January 23, 2008 | Cleaning tips

The dinner party is scheduled. The menu is done, the guests are invited. But oh no! What about the house? Good Housekeeping pointed out 5 things that guests notice that make your home look messy. Handle these 5, and no one has to know about the dust swept under the rug!

1. Piles of mail - hide them, recycle or trash them, do what you must, but get them off the counter.
2. Dust bunnies and cobwebs - look up, look down. Use a broom or dampened feather or wool duster to get the cobwebs down. For the dust bunnies, grab your hand vac and get rid of ‘em!
3. Messy bathroom - make sure the bathroom your guests will be using is clean before they come. A quick swish of the toilet, wipe of the sink, and swipe of the mirror will do wonders. All the better if your cleaning solution has some lavender essential oil or something else that smells heavenly and clean. If you have time, add a bud in a vase or some decorative soaps - voila!
4. Dishes in the sink - move them to the dishwasher before your guests arrive. A quick wipe of the sink and faucet will make your sink shine and add to the clean look.
5. A full trash can - I never thought about this before, but how right it is! A room always looks nicer if the trash can is empty, and when guests open your pantry or wherever your trash can is, you’ll seem so on top of things if the waste bin is empty.

That’s What Works for Me. Head over to Shannon’s place for more helpful tips!

RSS feed for comments on this post.

The URI to TrackBack this entry is:
http://broomhuggers.com/2008/01/23/wfmw-quick-prep-for-guests/trackback/

1. SAHMmy Says says:

   
   

   Great tips–all definitely on my shortlist for quick cleanup! Another benefit of taking the trash out is that it helps freshen up the air in your home!

   January 23rd, 2008 at 5:52 pm

2. Jendeis says:

   
   

   Good tips! I’ll use these for the houseguest coming tomorrow!

   January 24th, 2008 at 12:24 pm

3. Totallyscrappy says:

   
   

   Great quick tips! I also make sure the litter box is clean, the coffee table and tv are dusted, the dishrag and dishtowel are fresh and the foyer is swept.
   Phew!

   January 24th, 2008 at 11:33 pm

4. Allie says:

   
   

   These are great!

   I like to make sure I do a little cleaning at the same time of day that I’m expecting people. Windows that look clean at night don’t always during the day and vice versa, etc. So if I’m having people over at night, I like to go through the night before and take a look at everything.

   January 25th, 2008 at 4:48 pm

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website