Clean Your House Quickly When Company is on the Way!
1. Pick It Up and Stash It
Grab a laundry basket and make a quick dash through the main rooms in your home visitors will see. Skip the bedrooms, laundry room, dining room and any other areas you don’t entertain guests in. (On the way by, close the doors to all unused rooms.) Pick up any out-of-place items you find and place them in the laundry basket. Then, stash the laundry basket in a closet or in a bedroom.
2. Run a Sweeper Across the Floors
To clean your house quickly when company’s on the way, you’ll need to grab your vacuum cleaner. Dirt, dust, pet hair, even lint usually shows up on carpets and rugs and that can make your home looking dirty and unkept. If your vacuum cleaner has a bare floor setting, that’s even better yet. Because, you can run it over the carpet, as well as many bare floor areas, without needing to get a broom and dustpan out.
If your vacuum sweeper’s heavy and clunky, or you don’t even have time to get it out and plug it in, then hopefully you have an alternative. Either you have a SwifferÃ?® CarpetFlick, a battery-operated broom stick, or a manual, non-electric carpet cleaner (like our great-grandmothers used to use!). All three of these cleaning machines are fast and easy to use. They can’t replace the effectivness of a vacuum cleaner, but they will pick up lint, pet hair and other noticeable dirt from the floor.
Quickly fluff and straighten any throw pillows you may have on your furniture, and stack up magazines in piles. Then, spray three or four paper towels with Windex�® and head off to the main bathroom area.
3. Spend Sixty Seconds in the Bathroom
The next step in how to clean your house quickly when company’s on the way is to take a quick look around the main bathroom. If the counters are cluttered with personal care products, toss them in a drawer. Then, use the paper towels to wipe off soiled mirrors, countertops, et cetera. To make your cleaning go even faster, follow this rule of thumb: “If you don’t see dirt or grime, then don’t wipe it off!”
Spray the toilet bowl with an air freshener and put a few mists into the air. Grab the trash can and dump it, and you’re finally done with the bathroom.
Note: I never burn candles in my bathroom because of pets and kids. But, if you do, you can skip the air freshener and light an attractive-smelling candle instead. Candles are really more effective at removing unwanted odors from your home anyhow.
It’s a good idea to light several candles throughout your home to make it more clean-smelling and appealing to your company’s noses.
4. Straighten Up the Kitchen
Last, but certainly not least, straighten up the kitchen by removing items that are cluttering up the countertops. Dirty dishes can be hidden inside your dishwasher. If you’re not blessed with a dishwasher, then you can slide them into your oven. Or, place them in a sudsy sink full of dishwater.
Then, grab the dish cloth and quickly wipe off the countertops, stove and table.
In just a few minutes, your house has been quickly cleaned and you’re ready for the company that’s on their way to arrive!
