How to Prepare for Uninvited Guests in Fifteen Minutes or Less

When the phone rings, announcing that I have uninvited guests on their way to my very messy home, I realize that I need to clean up immediately. Fifteen minutes to prepare for a visitor isn’t long, but it can be done.

The first step is the kitchen, the hub of the home for busy families. Put a pot of coffee on for your guests. Starting it now will allow it to brew while you clean up. The next step is to make sure dirty dishes are in the dishwasher. Don’t have a dishwasher? Place them neatly in the sink. Any overspill can be stacked in the oven until your guests leave your home.

If your home isn’t multilevel, close the bedroom doors. Being a very personal space, bedrooms are allowed to be messy. Closing the doors will hide the mess without worrying taking time to straighten them. If you need to use a bedroom for placing coats, offer to take them yourself. Closing the door afterward can appear a little strange. If your guest ask just tell them you want to keep the cats, dogs, or kids away from them.

Having only one bathroom in my home, it gets dirty pretty quickly. When uninvited guests are on their way, the bathroom can be a time consuming activity. To begin, place the toilet paper on the spindle. Spray a bathroom cleaner into the toilet and the sink. Quickly wipe the worst of the mess out of the sink, taking care to remove any traces of toothpaste and soap scum. Brush out the toilet.

The living room often contains all the things that make our lives more interesting. Unfortunately, televisions, computers, stereos, and bookcases can collect a lot of dust. This however, isn’t the time to worry about dusting. The key is adjust the lighting so that dust isn’t noticeable. Turning on a lamp furthest from where your guests will be sitting is always a good idea. If this isn’t enough light, leave another close-by lamp is on. Make sure that you leave overhead lights off, as they will make the dust stand out.

I understand that this seems impossible. You have to move quickly and efficiently, and you must be able to keep your mind focused on the task at hand. If this is completed in the ways suggested, you will have time to put on a nicer shirt and run a brush through your hair. As you finish, the doorbell will be ringing and the coffee pot gurgling. Time to put a smile on your face and greet your guests!