Tips for a Quick 10-Minute Clean-up When Expecting Guests
Guests make you question the cleanliness of your home at any point of the year. A planned house party or a Christmas dinner is bound to leave you fumbling over everything to get your home tidy on time. Imagine the scenario where you get a sudden call from unexpected guests saying they'll be showing up on your doorstep in 10 minutes. In this short period, what do you do, and where do you even start with when it comes to getting your home spick and span for your guests to admire? Here's what you can do in 10-minutes that'll have your guests admiring how you manage it all!
Get the Mess Out of Plain Sight
All cleaning experts are against the rule of packing up the mess and stuffing it somewhere in a closet or a drawer. Remember the famous saying, out of sight, out of mind? But, this only adds up to the clean-up time afterward. Sometimes, however, you have to bend the rules for a 10-minute clean-up before the guests are about to arrive. Pick up anything that's out of its place from the visible surfaces. You can walk around with a trash bag for this purpose or even pile the things up in a basket, cabinet, or closet. Don't forget to clean and organize them properly later on, though!
Focus on the Main Areas
Many homeowners start worrying about cleaning their entire home for last-minute guests. The thing is, you only have to focus on the main areas, i.e., the spaces your guests will be spending the most time in. It'll create the perfectly clean home illusion and make the chore easier. Quickly organize the living room, dining room, and bathroom since those are the spaces your guests will be sitting in. For the other rooms, keep the doors closed or turn off the lights; your guests don't need to see them. A piece of advice - NEVER forget to clean up the entryway; most homeowners neglect the very entrance of their home when cleaning up.
Making the Bathroom Spotless
Truth be told, you can make your guests overlook the cluttered mess in every other room of your home except the bathroom. Bathrooms provide the silent, undisturbed environment for a guest to look around while they do their thing. During this time, your guest will notice the dirt and gunk lying around the bathroom. Make the bathroom experience for your guest a comfortable one. Plus, if you can get the bathroom clean in time, at least the areas that can't be hidden, a comfortable bathroom makes for happy guests! Clean the counter and toilet first. Then, you can get to the bathtub or shower area in the end if you've got the time.
Fake It Till You Make It
You may think another homeowner has their life together and a fully organized home; where do they even find the time to do it every day? Here's a secret, most of us don't. So, you don't have to go into chaotic mode each time unexpected guests announce their arrival. Instead, make a disorganized home look more organized by using baskets and organizers. This will make the guests admire your organizing technique and never have them knowing that that's just a pile of random things thrown in one place. Designate a basket or organizer for each room, and anything that doesn't belong, you can put it in the basket for the time being.
Use a Refreshing Scent
We’re back to the art of enchanting your guests with refreshing scents. If you’re looking for a first-time impression of your home that your guests will surely remember, use scents around the house. As a quick trick, this will blow your guests’ socks off as soon as they enter your home. To achieve this, you can use scented candles or a mild air freshener. But, don't go overboard with it. A little goes a long way.
Final Take
So, we established that to make your guests comfortable in a neat home, you don't have to have a clean-up breakdown beforehand. Thus, twist those rules a bit and get them working for you as long as the guests are there. But, always make the time for a proper clean-up when the guests leave.
