I’m having a Tastefully Simple party tonight.
It’s been on the calendar for about a month. Invitations went out a couple weeks ago. And yet, I left cleaning until the very last moment possible.
I don’t know what it is about procrastination. Is it stressful? Sure. Is it unnecessary? Absolutely. Do I do it all the darned time? Um, yeah.
So today I’m wondering how you get your house company-ready in a hurry. How do you make sure your home is presentable when people are coming over soon – perhaps already in their cars?
The Top 10 Things That Must Be Done When Cleaning My House in a Hurry
- Turn on the attic fan. (Obviously, this only works if I don’t have the heater or A/C on. But it works best when a neighbor is grilling or I’m drying a load of laundry. Don’t ask me to explain. I just know that the clean laundry smell magically makes it way into my house when we turn on the attic fan.)
- Assuming the stars have not aligned and provided natural home fragrance, light some candles.
- Put away things that have places – toys, dishes, dirty clothes. (Please note: I am not saying, nor would I ever say that dirty clothes don’t immediately go into hampers at my house. Nope. Not me.)
- Pick up extra junk that’s laying around the house. Drop it into a laundry basket and stick it in the garage. Wonder why everything can’t just have a place in this tiny, storage-deficient house.
- Get out the Clorox wipes and go to town. Clean the table, the kitchen counters, the bathroom floor, the bathroom sink, and anything else that might be sticky or dusty. Yes, this may include dining room chairs, living room side tables and door knobs.
- Get out the lint roller and go to town. (Especially important during the winter. When people wear coats. And you want to put them on your bed. Where the cats sleep.) Wonder why I have cats.
- Fold up blankets and arrange on couches to cover scratches. Wonder about the cats again.
- Look around for obvious messes – Cheerios in the couch, cat hair under the couch, milk spills, cobwebs in the corners, smudges on the white trim. Deal with them.
- Vacuum if I have time. Yes, using a Dustbuster qualifies.
- Stop at least 10 minutes before expected arrival time. Stop sweating. Reapply deodorant and lipstick. Get a drink. Answer the door. (Wonder why some people still think it’s acceptable to arrive early?)
So, let me have it. What’s your last-minute cleaning routine? (Readers who routinely deep clean their houses and actually do have a place for everything need not apply. Thank you.)
Gotta run. There are candles to light and blankets to toss artfully arrange on the couches.
This post is linked to OhAmanda’s Top Ten Tuesday, and the lovely candle photo is by FotoDawg.
Count me in. Last minute cleaning is my middle name (sheesh, that's a long name.) I use the Fly Lady method. I set my timer for 10 minutes per room and hit the living room, bathroom, and kitchen. This ensures not spending too much time in one room and totally neglecting another. I shut all the other doors :)
In my house, I am known as the Queen…of procrastination! I am so with you. I don't have company coming tonight but after reading your list, I feel compelled to do something! After I finish reading Top Ten lists…
Shove everything into my husband's office and shut the door. If it accidentally gets opened, blame the mess on him. Kidding, well, sort of. (:
Wish I were there to party with you!
Oh, good grief! I have no idea how I just posted the same comment four times. Are you using a multiplier gadget to up your comments? (: So sorry!
I just LOVED this post. I laughed through it the whole way – TOTALLY relating to it. I do a terrified run-through of my house with this insane amount of energy when people are coming over – and just do surface stuff otherwise. But that's changed slowly over the summer… Getting better about seeing the clutter – the mess – the dirt – and taking care of it.
I have a bible study at my house every other week. And yes, that day sneaks up on me as far as cleaning goes. :)
So in a pinch, I dust and vacuum the living room, which is the room we use, I clean up the bathroom that they will use. I close all the other doors,so they cant see the messy bedrooms. I try to clean the kitchen, but if I dont have time, I set the coffee table in the living room with the coffee, cups, snack, napkins, etc, so that they don't have to actually see the kitchen.
I do the same thing you do with the laundry basket, only it goes in my bedroom, along with the other stuff that has no home.
Then, while I am cleaning my counters with this really smelly (in a good way) stuff that makes the whole house smell clean, I give one little boy the swiffer and one little boy the windex.
No, my kids can't do either chore efficiently, but that's the plan… When I see that smudged window or the dog hair floating around, I say "Oops – the kids didn't get it all…"
ACK!! You cannot cannot cannot do weight watchers with Tastefully Sinful!! Good tasting….really bad for you. Check out Tosca Reno and Eat Clean stuff. Please, we want you around for a very very long time!!
I, too, am queen of the delayed cleaning. Remember: dull women have immaculate homes.
For some reason, I figure all sins are forgiven as long as the bathroom is clean. That's why I've pledged my undying love to Clorox wipes. Those things are magic!
Last minute clenaing routine? Gather all the toys and throw them in the kids room and vacume. Oh and then Febreeze! :D
Must share this…
I had a Mary Kay party for a friend back in July and was scrambling like you. I decided to let the kids get out of my hair. Um, I mean "help me." So I gave them my Febreeze Dusting Polish, and sent them out on the porch with the 6 dining room chairs to remove any spaghettios…I mean dust…on the chairs.
Turns out, when you use spray polish outside on your front porch, it turns the floor of said porch into an ice rink. We had to post someone outside as guests were arriving to warn them that they had a huge potential to fall flat on their faces.
Sigh. At least I remembered to throw away my huge cleaning to-do list before the guests arrived! lol
Hey girl, or the last few minutes realize that things don't have to be perfect, put a smile on your face and ENJOY your friends. YAY!
I always think bathroom, if I have to clean anything :)
So, how'd the party go?
Thanks, Anonymous…but actually it's pretty easy to use Tastefully Simple products and stay within my WW points. I used low-fat mayo and sour cream with the mixes – presto! Better for me dips, just like that!
Christie, I LOVE your thumbnail pic! :D I too am an HP geek and proud of it. :) I hope you'll join me in pressuring Mary to read them since she still hasn't! ;)
I always just pull the shower curtain closed to magically make any dirt in there go away. My mother used to hate this b/c she said people could just open it (maybe she actually wanted me to clean it too), but I figure if someone is that nosey, shame on them.
Sarah L.
I totally and completely hide things. Yep. That's my only tip. And also a reason I don't host a lot of parties. I DO host Bible studies, though, but those people can't judge me… at least they say they aren't…
ok… you have enough time to CHECK FOR SMUDGES ON THE TRIM?!?! who does that?! :-)
i totally hide things too. we have an ebay room, so mostly everything goes in there. although there's so much stuff in there right now that it now goes in our room. ugh. i need to get rid of some stuff!
mmmm… i love tastefully simple "oh my chai"!
i need to take a moment. excuse me…
Fantastically honest, and real. It is so refreshing to hear that finally someone admitted to not being a robo-babe! We see so much of the perfect (such pressure,lol) in blogs. While I love seeing the amazing often times flawless homes,projects,et al. It is with huge relief to know that at times we all have our moments. Loved this post. Thanks for keeping things real ;)
Elise
Yep, 3 cats! Wonder the same thing. Have a dog who likes to eat things like, oh, say, NEW CARPET! Lint rollers? I use tape. Closets…God blessed me with lots of random closets because I grab all the Wal Mart bags I recycle back to them. I grab everything that’s everywhere and start filling bags. Then those bags get shoved into random closets and at some point I start going thru them. Like a year later. I don’t have an attic fan. (I just typed attack fan but changed it LOL). My mom told me about the Clorox wipes, but I keep forgetting to buy them and when I do remember they aren’t on sale and I won’t buy them w/out them being on sale AND having a coupon (preferrably one that’s not expired). I do a LOT of talking on the front porch when people show up unexpectedly. They should know better. *grin*
~Mimi @ Woven by Words