How many times have you had to race against the clock to clean your house in time for a party or last-minute get together? Or put aside an entire weekend to make sure everything was spotless for your guests?

Of course if you have the time, a thorough house clean is great but sometimes no matter how organised we are, that time just slips through our fingers and we’re left with less than an hour to get everything spick-and-span.

When you find yourself in a frantic situation where time is of the essence, resist cancelling or coming up with a bogus excuse just to avoid cleaning. Instead, try this 10-minute emergency tidy-up to have your house looking party ready in no time!

So you’re ready to start cleaning up, but before you set the timer, remember to focus on the overall picture. Don’t waste your energy trying to get everything looking perfect, but rather aim instead for an overall clean and tidy appearance.

*Designate a room (i.e. bedroom, spare room or walk-in closet) to keep these baskets and any additional items that are lying around your house, until your guests go home.

This can often be the messiest room in the house but it’s also the quickest to tidy up if you’re not afraid to multi-task.

Start off by swiftly vacuuming or sweeping the floors. As you are doing this, use a free hand to clear any items off the floor or to put things in their place as you move around the room.

Once the floors are done, grab a basket and toss in anything that is cluttering up the room: kids toys, books, magazines, excess throws or pillows, remotes, video games/DVDs. If there are any dishes, food or leftover snacks in the room, run them over to the kitchen.

Take a few seconds to flip your couch cushions over if possible. This instantly fluffs them up and makes them look a little newer.

Before moving on to the next room, quickly wipe down your coffee table and any other surfaces with an appropriate surface spray. Finish off with some air freshener to give the room that fresh-clean scent.

This room should take you no time at all. Run a broom or vacuum cleaner over the floors and wipe down the table. If there is any clutter on the table or elsewhere, toss it in one of your baskets for now.

Replace your chair cushions with clean ones if possible, or leave them bare. Throw a runner over the table and light a couple of candles.

Remember, you can bring food out as your guests arrive or if you have someone helping you, they can do this as you clean. Your immediate goal is to make the house look presentable.

Most hallways (particularly if you have kids) will be bombarded with shoes. But as long as you have a pair on your feet and no one else is planning on leaving the house (if they are, get them to grab their shoes now,) then it’s best to store all of your shoes in a large basket so your guests can take theirs off at the door.

Unless it’s summertime, you are best to make some closet space as well. Either push everything over to one side or remove a pile of clothing and store it in your designated room for the meantime. This will avoid you having to run back and forth to find your guests’ jackets at the end of the night.

When the hallway looks tidy, scoot over to the bathroom. Place all of your toiletries and bath essentials in a small basket and store them in a cupboard. Remove all wet towels from the room and replace with fresh, dry ones.

If your bathtub is dirty, fill it up with some soap and let it sit for a few minutes while you finish the rest of your cleaning. You can drain it at the end.

As for your toilet, leave any toilet cleaning gel to rest while you wipe down the exterior for 10-15 seconds. Then scrub the interior lightly and flush.

Make sure to leave at least two rolls of toilet paper and a bottle of air freshener in sight for your guests.

Ah, the dreaded kitchen. Let’s face it; it can take hours to clean a kitchen but just seconds for it to get dirty again.

Don’t stress too much about how clean your kitchen looks, chances are your guests will be sitting, standing or chatting anywhere else but your kitchen sink. Your focus for this room should strictly be counter space.

Start by throwing out any food, wrappers or rubbish in sight. If you have dirty dishes sitting around, store them in your dishwasher for now. If you don’t have a dishwasher, fill your sink up with soap and water and let your dishes soak as you finish cleaning. You can come back to this later.

Hide any mail, books or clutter in a plastic bag and keep this at the top of your kitchen drawer so you can easily find it later.

Finally, wipe down your counters, stovetop and kitchen table and give the floor a quick sweep.

If you will be entertaining outside, store any equipment that won’t be in use (lawn mower, garden boots, shovels) inside of your garage. If you have a deck or veranda, sweep away any leaves and make sure your tables are clear and ready for refreshments.

If outside is not on the agenda, spend these last couple of minutes lighting a few candles, arranging some decorations or laying out plates of food.

It’s easy to get carried away with cleaning (particularly if you enjoy it!) but when you’re hosting a party or get together, you have enough stress on your plate, and cleaning shouldn’t be part of that. Don’t forget that most of your house will be off limits when guests come over, such as bedrooms and ensuites. So just focus on the areas where they’ll be spending the most time, and don’t let yourself spend too long tidying up. After all, you have food to cook, drinks to pour and guests to entertain!

For more cleaning information or for some help getting party ready, visit our website.

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