Do you know the feeling?
The one where you have a friend or family member call and say they will be there in 15 minutes for a cuppa? You then look around your house…it’s like a bomb has hit it…there is nowhere for them to even sit…the lounge is covered in washing…the kitchen table has been used to house this week’s catalogues and mail…
I know I am not alone, you know that feeling right?!
Today we are faking having a clean and styled home. I am sharing my tips on how you can achieve it – literally in less than 15 minutes!
So here it is Multitasking Women!
Pick up the mess
This is the most important step.
Concentrate on the areas your guests are likely to see – the kitchen, living space and bathroom are a good start. This is where washing baskets come in handy – grab your washing basket, fill it with all the awkward things lying across the floor, kitchen table or lounge. Things like kids toys, washing piles, just general mess.
Then hit the kitchen and load any dishes into the dishwasher – the idea is to remove the mess, your kitchen does not have to be spotless, there is no time for that!
Clean surfaces
On first impression, if your surfaces, like your kitchen bench and floor is clean, then it gives the impression of a clean and tidy home. Wipe down the kitchen bench, kitchen table and anywhere there may be grubby finger marks or food crumbs.
Now, the last step is to run the broom or vacuum over the floor area where your guests will be – don’t be off vacuuming the hallway or bedrooms. Keep focused on the living and dining areas if this is the area you will be socialising.
Lastly, take a moment to pop to the bathroom, check to ensure there is adequate toilet paper on the roll and a clean and dry hand towel next to the basin. Your speed cleaning is now complete!
Let’s get styling
Okay, now the fun begins! You should have done your speed clean in around 10 minutes and now you have 5 minutes to style and make your home look fabulous.
For me, I do the following styling tricks:
Fluff the cushions
Don’t underestimate the difference cushions can make on first impression. Grab your cushions, pop them in the corner of the lounge and if you like the ‘karate chop’ look, then now is the time to give the cushion that more relaxed lived in look. If you have a blanket or rug on the lounge, drape it over the lounge arm instead of folding it up and putting it away. Make it look like a strategically placed throw rug. Now is the time to pretend you are on The Block and you literally have minutes before tools down!
Tackle the coffee table
If yours is anything like mine, you will have catalogues, magazines, newspapers and lots of stuff littering your coffee table. Wrestle it into a neat pile, putting the catalogues and all the mess at the bottom, choosing the prettiest magazine or book to leave on the top of the pile.
Deodorise
Perhaps someone has left a gym bag full of sweaty clothes in the living room, or does it smell a bit like a dog from your cheeky pooch that likes to jump up on the lounge? If you need to mask any smells or odours, you can light a candle or even use a reed diffuser if you have one. If your home smells nice, your guests might not even notice the shoes you shoved under the lounge in the mad cleaning rush!
Windows
Open the windows and blinds, having lots of natural light and fresh air will make your home feel light and fresh.
The dining table
Consider using a tablecloth on the dining table. It will cover any crumbs or anything you may have overlooked in your speed clean and also adds some colour and interest.
Add Some Greenery
Lastly, if you have time, take a few cuttings from the garden, it doesn’t have to be flowers or anything special. I often take palm leaf cuttings and other greenery to pop in a vase, it instantly gives your home a homely and refreshing feel. Pop the vase in the middle of the kitchen table – instant style!
Well done on your 15-minute power clean and styling!
TELL ME, HAVE YOU DONE A SPEED CLEAN BEFORE? HAVE YOU BEEN CAUGHT OUT BY UNEXPECTED GUESTS AND A BIG MESS IN YOUR HOME? DO YOU HAVE ANY SECRET CLEANING AND STYLING TIPS TO SHARE WITH ME?
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Welcome to the last Mummy Mondays of the year! Mummy Mondays will return again on January 18th 2016, just enough time for everyone to recharge their blogging batteries.
Let’s make this one a big one! Feel free to link up to two of your fave posts from the past couple of weeks and share some comment love!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Me and #TeamMM – Veronica from Mum of Five Girls and Mumma McD from Toilets Aren’t For Turtles
- How to Speed Clean & Style Your Home In Less Than 15 Minutes #MummyMondays - December 14, 2015
This is great! My speed cleaning technique is throw everything into the laundry that is unsightly and get the kids to madly pick up their toys all over the house. Hmm no time for styling but cleaning the toilet and spraying some air freshener is a good idea!
I clean constantly and it never looks done with six children. I remember when I had three kids, how I could still manage to do this though!
I buy myself flowers every week just to help keep the place smelling and looking pretty.
I love having a nice scented candle burning when people are coming over. I also do the mad scoop of clutter into baskets to organise later and shove any dishes from the sink into the dishwasher to hide them away!
When you walk into a home with a lovely candle scent – you don’t worry about the mess, you are too busy inhaling the smell and asking where it is from aren’t you! So glad you use the sink and dishwasher trick too! xx
I love this technique for making your house visit ready in minutes. My problem is I have a really open plan house so I have quite a bit to tackle to make it visit ready! But following this list would be a good start – thanks for sharing x
An open plan house is a tricky one! Glad to be able to inspire you Kirsty x
These are excellent tips. We frequently get unexpected visitors because of Rev T’s job and we do all of these things. I’ve not managed to sell anyone the idea of not getting into a mess in the first place!
Thanks so much for having me Eva! So nice to meet some of your readers and be a part of The Multitasking Woman community xx
Great tips Ashlea – would have loved to have seen a “before” pic though – LOL!
I do pretty similar. Pick up everything throw it in a bedroom, stack dishwasher, clean toilet, vacuum and spray air freshener lol. Then my 2yr old normally goes around after me leaving a trail of destruction!
Great tips! Some of my favourite in fact. Fresh Flowers or foliage and candles are my top tip!