Speed Cleaning 101

Have you ever received that phone call from a friend or relative telling you they are coming for a visit and they will be there in an hour? If so, you may have been overcome with total panic. Panic no more! Here is a guide to help you succeed in speed cleaning. Grab a glass of tea, sit back, and read and find out how you can make your home company ready with speed cleaning.

First thing to remember is this is not spring cleaning or deep cleaning. This is speed cleaning. You will mainly be spot and surface cleaning. First thing you will need to do is get you a trash can and a few extra bags and a couple of laundry baskets.

Step 1: Gather up all trash out of every room, or at least every room your guests will be in. I have found that trash and clothes seem to be the most clutter you have to deal with. Once you have gathered all trash refill all trash cans with new bags. Be sure and check bedroom trash cans and bathroom trash cans, along with the kitchen trash cans.

Step 2: Using one of the laundry baskets gather all dirty clothes in every room (or, once again, just the rooms that will be visible to your guests). Gather them up and take them to your laundry room. If your laundry room is piled high this is not the time to sort the laundry and clean this room. This room will just have to wait. If it is a room that guest will see then maybe just make neat piles as best you can and remove trash from this room. Neat clutter is better than messy clutter until you can deal with the actual clutter.

Step 3: Using the next laundry basket put all items that do not belong in the room you are working in. When it is full lay aside until you have time to put all the items away.

Step 4: Kitchen Duty! If your dishwasher is full of clean dishes then unload the clean and load the dirty dishes. If dishes in dishwasher are dirty and you have a stack of dirty dishes in the sink then find a cookie sheet and put all dirty dishes in the pan and stick in oven. This is a quick problem solver when you do not have the time to wash all of the dishes or wait for the dishwasher to finish. Just don't forget that you have dishes in your oven and turn it on!

Step 5: Surface and Spot Cleaning: Vacuum just the middle of the rooms where guest will be. This will take care of any dirt and crumbs that are easily visible. If you have the time dust the same way. Spot clean your floors. Just get a wet rag and go around the floor and just wipe off any visible spills or dirt.

Light a candle, sit and breathe!

Remember this is speed cleaning! Doing the most you can in the shortest amount of time you can. Now we all want our home to be company ready all of the time, but the reality is for most of us it isn't. I do highly recommend Flylady. She is awesome and her program does work if you work it!

My hope is that you find this speed cleaning list helpful the next time you find yourself with company coming and your house isn't company ready.