I always love it when people drop by to visit, but I appreciate when they give me a bit of warning. I also live with two small tornadoes also known as the Princess and the Pixie so when I get a call that someone is going to be popping over, I go into full tidy mode trying to get my home to look somewhat presentable! Here are some tips put together by Thekitchn that will help me, and hopefully you, next time you catch yourself strapped for time when company is on it’s way.
- First things first. Shove the suitcase — and whatever else will fit — under the bed. That’s what dust ruffles are for. Just make sure you don’t push so many things under there that they come out on the other side.
- Replace dish towels in the kitchen and hand towels in the bathroom with clean ones. Bonus Points: Spray them with starch so it looks like you ironed them.
- Run a Swiffer over hardwood floors and pick up the visible chunks from any rugs. Make sure your dog does a run through of the kitchen to clean up any bits of food. Alternate Plan: Have small children slide across hard floors with socks, then toss the socks in the hamper so they don’t carry the dust all over the house.
- Speaking of rugs, no matter how small, use rug tape or rubber mats to keep them in place. If you haven’t done that yet, straighten them before guests arrive. (But get the rug tape, so you can skip this step forever!)
- Wipe down surfaces in the kitchen and bathroom with something that smells clean, but not like a cleaning product. I adore Mrs. Meyer’s basil scent.
- Keep nice smelling hand soap in your bathroom. Wash your hands to infuse the bathroom with a lovely scent. Bonus: You will know which guests are hand washers by the smell when they exit the bathroom. But… all your friends are hand washers, right? Right.
- If you are a stacker — you know who you are, because there are books strewn on the ottoman, bills tossed on the counter and unopened mail discarded by the front door — make neat piles. Look at any fancy catalog and you’ll find artfully stacked piles of junk on every surface. Channel your inner stylist; even a bowl of paper clips can look chic with the right accessories. Put a rock and a shell on that stack of bills. Throw the toys in a pretty basket. (When our children were younger, we had a basket in every room.)
- Turn the lights down and don’t worry about it. Your guests are there to see you, not evaluate your cleaning skills!
I’m not sure how I feel about tip #1 but the others sound pretty straight forward. I guess that’s my issue though, I hate when “cleaning” means moving the mess from one spot to another.
How do you get your place ready for company? Dishes in the oven? Dirty clothes in the bathtub? Share with us in the comments below, and check out the full article at thekitchn.com
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