We’ve all been in this situation before: guests are just hours away from arriving at your home, but you haven’t had time to clean anything. Upon having this realisation, panic and complete chaos set in, motivating you to clean whatever you can until your guests arrive. However, despite your frantic efforts, your home doesn’t look as nice as you’d hoped. Whether you find yourself in this situation sometime in the future, or if you simply want a clean looking home in a hurry, clean these 4 things to make your home look beautiful instantly.
Carpets and Hard Floors
Dirty floors are extremely easy to notice, and can set the tone for the feeling of cleanliness (or lack thereof) in a room. Perform some quick carpet cleaning, or wash any hard flooring in common areas of your home. If you are cleaning up before a social gathering in your home, focus only on cleaning the carpets and floors of the areas that will be visible to your guests. Don’t waste valuable time cleaning areas that only you will see.
Walls/ Doors
Two things in our homes that can get extremely dirty without ever noticing are walls and doors. Because stains and dirt build up on these surfaces over time, it is easy to overlook them. Buy your favourite brand of foam erasers to clean walls and doors. When cleaning doors, also be sure to clean the frames and bottoms of the doors. You might be shocked to find how large an impact this simple cleaning job can have on the overall appearance of your home’s interior.
Any Surfaces With Clutter
Are papers stacking up on a table? Has a surface in a common area become a dumping zone for clutter? If so, complete a quick sweep of these surfaces so that nothing is left visible. Cleaning tables and surfaces filled with papers, books, DVDs, and other items will improve the appearance of those places within minutes.
Countertops
When guests are over for dinner or drinks, kitchen countertops are commonly one of the most visible areas. Remove small appliances that you won’t be using during your gathering (e.g. blenders, slow cookers, coffee makers), store food items out of sight, and quickly wipe down all surfaces. Cleaning your countertops should take no longer than 10-15 minutes, and will have a major impact on the appearance of cleanliness in your home.
Additional Tips
Because needs vary slightly from home to home, you might not need to follow these cleaning tips to the letter. You may already keep some of these places clean on a daily basis, or other areas of your home may be more of a priority to clean. Taking 1-2 minutes to make a list of what to clean first can improve your efficiency. Also, if you are on a strict time crunch, set a timer on your phone for each job. This will help you move from task to task more quickly, and will help you keep track of the time more accurately.
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