The dreaded call or text saying “We’ll be there in 10.” The house is a mess, there are dishes everywhere, toys littering the floor and let’s not even mention the mountain of laundry that may or may not be clean. What do you do after the initial panic? Divide, conquer and shove things anywhere you can find where your guests won’t see of course!
Tip 1: Light a Candle and Stuff the Dishwasher
Start by lighting a candle, no one wants to walk into a stinky house. If you have ever been to our house (or not), you know that we LOVE candles. I am not kidding when I say anytime I walk into a store that has candles I have to smell them all and if I love them, I buy them!
Dishes in the sink? Throw as many as you can in the dishwasher, don’t load it properly, just throw things in so you don’t have to look at them anymore.
Tip 2: Toy Tornado: Use a Laundry Basket
Need to run the vacuum but can’t because of the amount of toys on the ground? Put them in a laundry basket and hide the laundry basket so your guests can’t see them. Also if the kids are around, put them in charge of this! This is not time for sorting items and making sure they are put away in the correct place, this is the time for hiding the chaos in your house. Then when this is done pull out the vacuum and vacuum anything that might have cheerios in or on it.
Tip 3: Tame the Laundry Mountain
The mountains of laundry on your couch that you could physically climb? Throw it in any of the closets in your house, put it on the bed in a room you will not be going in, or hide it back in the washer or dryer. No one will know!
Last tip: Wipe It All Down—Fast!
Lastly, wipe down everything with anything you have. Paper towel? Great! Baby wipe? Even better! Anything that gets the surfaces clean and not sticky at this point works great! This is also something you can have the kids help with. Give them that baby wipe and tell them to go to town. If they clean the walls or cabinets as well, it’s just an added bonus! Then when the guests leave, you leave as well and deal with the closets later.
