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Clean your house in 10 minutes flat (before company arrives!)   I am breaking down my time for you! 

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. We are getting #InstaClean with #CollectiveBias

A woman and little girl wearing rubber gloves while blowing soap bubbles off of them and text below them.

Have you ever noticed that it is when all of your kid’s toys are out, the laundry is piled up because you missed that morning’s load, and the sink has started to fill with dishes because you still haven’t gotten to the dishwasher just yet, that the doorbell rings or someone calls to say “I’m stopping by!”?  It really never fails in our house, with four kids.  If you only have a small amount of time, you can follow these steps to having a clean home looking visitor-ready in no time!

1- The first thing to do is get your cleaning materials, quickly!  I keep mine all in a basket to make it easier to do this.  This takes about 30 seconds to grab the basket.

All that you need is Windex® you can pick some up at Kroger on sale (Kroger Affiliates Include Baker’s Supermarkets, City Market, Dillons Food Stores, Fry’s Food And Drug, Gerbes Super Markets, Harris Teeter, Jay C, King Soopers, Owen’s, Pay Less Super Markets, QFC, Ralphs, Scott’s, Smith’s, Fred Meyer, and Food 4 Less.)  They are having a Buy 4 Save $4 Mega Event.  The Mega event for Windex® is 11/3-11/15 and the deal for Pledge® is 11/10-12/27.  Stock up now and keep one in every room.  This is what I do (we have one in every bathroom and in the kitchen).
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2- Next up… get the kids involved- time: 1 minute (to show them what to do)  SKIP DOWN TO #4 TO SEE WHAT THE KIDS WILL BE DOING.   I will give them our daughter’s toy cart and let them go around and pick up toys, put them into the cart and then ‘dump’ them into the toy box.

2- Clear your entryway- time: 2 minutes!  You don’t want someone coming in and falling all over your shoes, coats, kid’s backpacks.  Just gather things up into a basket and you can put things back into their proper spots after the company leaves.  I usually just put thing away right then, I just run around like crazy (very fast) and put them away, or at least the things that are close to where I am.  This will only take a few minutes and it will make a huge difference in how your guests feel when they come into your home.  Make sure that you use Windex on any windows near your door or on the door, if it has glass.  Also, be sure to do a quick sweeping with a broom & dustpan.  (I have to do this several times a day during the holidays because the pine falls from the banister onto the stairs)…

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3- Clean up the kitchen – 3 minutes .  It is inevitable that when someone comes into our home, they will see our kitchen.  You pass by it when you are walking into the living room.   If you only have a few minutes, either throw all of the dishes into the sink or put them into the dishwasher (dishwasher is better because it will save you time later).  Spray Windex® or Pledge® multisurface on the countertops to clear away any crumbs. Now, grab all of the towels and washcloths and throw them into the washer.   Is there anything else left out?  Clear it away quickly.  I like to ‘race myself’ and see how quickly I can clean areas.  The kitchen is one that will normally take longer, so try to do it as quickly as possible!  

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4- The living room is where your company will spend a lot of their time- this can be a kid job (time- 0 minutes because they are doing this).   Do you have any magazines or books left out?  Put them away.  I keep mine in my coffee table drawer.  They are quick to clean up and take less than a minute.  When the drawer gets full, I throw them away or give them to my neighbor & start over.  Are there blankets left out?  We keep ours behind our chair, so no one can see them, but we know that they are there.  Toys?  Toss them into an ottoman or put them in a basket.

5- The bathroom- 2 MINUTES:  If you only have a minute, do these three things:  1).  Take your Windex® & wipe down the vanity.  Next spray it in the sink and clean it out.  Clean the toilet seat & underneath (the base of the toilet).   Clean the mirrors (brushing teeth can make quite a mess when you get kids involved, so our mirrors are always a mess!)   2).  Get a new fresh hand towel.  I keep extra hand-towels under each vanity for occasions like this.

6). “quick” Dust the living room tables that they will be looking at- I tell you to dust for two reasons- 2 minutes:    1). A dusty house looks like it has not been cleaned in a while.  I feel like we dust a lot with Pledge®.  At least two times a week, but in the spring we dust more like every day or two, just to keep up with the pollen.
If you are having company, you will want to dust the living room.  If you are spending time in there, their eyes will, inevitably, go to your furniture.  Make it shine.  Don’t forget the TV!  If the TV is on, a dust-free TV will be so much more clear.      2).  The smell of Pledge® alone is enough to invite your guests in! It smells great and makes the house smell clean.

I hope that helped you to get ready in a hurry.  Those things should total up to just ten minutes.

 

 

Do you want a whole book devoted just to de-cluttering and organizing?  Here you go:

FREED FROM CLUTTER - BECKY MANSFIELD

Hi there!

I’m Becky, a former elementary school teacher turned certified child development therapist and blogger. I work at home with my husband and together we are raising (and partially homeschooling) our four children in the Carolinas. I love diet coke, ice cream, and spending time with my family.

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