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The holidays are just around the corner. Friends visit, family comes for a stay, and dinner parties happen often. Imagine that you just had the busiest day, only to realize that your company is arriving in an hour. Your mind starts to think of all of the things that need to be done.

With all that we have going on through the holidays, sometimes you have to clean in a hurry.

If you only have a small amount of time, you can follow these steps to get your house looking visitor-ready in no time!

A modern kitchen with stainless steel appliances.

1. Clear Your Entryway

You don’t want someone coming in and falling all over your shoes, coats, kid’s backpacks.

Gather things up into a basket, and you can put things back into their proper spots after the company leaves. I usually just put stuff away right then, I just run around as fast as I can, to put them away. 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. I also try to clean the banister by the front door- it’s the first thing that they will see:

A close up of a can of Endust.

2. Clean up the kitchen.

It is inevitable that when someone comes into our home, they will go into the kitchen.

If you only have a few minutes, be sure to clean up any dirty dishes and wipe down your countertops and table. We use Multi-surface dusting spray Endust on the table, especially when we are in a hurry. It cleans very well & smells even better (a lemon scent). You can use it on any sealed surface: Marble, wood, vinyl, and even stainless steel. Plus, it will stay shiny and keep the dust away for days. It’s a win-win.

A kitchen with a stove and a sink.

3- Dust Your Living Room.

A five-minute dusting will clean a room in a hurry. A dusty house looks like it has not been cleaned in a while. If you are spending time in your living room, your company will end up looking at your furniture. Make it shine. Use Multi-surface Endust Lemon in this room to avoid having to switch cleaners. It’s like a dirt-magnet, making it easier to clean. Use it on the sofa table, coffee table, and any end tables. It will be shiny & look great. When you have more time, after your company leaves, go back & use Endust on your baseboards & window sills.

4. Pick Up Things.

The living room is where your company will spend a lot of their time. 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 in our chair so that 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. Fresh Flowers.

When Mickey is running errands, I often ask him to swing by a local store & pick up white flowers for me. I love white Alstroemerias because they last for weeks. They also make quite a statement when someone walks into the house. I like to have them on the entryway table, to welcome guests.

6. Change out hand towels in the bathroom.

Take any old hand towels & run them to the laundry basket or toss them in the washing machine. Hang up a new fresh hand towel. I keep extra hand-towels under each vanity for occasions like this.

7. Wipe down light switches.

Grab your Multi-surface Endust, and use it on light-switch plates.
I think that when we are moms, we get used to having fingerprints on our light-switches since it’s a daily occurrence, but cleaning it is a simple fix that makes a big difference. Just a quick cleaning leaves them looking shiny & new.

8. Check your toilet paper.

Be sure that your toilet paper is stocked & not running low. While you are in the bathroom, check your hand soap, too.

9. Wipe down the toilet.

Clean your toilet with a disinfecting spray. Be sure to check the base of the toilet, too, especially if you have sons (yes, really).

10. Put a smile on your face.

Remember that above all, your friends are just there to see you. Be happy and just enjoy their company without worrying about your house. Yes, a clean house is lovely (and it makes me so much less-stressed when my house is clean), but your friend came to see YOU. 🙂

What’s the one thing you do to make your house look clean in a hurry?  

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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29 Comments

  1. I just take out my Norwex cloths and I’m done cleaning in less than 20 min. No sprays needed! A win!

  2. I quickly put up stuff that has accumulated in the den( shoes, backpacks,etc) Sweep and makes sure dishes are out of sink:)

  3. I do a quick sweep to clear the clutter. It all usually fits into a reusable shopping bag. When the company is gone, I put things in their place!

  4. Gather books & papers and place in a “go through” bin, to make things look tidier and have them all in one place to go through when I have more time and then wipe down that surface

  5. Keeping the counters free of clutter and having nicely made beds are my quick fix to a cleaner looking home.

  6. I walk around my house with a laundry basket and put everything in it that is in the wrong spot. If I have company coming, I hide it from view. If I don’t, I then can go an put things away, or better yet, delegate the items to the owners to put away!

  7. Close bedroom doors! Haha. I kid but I’m alsi serious! I also do a quick sweep and dust all through the house.

  8. I make sure my diffuser is on with a great smell. I tell my kids to pick up the shoes, toys, and blankets in the living room and entryway. I go spray and wipe the guest toilet and sink, and fix the shower curtain. I pull out the vacuum for a quick vacuum of the living room floor and the entryway floor. Then clean up the kitchen.

  9. Sweeping the floors is the most important part for me because walking on floors full of crumbs and maybe some tiny legos is the worst thing that guest can expirament in your house, dirty dishes don’t bother them.