Spruce-Up Your Home in 30 Minutes or Less!

Have you ever received an unexpected call from a mother-in-law or a friend from work saying that they are going to be dropping by within the hour? Well if you have friends and family members you have had your share of surprise visitors. Sometimes it is ok for a surprise visitor to arrive to your home, however, most of the time it is natural to be unprepared for a surprise visit. Your house may be in shambles and you just don't have the time to power clean it before your visitor arrives. Well there is a way to do a quick 30 minute Spruce-Up to your home before your mother-in-laws sees your daughter's Barbie collection scattered all over the house, or your untidy family room. Just follow these steps are your on your way to a clean home before your guest arrives.

What exactly is spruce-up cleaning? Well we have all heard the expression, "Spruce up the place." Spruce-up cleaning is a light cleaning of surfaces. During this type of cleaning you don't have to get down and dirty to make your house look immaculate, you just have to think and work fast. This is a super easy cleaning process that can be done in 30 minutes or less. Your house can look and smell better before your company rings the door bell.

Manage your time. You have approximately 30 minutes to get your house sparkling clean and you have to know how to manage your time. You have 5 minutes to shine up the bathrooms by cleaning sinks, mirrors, and toilets. You have 5 minutes to get your kitchen shiny by wiping countertops, sinks, and visible appliances. You have 10 minutes or less to vacuum high traffic areas. You have approximately 2 minutes to tidy pillows, fix magazines, and remove any unwanted dishes from sight; and you have 3 minutes to pick up papers, get toys off of the floor and newspapers stacked neatly. Totaling: a complete spruce-up time of 30 minutes.

Get the family to help. If you are by yourself you can expect to spend the entire 30 minute stretch cleaning your butt off. But if you have family members in the home, get them all together and assign them a task. Mom takes the kitchen, kids take the living room, and dad takes the bathroom. Give everyone a task to complete and get it moving. The harder and faster you all work the more time and energy you will save.

Start with the visuals. Start at the front door and work your way through the house. If you see a big mess on the floor, head for it first. The most common mistake is starting with the big things first or the harder tasks. You want to make sure the things that are visible are the first to go, because if you see them, your guest will too. You will want to spend this time straightening magazines, newspapers, toys, rugs, pillows and any other little messes you come across. Spend no more than five minutes of your time doing this.

Get the vacuum running. You don't want to vacuum every little spot of your carpet; you just want to get the high traffic areas. If you see cookie crumbs on the floor make sure to vacuum them up. If your home is small enough to vacuum in it's entirety in 10 minutes or less, then clean it to the fullest. If it is impossible to do your best within this time frame, just hit the spots that need it the most.

Tidy up the bedrooms. You will want to use a 3-step process to get this done. First clean the floors, next make the beds, and last, declutter the dresser tops. If you don't have time to tackle a room, just close the door and ask that no one enters the room while the guests are there. However, if you know that your guest may happen to pass through the room, clean the floors by picking up any clothing, toys, or paper that may be on it. Next make all of the beds. Making the bed makes a room look neat and organized, so don't forget this step. Lastly, get that dresser top looking nice and clean. Jewelry boxes, loose change, perfume bottles and more are more than likely to be located on top of the dresser. Straighten these items up. If there are items that don't belong, move them to another area or inside of a closet. This whole process should not take you more than 5 or 6 minutes tops to do. So get it done fast.

Clean the bathrooms. Get some multipurpose spray and a sponge and get busy. Spray and wipe counter tops, mirrors, and toilets in a flash. If you need to do a quick sweep and wipe down of the floor, do it quickly you only have about 5 minutes to run through this tiny room.

Clean the floors. Sweep the floor quickly and then use a flat microfiber mop to mop the floor. This mop works wonders when used with a mild cleaner for quick mopping. You can spray and mop your floors for a quick clean-up. You should not waist more than 5 minutes of your time doing this.

Freshen up the place. Now is the time to run frantically through the house spraying air fresheners, lighting candles, and dimming lights. You can take these 5 minutes to open the windows and make a warm and inviting atmosphere for your guest to come into. You can also take time out to take a couple deep breathes of fresh air and gain your composure.

Take the last few moments to get yourself cleaned up and refreshed. You will more than likely feel sticky, gooey and tired from sprucing up the place, so prepare yourself. Change your shirt, wash your hands, and if possible, fix your hair. Try to look calm when your guest arrives, even if you are feeling anxiety or stress. Just relax! Your house looks great!

One last tip! You can put together a 30 minute cleaning caddy for those emergency spruce-ups. Get a box, bucket, or laundry basket and fill it with glass cleaner, several Microsoft cloths, a feather duster, trash bags, a flat mop, air fresheners, sponges/scrub pads, and rubber gloves.

I hope that this article will help you God Willing spruce-up your home in 30 minutes or less!