The Guests Are Coming - Quick Home Cleanup Tips

People who know me know I am a chronic slob. It's not something I'm proud of, but there's no use in denying it. Just look around my house, my office, my car, or any other area I frequent, and the evidence is plain to see. The good part is, being a slob doesn't require a lot of work. The downside is, your never ready to receive guests.

Over the years I have become pretty adept at quickly pulling my house in order when I know people are coming over. In a relatively short period of time, I can take the worst of rooms and get it to point that people are not afraid to enter. With a little effort (OK, sometime a lot of effort), and a little discipline, you can do a clean sweep, too.

The first thing to remember is to keep moving. If you spend to much time on detail work early in the process, you will quickly run out of time. Don't let yourself get drawn into looking through the picture album you uncovered. Put it someplace you where you can find it later, and get back to it during a quieter time.

My first step is to unclutter the room. Start with newspapers, magazines, catalogs, loose papers, etc. Be fairly critical when you look at these. If you don't realistically think you will get back to it, throw it away. If it's out of date, throw it away. If it's the fall addition of the catalog, and you also have the Christmas and Spring additions...well, you get the point. If you do decide to keep it, stack it neatly, and find an out of the way place to put it. Remember, you are deciding what to do with it, you're not taking the time to read it. If it was really that interesting, you would have read it already, stop making excuses to stop, and get back to work.

When you come across items that don't belong where they are, put them away. If I come across things and I don't know where to put them, I find an out of the way room (usually my bedroom), that becomes a catch all area. Things I don't know what to do with go there. When I get time later, I'll sort through them (yeah, right).

Next, it's dusting time. End tables, picture frames, window ledges, lamp shades, all collect dust. I use a fleece duster that works great for non-flat, or softer surface. Start high and work your way down. Clear of any flat surfaces and give them a quick dusting. Make sure you also dust of any items before you put them back onto the area you just dusted.

At this point, move on to the next room. Declutter, put away, and dust, then on to the next room. Once you've gotten to all of the rooms you intend to clean, it's time to go back through and vacuum the floors. Make sure you get under things as you vacuum. Move chairs or small items, get under the sofa, etc. Don't forget to get the stairs.

At this point, things should be at a fairly tolerable level. Now you can go back through and spend your remaining time on more detail work. Remember, look for items that will make a noticeable difference. Yes, the refrigerator needs cleaned and the cupboards need organized, but if your guests aren't looking in the cupboards, don't waste your time there now.

It would be easy to say that it's easier to keep it clean than to have to go through major clean-ups when guests are coming, but you and I both know that's not how a slobs mind works. If we kept it clean all of the time, we wouldn't be able to enjoy the amazing transformation when we finally do clean.