This holiday cleaning tips post is brought to you by Swiffer® as part of a Type-A Parent Community Sponsored Post.
Guests, we all love having them but sometimes we just don’t have the time to clean our houses and we think it should be done. Let’s be honest. With 4 kids, I never have time to clean my house to spotless! And if coming to judge my house, don’t bother visiting! But that doesn’t mean I don’t want it to appear somewhat clean and tidy. There are just a few things you can do to make your house seem clean when you don’t have the time. And yes, a decent part of this is all mind games;).
1) People are self centered and love to look at themselves. Clean your mirrors! Focus on your bathroom mirrors but if you have them elsewhere try to give them a good wipe too.
2) We all have stuff (and too much of it) but no one needs to see it! Baskets and bin hide a multitude of excess! Just pick everything up that is laying around and dump it in. No one will look in them and no one will even notice if they are cute! I seriously have plastic bins in the kids’ playroom to hold stuff and everyone comments how clean it all looks. (Did I mention that the playroom meets the front door?)
3) People really only look where they are so clean off the kitchen or dining room table that they are going to sit at. Maybe even put on a clean table cloth!
4) Clean out your kitchen sink. Some helpful guest is going to want to put their glass in the sink or wash their hands. Even if you have dishes on the counter, a clean sink gives them impression of overall cleanliness! No one will care about the mess on the counter because that is just eating (and maybe even cooking) but a clean sink shows they probably haven’t been on the counter long;).
5) Have a spot for your guests purses, phones and keys. Yes, putting them on the couch or where ever is perfectly acceptable. But if you have a spot designated for them it gives an air of organization! I started having a spot when my kids were toddlers so they couldn’t get to anyone’s stuff but I had so many people comment on how organized I was that I will do it forever;).
6) Swiffer your floors!!! I was raised in the sweep, then run a bucket of soapy water, then mop, then run clean water, then mop again era. I never have time for that but nothing can kill the illusion of a clean house like feeling a bunch of stuff under your feet. I recently got a SteamBoost Steam Mop and it takes care of all those steps in 1. Just slap on a pad and fill the reservoir with water then plug it in and go! It takes 2 minutes and leaves the floor nice and clean!
Do all this and your house will seem clean in just a few minutes! And if you are judged because your bookcases don’t pass the white glove test, well those people are usually never satisfied any way;). Enjoy your guests and your life!!!
This sponsored post was brought to you by Swiffer®. For a limited time, get a $15 prepaid card when you purchase a SteamBoost Steam Mop Starter Kit between 11/24/13 and 12/31/13. Swiffer BISSELL® SteamBoost™ combines a dirt-dissolving cleaning solution with the power of steam for a deep clean that gets messes mops can leave behind. Also be sure to like Swiffer on Facebook and follow @swiffer on Twitter.