Mad Dash 10 Minute Cleaning!

It's happened to all of us. And if it hasn't happened yet - it will. The dreaded 10-minute warning of company coming over! Of course, this never happens when your home is nice and clean - it always happens when it looks as though a bomb has exploded!

A Speed Cleaning is not intended to replace real cleaning. This is going to be a quick cover up - so that the person walking in thinks your home is clean. Even if its not. So how to speed clean for company? Let me share my tips!

1. Take a garbage bag, or box- or giant plastic container. Anything lying around that shouldn't be- gets thrown in the box! Clothes, shoes, papers, mail, toys, and boxes of cookies - everything goes in the box! Keep in mind, you will have to go through this box later, or else risk missing a bill payment or finding moldy ant covered cookies - but for the emergency company-is-coming-and-I-have-to-clean- NOW job, you can put everything in here. Then hide the box. Under a bed, in a closet - anywhere out of sight (don't let it go too far out of mind, though!)
2. Kitchen duty. Throw all the dishes in the dishwasher. Even if the dishes in there are clean, today it's going to be ok to put dirty ones on top of them. If you don't have room in the dishwasher (or don't have a dishwasher), put them in your oven. Run out of room in the oven and dishwasher? Do you have a cabinet that sits relatively empty? Good - put them in there. Ok, take a wet rag and wipe down the sink, counters and appliances. If you have some sort of general all purpose spray cleaner - use that. Or a little pine cleaner on the rag. It will make it smell clean! Now for the table…DO you have some fruit? Apples, bananas, oranges - anything like that? Good. Put them in a bowl on the table. Push in the chairs.
3. Moving to the bathroom - Take the rag you used to wipe up the kitchen and wipe down the counter, sink and toilet in the bathroom. Take the toilet brush and swish it around. Do you have a hand towel you can hang? If so, good! If not, make sure there is a clean folded towel on the counter for your guests to wipe their hands on. If you have a new bar of soap, place that on the sink and toss the mostly dried up crumbles of soap that were laying there!
4. Scented candles are your friends! I keep a bunch on hand - I use them daily, but they come in especially useful for these emergency clean up sessions! Light your candles- put one in the kitchen, one in the family room and one in the bathroom. If you only have one- place it near the door where your guest will enter.
5. Family room - should already look decent thanks to our box - but straighten out the couch cushions and pillows - wipe off any crumbs.
6. Finally - grab the vacuum and GO! Vacuum everywhere - including hard floors. But just keep to the rooms your guest will be in! Now, close all the doors to the rooms we ignored and pray they don't get opened! Spray a dash of perfume on you quickly!

Now your home at least LOOKS clean. Granted, you're going to have to go and reclaim the dishes, and the box o' stuff. But when your guest enters, they will have no idea your home looked like pigsty just moments before!