How to Quickly Clean Your House for Unexpected Guests

The holidays are coming up soon, and you may be planning to stick around home this year and not entertain any guests.

Honestly, doesn’t that sound a little amazing? You can lounge around in your sweatpants and enjoy your time off work and keep all the yummy leftovers to yourself. You all can relax as a family and put housework, laundry, and floor cleaning on the back burner.

But…what if you get a phone call or text message that someone wants to stop by? Maybe you have a friend or family member driving through your town that wants to stop by for a visit. Of course you want to see them, but you might be freaking out a little as examine the messy state of your home.

Don’t freak out! Here ten tips that will help you quickly clean your house for unexpected guests:

Enlist the family.
Delegate! Give everyone in the family a job and turn it into a game. The person who does the best job cleaning their assigned area gets a prize. A little friendly competition will surely get them motivated!

Check the corners for cobwebs.
Many areas of your home can easily be overlooked, but if a guest spots a cobweb, they’ll no doubt notice other dirty spots in your home. Don’t worry about climbing a ladder, though – just cover your broom with a towel or an old pillowcase and quickly knock those cobwebs down.

Open up your windows for natural light and to see areas that need dusting.
If it’s light outside, open up your window shades and curtains for natural light. This will help you see all of the areas where dust is hiding in your living spaces. Dusting is a great job for little ones – just hand them a rag and let them go to town!

Make your house smell nice.
There are a few tricks for making your house quickly smell nice. Bake some cookies, simmer some herbs and spices on the stove, or light a candle. I’ve also heard of people spraying glass cleaner on the light switches or even stashing dryer sheets in random hidden places! You probably don’t want to do all of these at the same time, but one or two should help.

Clear the clutter.
You probably don’t have time to put everything back in its proper spot, but that’s OK. Just grab a laundry basket and put all of the random stuff lying around in it, then stash it in a closet or unused room. Once your guests have left, you can take the basket out and put things away properly.

Follow the visibility rule.
Think about what your guests will actually see. Start at the front door and follow the path that they will take to spend time with you. Focus on the spots that they’ll actually see first. Will they be walking through the kitchen but not down the hallway? Start with the kitchen and leave the hallway until later.

Hide the dishes.
Fill your dishwasher as much as you can, and hide the rest. As for good spots to hide them: give them a presoak in the sink (filled with water and soap, of course), put them in a box in the trunk of your car, or even stash them in your oven. Just don’t forget to take them out ASAP once your guests are gone!

Clean the bathroom.
Chances are your guests are going to need to use the bathroom, and probably soon after their arrival. Take everything off your counters, spray them down with a cleaner, and wipe everything down. Quickly clean your toilet bowl and make sure there is extra toilet paper for your guests to use.

Give the floors a once over.
Clean and tidy floors really help make the whole house look clean, especially when you have pets! Take a mop to the bare floors if you have time, and run a vacuum over the carpets.

Vacuuming might not sound like a “quick tip,” but if you have a robotic vacuum, you can start it running right away while you’re cleaning the rest of your house! Plus, it will clean your carpet and your bare floors.

The Neato D9 Robot Vacuum is a great option for helping make sure your floors are spic and span. It has a D-shaped design that can reach into corners better than competitors to really give your floors a fantastic clean!

The D9 specifically has some features that are pretty awesome:

• Helix Multi-Surface Brush that’s up to 50% quieter on hard surfaces!
• 0.7-Liter Dirt Bin holds more dirt, dust, and dander to quickly and completely clean your floors.
• Ultra-Performance Filter captures 99.5% of allergens.

The Neato D9 Robot Vacuum cleans up to 1600 square feet on a single charge, so it should easily be able to take care of your main living areas while you’re tackling the rest of this list.

And if you have a larger house, the Neato D10 Robot Vacuum offers many of the same features but can clean up to 2700 square feet on a single charge!

Free Shipping at Neato Robotics

Now through 1/2/22, you can get free shipping at Neato Robotics! Just use the coupon code FREESHIP to get the discount on your order.

Stay calm!
No matter how much or how little you’re able to get done before your guests arrive, remember that they are coming to see you, not your house. Take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy your time with your loved ones.

Hopefully your holiday season at home is full of good food and time spent relaxing in your sweatpants. But even if unexpected guests make an impromptu visit, you’ll have these easy tips for cleaning your home quickly.