Make Your Home Guest-Ready in Minutes
It never fails, when your home is at its worst, that’s when friends and family want to drop by for a visit. Here is an easy way to quickly clean your house before your company arrives.
When I visit my friend, Cynthia her house always looks so nice. I asked her once how she keeps everything so neat and clean. She laughed and said, “Oh, my house isn’t as clean as you think. It’s just company clean.” She went on to explain that she always makes sure that the areas people see when they walk into her house are clean. She showed me how to company clean your home in minutes. I’ve been using her tips ever since.
In fact, I use this technique on busy weeks when I don’t have enough time to clean my house as thoroughly as I would like. I figure a home that is a little bit clean is better than not being cleaned at all. Right?
Three Easy Steps to Quickly Clean Your House
Step 1 – Gather Your Cleaning Tools
- Laundry basket or a large basket or container for collecting misplaced items.
- Garbage Bag – One large enough to hold all the trash scattered about your house.
- Duster – feather, microfiber or disposable synthetic duster (such as Swiffer brand) or dusting cloth to quickly remove the visible dust.
- Vacuum Cleaner and/or broom – for vacuuming and sweeping traffic areas.
- Cleaning cloths or disposable wipes – for wiping off counters and removing spots on the floor.
- Glass cleaner and paper towels – for cleaning mirrors.
- Toilet bowl cleaner and toilet brush.
Step 2 – Prepare Your Home for Cleaning
Grab your basket and trash bag and start in the first room your guests will see when they walk through the door. Pick up all the trash from this room, put it in the trash bag. If there is a trash can in the room, be sure to empty the trash can too.
Next, put anything that is out of place in the room away. If it is housed in the room, then return it to its proper place. If it belongs in another room, then put it in the basket. You will put all the items that have been collected in the basket back in their correct place once you have finished clearing all the rooms.
When you finish clearing a room, move to the next adjoining area. Continue through the house. Don’t take time to organize and don’t get distracted. You are just clearing the visible areas your guests will see. It may help to set a timer for 5-10 minutes to keep you from spending too much time working in one room.
When you’ve finished the last room, take the trash bag out to the garbage can. Then take your basket of misplaced items and go from room to room returning the items back to their proper places.
Step 3 – Speed Clean Your Home
Remember you are quickly cleaning your house, not spring cleaning. You are only removing the visible dirt so your guests will see a clean house.
Take all of your cleaning supplies, duster, vacuum, etc. to the first room your guest will enter. If it’s the foyer, then that is where you will begin. If your front door opens to the living room, then that is your starting point.
Grab your duster and dust all horizontal surfaces in the room. You are not polishing the furniture, you are just removing the visible dust.
When you have finished dusting, clean any mirrors that are present. Also, fluff any pillows on the furniture. Finally, vacuum the rugs or sweep the floor. Spot clean any dirty areas on the floor, if necessary.
When that room is completed, move on to the next adjoining room and repeat the process. Complete the cleaning steps in each room before beginning your next room. This prevents you from wasting time running back and forth, from one place to another and ensures that the rooms your guests are most likely to see will be clean.
And remember you are not deep cleaning. Don’t move or vacuum under furniture. Don’t try to clean cracks and crevices. Just clean the visible surfaces.
RELATED POST: It’s easier to clean your home when you have less clutter. Check out Five Reasons We Hang on to Stuff & How to Let it Go for tips on decluttering your home.
Additional Tips:
To quickly clean the kitchen – Wash the dishes and clean the sink, remembering to wipe the faucets. Clean the countertops. Wipe off any spots and spills on the stove, microwave, and the fronts of the refrigerator, dishwasher, and oven. Sweep the kitchen floor and shake out kitchen rugs. Spot clean any visible spots on the floor.
Special note about the bathroom – when you clean the bathroom, your guests will be using, wipe the sink and counter, swish the toilet, wipe the toilet seats, and polish the mirror. Then sweep the floor. If needed, spot clean or mop the floor.
Unless your guests are staying overnight, don’t worry about the shower. Just close the shower curtain.
Overnight Guests – If you are having overnight guests, spend a little extra time cleaning the bedroom and bathroom they will be using.
Follow the above steps anytime you need to quickly clean your house. When your guests arrive, your house will look neat and tidy. And you will be able to sit back, relax, and enjoy your time together knowing your home is ‘company clean.’
Do you have any special tips for cleaning your home quickly? I’d love to hear them. Please comment below.
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