Tip Tuesday – Clean the House QUICK – Somebody’s Coming.
Well, first of all, if the house isn’t clean, I just keep the blinds closed….or post pictures of it on the internet.
If someone is coming over, and I don’t have much warning, here are my top quick fixes for each room of the house:
Living room - Straighten the cushions and slipcovers. Gather up any stray items and shove them in a drawer or closet, hopefully somewhere the guest will not go.
Kitchen - Wipe the counters quickly and scrape/rinse dishes and put them in the sink. I find the kitchen looks pretty clean if the counters are wiped and the dishes are below countertop level in the sink.
Bathroom – Take a piece of newspaper and buff the mirrors and faucets. Shiny faucets distract from whatever’s growing in the sink or behind the toilet. If you have a little extra time, a Clorox wipe on the counter and top of the toilet and a quick swish with the toilet brush are great too. Throw bath toys, etc. in the tub and close the shower curtain.
Bedroom – Make beds – even if you just sort of smooth the covers and throw the bedspread and pillows on top. Also, clear off the dresser tops (this can be done in a one-handed sweeping motion).
Den – Since this is where I throw all our junk in a quick cleanup situation, I won’t venture to offer hints there.
Solarium, Game Room, Mudroom, Bonus Room, Theatre, Conservatory, Music Room, Library, Pantry, Basement, Pool Room, Attic, Toy Room, Room for Warming Up Cheese (look at the second comment) – Sorry, I’ve got nothin’.
If all else fails (or they appear suddenly), just light a match…. and get a candle going. At least it will smell clean.
How do you trick people into thinking your house is clean when it's not?
How do you clean it quickly and efficently when you have very little time?
posted by Kathryn Thompson at 8:00 AM
5 Comments:
My mom used to have a box and she would just sweep all of our junk into it and throw it in the closet. Oooh-- that's a good one, just throw it all in the coat closet. Just hope no one has coats to hang up.
It's also nice to have one room that is always clean at the front of your house, (sorry DYM, someday) and then only let people come in there. Of course, my one clean room as of late has not been very clean....
11/15/2005 7:14 AM
I love the Clorox wipes in the bathroom too. They clean up fast, smell fresh AND throw away. I also sometimes stack dirty dishes in the dishwasher- literally just stacked not rinsed and put in properly just to get them out of sight. I don't recommend this tactic if the dishwasher is full of CLEAN dishes.
11/15/2005 8:45 AM
I find that if the living room looks perfect, I can fudge from there. If I can manage to swiffer my laminate floor in the kitchen, it also looks like I cleaned everything. You can also just use some lysol to spray a clean smell into the house. If they smell pleasant cleaners, they think you've been productive. :)
11/15/2005 11:25 AM
We yell, "Age pickup!" (or Double Age pickup, if it's really bad) and everyone picks up and puts away 1 object for every year of their age. Of course, this puts the lion's share on me, but who's counting? It also works better when you have a whole slew of kids!
11/15/2005 11:47 AM
I have a friend who is terrified of being caught with dishes in her sink. When people show up unexpectedly, she quickly puts all her dishes in the oven. She has yet to turn the oven on with the dishes inside, but I feel it coming....
11/15/2005 3:17 PM
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