Do you have someone in your life who loves to drop in unexpectedly? Do you have friends and family who live nearby? It can be embarrassing when they walk into a messy house. Keeping your home spotless 100% of the time is unlikely, but you can follow a few simple tips to make sure that your house is consistently welcoming to guests.
1. Clean Consistently throughout the Week
Rather than having a single day when you do all your cleaning, make it a habit to complete the simple tasks regularly. Empty the dishwasher whenever the dishwasher is done, fold your blankets when not in use, and put things away after you use them. If there’s a task that takes less than five minutes to do, it’s better to do it immediately. Keeping yourself organized prevents your tasks from accumulating.
2. Have a Place to Put Items That Need to be Reorganized
Having a “Clutter Cabinet” somewhere in your home might not be the best habit, but it is a useful one. If there are things that you need to put away, but don’t have time to organize, consider the clutter cabinet. You can have a single, centralized location to put things before you have time to actually put them back. If it works for the library, it can work for your home.
3. Keep Some Snacks and Drinks Prepared for Hosting
Maybe you can distract the guests from the mess. One way you can be a great drop-in host is to have some easy-to-prepare snacks and drinks available in your kitchen. When your guests stop by, you should be able to whip something up fast, even if it’s just cheese and crackers. Once you prepare some food, your guests will forget all about the laundry basket on the dining room table.
4. Use Air Fresheners and Sprays for Additional Cleanliness
Often, a house feels clean when it smells clean. Consider the addition of oil diffusers and air fresheners to your home, if you want maximum amounts of cleanliness. There are many types of air fresheners available, from the simple gel air fresheners, to sprays, and plug-ins. You can also purchase an air diffuser, which also improves the general humidity of your home.
5. Consider Investing in a Regular Professional Cleaning
If your home just keeps getting away from you, consider investing in a cleaning service that can stop by every week or so. A cleaning service will help you keep things manageable, while letting you focus on other things. Often, an investment in a cleaning service is an investment in your own mental health. You can also hire a deep cleaner and an organizational service once, so that you can start fresh.
6. Prioritize “Dirt” Over “Mess”
A messy house is fine. A dirty house isn’t. Prioritize cleaning things like dishes and dirty laundry. A little clutter or disorganization is absolutely fine for a drop-in visit, but dirty dishes in the sink may not be the best look. You shouldn’t worry too much about having general chaos: everyone has to live their life, and things occasionally fall into disarray.
7. Accept That Everyone’s House is a Little Messy
Don’t feel as though your home is the only messy home. Most people feel the exact same way. It’s difficult to keep up on housekeeping when there’s a lot of other things going on. After all, you didn’t ask someone to pop in, and they should expect that your home is going to be less than perfect.
Of course, you don’t need to tolerate constant drop-in visits, especially if it interferes with the other things that you need to do. It’s okay to let someone know that you prefer that they call first rather than dropping by unannounced. It’s your home and you should feel anxious there. The best way is to sit them down and gently and honestly tell them you don’t deal well with surprises, and you’d much rather enjoy their company when you’re ready to have them over.
That being said, staying organized isn’t just for the benefit of guests. It’s also for your own benefit. Use the tips and tricks at Get Organized Wizard to make sure your home stays guest-ready.
Great, .I am gonna work on that, Thanks for sharing.