You never know when a last-minute guest or friend will decide to drop by. With these 7 last-minute house cleaning tips, you’ll be able to quickly and efficiently clean your home so it looks its best. From putting away all the stuff that doesn’t belong there to wiping down visible surfaces, you’ll be able to tackle your house cleaning in no time. So keep reading to find out how to get your home spick and span instantly!
1. Put Away All Stuff That Doesn’t Belong There
Put away your shoes. Stuff clothes in the closet, if necessary. Look carefully around the room where your guest will be welcomed. Remove all the unnecessary stuff from there. Place them where they should be. Your room’s minimalist and simple look will create an impression of cleanliness, even if you didn’t have time to do any other cleaning. It’s incredible how much of a difference putting away clutter can make in the house’s overall look.
For larger items that take up space in the room or hallway, such as bicycles or boxes full of things you have yet to find a place for. Try to move these into another room or out to the garage until after your guests leave. This will give you the extra space needed to accommodate everyone comfortably without having things scattered around.
2. Clean the Three T’s: Toilets, Tabletops, TV Set
Doubtlessly, most of you are wondering why the TV is included. If you think for a while, you will conclude that most living rooms are centred around it. So sitting and chatting in the living room means you’ll definitely stare at the TV, and so will your guests. So if you still need to remove the build-up dust over there at this very moment, you’d wish you had.
Toilets are easy to overlook when it comes to cleaning, but they are one of the most important areas if you want your home to look presentable. Remember the floor around the toilet – use a mop or vacuum cleaner to remove any dirt or debris that may have been tracked in recently.
Tabletops should be next on your list as they are often one of the first things people notice when they enter your home.
3. Do a Quick Sweep
Doing a quick sweep will help you prevent people’s socks from getting dirty. This will help give a good impression of your house and eliminate any dirt, dust or debris that could make the space look unkempt. To do a quick sweep or vacuum, start in the area where your guests are most likely to be. Use a vacuum cleaner for hardwood floors and carpets with an adjustable height setting to extract dirt and grime deep within the carpet fibres. You can use a broom with stiff bristles for tile floors to quickly remove dirt and dust.
4. Wipe Down Visible Surfaces
Your guests will be interacting with many things, so ensure that all of them are wiped down. If necessary, sit on the couch and look around. You will see all the prominent places, so you should start cleaning with them. That way, your guests will see only spotless surfaces. It’s not necessary to wipe down everything. It will be enough to clean just the visible areas.
By focusing on wiping down the dust, you can quickly spruce up your home before unexpected guests arrive. Using the right tools, such as microfiber cloths, vacuums with adjustable settings, brooms with stiff bristles and feather dusters, will help make quick work of this task so that you can focus on more important things like welcoming your guests!
5. Spray Something That Smells Nice
If you are out, the weather doesn’t allow good ventilation, or you don’t have time to aerate the room, spray something that smells nice to cover the stale scent.
Spraying something is a great way to freshen up a room quickly before unexpected guests arrive. Not only does it provide a pleasant scent in the home, but it also works to mask any unpleasant odours. There are several options for achieving this goal in just minutes.
You can use essential oils or aerosols. For larger areas such as living rooms and bedrooms, using an aromatherapy diffuser effectively disperses essential oils evenly throughout the space without constantly reapplying them.
6. Stash with Efficiency
A quick solution, if your company drops in accidentally, is to toss things in a basket and shove them in the spare bedroom or closet. Perhaps some of you have done it once or twice. The trick here is to do it efficiently, so you can easily find your stuff later. Add things to your basket according to the room they will enter into. That way, when your guests leave, you can quickly put things where they belong.
7. Cat/Dog Hair
When expecting unexpected guests, pet hair is a common problem that can be difficult to tackle. Use a vacuum cleaner to remove cat or dog hair from upholstery and carpets quickly. Upholstered furniture should be vacuumed in one direction, then against the grain, for best results. Next, use a broom with stiff bristles to sweep up all the visible pet hair for hardwood or tile floors. If you want to go the extra mile, use an electrostatic mop head attachment on your vacuum cleaner. This will help pick up any remaining pet hair that may have been missed by sweeping and vacuuming.
An alternative is to use lint rollers or rubber gloves dampened with water to pick up smaller particles of pet hair from carpets and other surfaces.
Final Thoughts
Last-minute house cleaning is a challenge, but it can be done quickly and easily with the right plan. Focusing on the three T’s – toilets, tabletops, and TV sets – is essential for any last-minute clean. Follow that up by quickly sweeping hard floor surfaces, cleaning visible surfaces and freshening up the air with aromatics. Following these steps will make sure your home looks spotless in no time!
It’s also important to remember that regular cleaning is key to making last-minute house cleaning easier. Investing just a few minutes each week into dusting shelves and furniture and wiping down walls, floors, and window treatments will help keep your home looking great all year round. With regular maintenance and these last-minute tips, you can ensure your home always looks its best!