Welcome back to Week 2 of the BWP Holiday Preparation Countdown. This week we focus on getting ready for family gatherings.
In an ideal world, your house would always be freshly cleaned and clutter-free. Your guests would always give plenty of notice before visiting. And even when they pop by unexpectedly, you’d be ready to host.
But here in the real world, you need a plan for that last minute cleaning and you need it fast. In my countdown planning workbook I share this method for getting your home as guest-ready as possible in a short time.
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Company’s Coming
First, don’t panic.
It’s ok if you’ve skipped regular cleaning, have extra clutter, and don’t know where to start. If your guests are on the way and you only have a little time, you can still do some speed cleaning to make things a little better.
Before I tell you how, there is one thing I want you to remember: your guests are your friends and family. People who love you and want to spend time with you, not judge your cleaning prowess. Give yourself some grace and accept that it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Now grab a laundry basket, a damp rag, a dry rag or towel, a trash bag and some room freshener spray and/or scented candles and lets get started.
Speed Clean Room-by-Room
With this method you are going to go room-by-room to very quickly give your house a once-over before your guests arrive.
This is not a deep clean but a rescue operation. Focus first on the rooms where your guests will be walking through, and spend the most time in the places where they will be most.
Are they coming for coffee? Start by the front door and do the most in the living room. Coming for drinks and dinner? Put your focus on the dining room and kitchen.
When you enter a room do these 5 steps:
- Trash: Gather any obvious trash/recyclables and bag them. Empty any trash bins.
- Smells: Spray room freshener or light scented candles. Turn on bathroom and ceiling fans to get air circulating, if the weather is nice, open some windows.
- Surfaces: Take your rage and quickly wipe down any countertops, put things that belong in other rooms into the laundry basket. Don’t wast time putting them away in another room. Straighten and tidy the surfaces as you go.
- Clear the floor: Start at the center and pick up anything that is on the floor. If you can put it away easily, do so. Otherwise, fold, pile, or arrange neatly and move on.
- Put stuff away: if you’ve got items in your basket that belong in this room, drop them off before you move on. Gather your cleaning supplies and head to the next room.
Finishing Touches
After you’ve gone through each room quickly, finish putting away any leftover items in your basket. Blow out any candles. Turn off the fans and close the windows. Then go back to your bathrooms.
- Do a quick clean: wipe down toilet, faucet, mirror and door handle.
- Tidy up: put out fresh towels, close shower curtains, and put down toilet seats.
If you have time left here are a few other things you can do:
- Vacuum the center of the floors
- Wash, or put in dishwasher, any dishes that are not he counter
- Walk the entry round to look for thing that are out of place
- Keep using the 5 steps on other rooms
- Pick up some flowers and make some quick arrangements
Don’t forget to put your basket and cleaning supplies away but if you are short on time, just toss the whole basket into the laundry area and deal with it later. ☺️
Now stop stressing about what your house looks like and enjoy visiting with your guests.
Did you like this method? Want to know how this fits into the plan to get your whole house decluttered, decorated, and clean for the Holidays? Sign up for a Ko-fi subscription to get the full 8 week planning workbook with all the exercises, checklists, and week-by-week plan to getting stuff done and stressing less this holiday season.
How do you get ready for guests in a hurry? Leave a comment below.
