We’ve all been there….
The house is in need of a clean, there’s “stuff” everywhere, and then the phone rings with a friend wanting to pop in for a quick catchup.
Although it would be fantastic to see your friend, part of you is screaming NO! because you don’t want them to see your house as it currently is.
Now – of course true friends won’t care what state your home is in, but there is a sense of pride for you when it’s looking good.
But you don’t want to have to put your friend off for a day so you can tackle everything perfectly….
There IS another way: –
Get it GUEST READY in less than 20 minutes – and enjoy time with your friend without any stress.
Want to know how it’s done?
Just follow these 5 tips below and you’ll be all set!
#1 – Decide Where They Can Go
First things first. you don’t have to tackle the whole house, you just need to be clever and selective…
What room(s) will you go into?
This doesn’t really have to be part of your 15 minutes – as you can create a plan right now so that you know exactly what you need to do when the time arises…
Once you have decided on this, simply close the doors on the rest of the house!.
You’ve just cut your cleaning time drastically, without feeling like you haven’t got your home guest ready.
Ideally, the less rooms possible will be a winner in terms of the time it takes to get ready – so think about the bare minimum.
Usually this will be the hallway/entrance, the kitchen, and the toilet.
For example – if you have seats in the kitchen then you don’t have to move into the lounge at all – or if you don’t have seats in the kitchen, then close this door and get your friend sitting in the lounge instead. Whatever works best for you and how your home is laid out.
TIME TAKEN – 0 MINUTES AS CAN BE DONE UP FRONT
#2 – Quick Tidy
Day to day life means there will be “stuff” left out – usually in most homes this is inevitable.
The trick is to be able to do a quick sweep of all surfaces and either put the items away in the right place (the ideal solution if there’s only a few things out), or have a container with a lid somewhere close by that you can simply put everything into and hide it away just while your guest is there.
Ideal containers would be a wicker basket, trunk, a coffee table with a lid, or a storage bench (perfect at a kitchen dining table for example).
TIME TAKEN – 5 MINUTES
TIP – Always remember that you have done this – and don’t leave the stuff there for long. Get your family to put everything away from that container once the guest(s) have left, so it doesn’t have a chance to build up. I would never advise hiding things out of sight as a permanent solution…
#3 – Quick Surface Clean
It doesn’t have to be a deep clean to get it looking good enough.
Once you have cleared the stuff that was hanging around on the surfaces, it’s time to make sure those surfaces are clean enough for your guests.
Simply do a quick dust of the hard surfaces, and run the hoover over the floors.
Don’t spend long – a few minutes should be plenty to give it a refresh, and immediately this will make the room(s) feel ready.
TIME TAKEN – 5 MINUTES
#4 – Clean The Toilet
Your guest(s) may well need the toilet while they visit – so make sure that your closest toilet is in acceptable form!
Do a quick wipe down of all surfaces, add toilet cleaner to the toilet so it’s clean and smelling fresh, and put a clean towel there ready for them.
TIME TAKEN – 5 MINUTES
#5 – Create A Good Atmosphere
Lastly – it makes all the difference to create a nice ambience in your home – and there are a few ways to do this really quickly!
- Make it smell nice – I wrote a really popular post a while ago on how to make your home smell nice, which will give you lots of tips on this – hope it helps!
- Have music playing in the background – something calm and soothing is always good as background for a chat!
- Get the tea/coffee on and biscuits/snacks out. Having some food and drink to offer your guest ready to go is a great way to make them feel welcome, and takes any stress away from you (who wants to have to run to the shops as well!).
TIME TAKEN – 5 MINUTES
So – there you have it!
5 tasks that take no more than 20 minutes to take your home from chaos to calm and ready for whoever is coming over.
You can sit back and enjoy the company of friends, and they will feel welcome and relaxed as well.
It’s a real win-win!
So why not try this quick solution next time a friend suggests a coffee at yours – and let me know how you get on….
P.S. – Don’t forget to check out the post on how to make your home smell amazing – these quick tips can really make all the difference!