apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I wish my husband and I were the types people who always keep the house neat and tidy. Our friends and family know they need to call ahead first because we have to do a mad-dash kind of clean up around here first! Steps 1-9 and up taking us a couple of hours; we're still working on #10!

before the guests arrive i have a glass of wine to take away the pre-party jitters. i always love the idea of a get-together until the day before when it morphs into all out panic that has me fantasizing about calling everyone to cancel with tales of my suddenly coming down with ebola.
my house is always neat so i don't freak out on that end. but because i am polish, there MUST be food, and i don't mean chips, i mean real food. so i guess panicking, cooking and drinking are my real pre-guest priorities.

Sprinkle some carpet deodorizer before vacuuming. Baking soda will remove odors but a scented carpet deodorizer will make your home smell fresh and clean, even if it isn't.

Any info available about that GREAT piece of art that illustrates this post?

The artist is Banksy but it's probably not available for purchase, I think it was done on an outdoor wall.

The work of art is by famed graffiti artist Banksy.

The music's pretty important, eh?

We add a little essential oil (lavender is always nice to calm ourselves down before guests arrive!) to the baking soda before sprinkling it on the carpet. You get the freshness from the baking soda lifting out the smell, plus the added touch of light scent without the fakey floral scent of prepackaged room fresheners. We sprinkle it on all the carpets and let it sit as long as possible (an hour is usually best, but even a few minutes helps!), and then while we wait for that to work its magic, we run around tidying things up, shoving things into the garage to be dealt with on another day, and lighting candles around the house. We also make sure to light every light in almost every room. Once the guests arrive, you can turn some of the ones you don't need off, but it's important for their arrival that they feel you are welcoming them in and they aren't just interrupting you. It's a subliminal way of say "We've been looking forward to this." :) Plus, homes always look better when they are lit up. I do home staging, and the most important rule I tell clients is, "Leave ALL your lights on!" It's a subtle extravagance that sends the message to your guests you are willing to indulge for them.

If I have 20 minutes I hide all clutter, sweep like a madwoman, and make sure the bar is set up. I agree with the post that wiping down the kitchen and bathroom is crucial too.

I have a beer while I'm doing all of these things, and then it feels a little more like the party has already started :)

Emily

Since for the most part my place is reasonably tidy it's never a real big issue when I need to suddenly go through the place and pick up, the biggest thing is make sure the kitchen and bathroom are at least presentable and by that I mean, wipe down the counters, take out the garbage and recyclables if at all possible and do a quick wipe of the stove and eyeball the kitchen/bathroom floors, damp mop or hit the hand vac around the edges to get the hairs that have fallen and accumulated.

Clean the sink, toilet, straighten everything up and close the shower curtain if my bathtub is a disgrace, I shut the shower curtain and deal with that later and ensure all the dirty clothing is INSIDE the hamper that resides in the bathroom and make sure the TP roll is on it's hanger and the rest put away if just purchased.

In my bedroom, depending on what's up or even if I SHOULD worry about it, straighten up the bed, pick up and put/stash away until they leave or when you can deal with it.

Unless really necessary, do a quick dusting and vacuuming but otherwise, if not done, so be it, I'd rather have the place looking picked up, even if dusty as long as it also appears to be sanitary. :-)

Now if I have albums leaning against the table where the turntable resides, CD's stacked, I'll just tidy up quickly and make it look less cluttered and call it good.

Usually it never takes me more than 15-30 minutes depending on what's up. Now if I have stacks of dirty dishes, the very least I have, time depending is restack so they at least are more neat and just not show the guests the kitchen and wash later when I have time since I don't have a dishwasher.

That Banksy piece used to be on a wall near Chalk Farm station in Camden, but the council painted over it a year or two ago....

London, that is...

Simplest way is to keep your home clean. Other than a spritz of my favorite fabric and air freshener here and there, guests could arrive at my home unannounced - though that is never a good idea - and I wouldn't be embarrassed in the least.

It's simple:

Put it away after you are done with it.
Clean up the kitchen every night before bed.
Make your bed every morning.
If you have pets or children, sweep and/or vacuum two times a week.
If you are a pack rat, look to baskets and other containers to conceal your junk.
Do a good dusting at least once a week.

It's far easier to keep on top of it through the week than have to spend brain power worrying and makes quicker work of the regular weekly cleaning.

I do #9 & 10 in about 2 minutes while my friends wait by the door...hey its their fault they dropped by unannounced!

If I have at least a days notice I will normally kill all the heat and open the windows. It might get cold as hell, but in my experience winter months can leave a place a bit musty, and letting it all air out while you clean can get rid of those little odors that you can't smell anymore.

I keep my place pretty clean most of the time as is, so normally it just takes a quick vacuum, make the beds/couches, and do a round of dishes to be pretty presentable.

Before anyone came over my mom would always put a sauce pan on low and filled it with water, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. Made the whole house smell amazing!

Pretty much the same things, except I'll also open window treatments and turn on most of the lights. No one likes feeling like they're visiting a cave.

Oh, and if I have it (and I usually don't), I'll pop some chocolate chip cookie dough in the oven.

Kelly
http://tearinguphouses.blogspot.com