Over the weekend, we were at a friend's house hanging out. A few text messages, a few phone calls and suddenly, an impromptu party with guests on their way over. Yikes! We ran around the house, trying to make it look presentable before the door bell rang. Our tips, after the jump.
Clear the clutter: Yup, this is the time to break out the paper bag and shove everything that's out, and not supposed to be out, into it. You can deal with it later (don't forget or you may find your phone turned off). Stow it in a closet, under the bed, anywhere that's outta site.
French bath your house: Light a candle, spritz some air freshener, cut open a few lemons, boil up some cloves and cinnamon on the stove.
Dustbust: Attack the carpet, the couch and the bathroom floor.
Fluff the couch pillows: Plump them up and arrange them.
Check your entryway: First impressions count so spend an extra minute here.
Clean the sinks: In the kitchen, load the dishwasher or wash the dishes and leave them to dry. In the bathroom, wipe out the basin and clean the counter.
Make the bed: Fluffing the pillows and folding up the blanket at the foot of the bed fakes a made bed.
Preen yourself: If you look neat, your guests will think your home is too.
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Comments (22)
this is hilarious!! but love it =)
All in that precise order??!
Closing your bedroom door can also hide a lot of stuff ;)
That chandelier makes everything look great.
Turn off the heat, fling open the windows and doors to give a good airing out. Wipe down the counters, coffee table, table and credenza. Boil up the orange peels and put cloves and cinnamon in it. Say no to air poisoners!
You forgot one very important step:
Don't have a 3 year old who follows you around, un-doing all of your doing. And don't, in a last-ditch attempt to distract him, set him down with some popcorn to watch a movie. Unless, of course, you want popcorn pieces all over your just-vacuumed floor and the DVD's strewn across the couch.
I JUST did this yesterday!!! I had some friends over for brunch and had a few random piles of mail and papers; all of which got scooped up and tossed in an empty drawer, and they were none the wiser of my mess. Now... it's just a matter of going back and dealing with the drawer!
Fire Wife Katie: too funny!!
It's posts like this that make me love AT all the more...
That said i have 2 large boxes under the bed & 3 bins in the basement of stashed stuff that I will go thru 'once the friends have left' .... Plus if my roommates knew the amount of stuff i hide in their room when they are out of town & I have friends over it would get ugly....
side note; bathtubs & ovens make great emergency stash spots - just be sure to remove whatever you have stashed there BEFORE you attempt to use the space for its intended purpose.
Most important one in my apartment: run the vacuum. Just the middle of the rooms; don't worry about getting corners and edges and under everything.
I think that pic would look a lot cleaner without the hideous cluttered bulletin board.
heatherdazy-that's how you know the cleanness was a quick fix and not a way of life.
I say clean the bathroom. They'll forgive a pile of mail on the coffee table, etc., but the bathroom really gives it (your secret slothful ways) away if it's dirty.
In my place, that hideous cluttered bulletin board would be an organizational masterpiece.
Clear surfaces and a made bed are my trick... a quick sweep of cat hair and dog hair off the floor helps too.
Word!
Also it's a good trick yourself into cleaning too, because sometimes when you start on your quick cheats, momentum has started, and before you know it you have cleaned up properly.
I think the cluttered board is the secret. It's contained chaos, and if you notice it, you may be distracted by any other messes near by.
Er I mean distracted from other messes..
The last time we had surprise guests, I took the big pile of recyclables from the entryway, shoved it in the shower and pulled the curtain. I've also hidden dirty dishes in the oven. Not long-term solutions, obviously, but in a pinch... :)
My top priorities:
1. Clear all surfaces (coffee table, tops of bookshelves, dining table, desk) & wipe them down with a damp sponge or towel.
2. Open the windows for some fresh air
3. Put a fresh hand towel in the bathroom; wipe down bathroom counter; sweep bathroom & kitchen floors
4. Clear the kitchen counter, put away clean dishes, wash dirty ones or at least rinse & pile neatly in the sink if there's not time to wash
5. Make the bed, put away any clothes laying around the bedroom
I vacuum if I have more time, but if there's a half hour or less, I'd rather do the other things on my list well. Just regular tidying... :)
UmAnOnion: I love your statement on using the bathtub as a storage spot... We have 3 bathrooms in our two bedroom townhouse, naturally one of the showers is always unused... It's right by the stacking washer and dryer so we just keep our Towel laundry baskets in the tub! Unfortunately our Shower curtain is see through... Oh well, it still looks better than just sitting in the hallway.
I'm a stacker and a hider for sure. The one thing that drives me NUTS that my boyfriend does is just throw his mail and papers EVERYWHERE! I'm always chasing him around making little piles of papers because it just looks so cluttered otherwise.