Quick Green Cleaning

Oh no! Your mother-in-law just called to say she is coming over for a visit and your house is a wreck. There is no way you can get it cleaned in time. Plus, you are almost out of most your cleaning products. There is no way you can get it all done. Have no fear! You can clean your house quickly with just using these tips and items you have around your house. And it is safe for the environment and your family too! We'll do it room by room together.

Kitchen- Get those dirty dished loaded up in the dishwasher and start it. No dishwasher? Fill you sink with hot, soapy water and soak your dishes. While your dishes are soaking, get started on the bathroom and come back to them after you are done. I'll wait......Done? Good. Wash the dishes up and get them in the drainer to air dry. While they are drying, fill an empty spray bottle with a solution of half vinegar, half water with a couple drops of lemon juice. If you don't have a spray bottle, you can use a bucket and get just dip your cloth into it. Pour a little bit of this solution into a coffee cup and place in the microwave. Turn on for 1-2 minutes. While the microwave is running, spray down the counters, sink, cooktop, and front of the microwave. Using a soft cloth or paper towels, scrub down these areas. When you are done with this, remove the cup from the microwave and wipe it out. Dampen your cloth with some of the solution to get any stubborn spots. For the floor, you only need to give it a quick sweep then spot clean any sticky or noticeable dirty spots. If you have time later, you can put away the clean dishes. But a drainer full of clean dishes is way better than a sink/counter full of dirty ones. Great! Time to move on to the next room.

Bathroom- First put some of your vinegar solution into the toilet. While it is sitting, spray the sink and counter as well as the shower with the solution. Scrub the sink and counter then scrub the shower. If you are really pressed for time and the shower isn't too bad, you can just close the curtain. You can now scrub the toilet with your toilet brush. For the seat and other areas that are hard to clean with the brush, clean with your vinegar solution and a paper towel. You can even use the vinegar solution to clean the mirror. Spray down the mirror than clean with a soft cloth. Make sure all the towels are hung to dry. Unless you floor is noticeable dirt, go ahead and skip it. If it needs to be cleaned, give it the same treatment as the kitchen. Moving on!

Living room- Make sure all tables are clear of clutter. If there are things you cannot put away, make sure you straighten them up and push them to the back of the table. Straight piles of papers look a lot less cluttered than a messy one. Next, dust your tables and electronics. A soft cloth will do for this. You can also very lightly mist it with your solution to make the dust stick better. Not too much though as you do not want to mess up you furniture finish or your electronics. When you are done dusting, make sure that there isn't any pet fur on the furniture. If there is, use a lint roller or a strip of masking tape make into a loop to clean it off. When you are done this, go ahead and do a quick vacuum of the carpet. Next!

Bedrooms- Unless you know that your mother-in-law will go poking in these rooms, just close the doors. If you know she will open the door anyway, make sure the floors are picked up and the bed is made. If the carpet is really bad in these rooms you can go ahead and vacuum. But hopefully a closed door will solve all those problems.

Entryway- If you have an entryway, go ahead and pick up any shoes, bags, and coats. Then do a quick sweep and spot clean of the floor. You are done!

If you would like to go one step further you can take another spray bottle, fill with water, add a tablespoon or so of baking soda, and a couple drops of vanilla extract or essential oil. Shake well. When it is mixed, spray around your house like an air freshener.

If you follow these tips, your home will be clean and smell great in less than 45 minutes. If you really push, you can do it in less than 30 minutes. Good luck!