How to Quickly Get Rid of Clutter Prior to Showing Your House

You've just hung up the phone and are in a frenzied panic. You only have an hour to get the house perfectly clean before the showing. How in the world are you going to get it all done?

One of the most stressful aspects of trying to sell your house is keeping it clean. Ideally, your house should stay clean in anticipation of showings. Reality dictates that it won't and clutter can appear everywhere as if by magic.

Clutter is one of the hardest things to stay on top of. Cleaning it isn't as easy as dusting furniture or vacuuming the floors because Junior's toys have migrated from his bedroom to every single room in the house. Who has time to move toys and other clutter around when prospective buyers are due in less than an hour?

The only way to survive the stressful removal of clutter is to think outside the box. You don't have time to organize the toys in Junior's room. They might, however, fit in the empty clothes dryer (temporarily, of course).

I have lots of experience with moving and have found these techniques to be helpful when working against the clock.

Use plastic storage bins.

Have several stackable empty storage bins on hand to be used as last minute de-cluttering vessels. Whether you store them in the basement or the garage, they'll make speed-cleaning a cinch. When you're rushed, gather everything that's out of place and dump it in.

Fragile items are best stored in plastic bins. including dirty dishes if you don't have time to clean the kitchen.

Use large trash bags for quick de-cluttering.

Store an empty, large plastic trash bag in every room of the house for quick de-cluttering. If you're in a rush, use each room's trash bag as an easy solution to cleaning clutter. The filled bags can be stored anywhere, then emptied at your convenience. Be sure to return the bags to their rooms for the next round of speed cleaning.

Use uncommon stashing locations for everyday clutter.

You can temporarily stash clutter in uncommon locations: an empty washer and dryer, an empty dishwasher, dresser drawers, under furniture, behind hanging clothes in the closet, etc.

All it takes is a little imagination to find other uncommon, time-saving, temporary clutter solutions unique to your home. You might actually look forward to showings and the cleaning challenges they present.

SOURCE: Personal experience.