff after your guests leave, or, better yet, assign that task to the other members of your household.
