Tuesday, December 15, 2015

COMPANY'S COMING!

The holidays are not only a time for hot chocolate by the fire, snowball fights, and Christmas shopping.... it's also time for house guests! And with all the holiday preparations, the last thing you feel like doing is cleaning your house before company arrives!

Well, let me tell you.... I, The Queen, am no different. I hate cleaning, and yes, I have to do it too.... so when you don't have time to waste, you want to get it done fast! So what to do? Get some expert advice, that's what! And that would be Melissa at The Happier Homemaker.com on "How To Clean Your Whole House In 1 Hour"....

Start at the Top
No matter what room your cleaning, clean from the top down so that dirt and dust from higher surfaces falls on lower surfaces that haven’t yet been cleaned. Dust ceiling fans, then furniture wiping dirt directly on the floor. Clean all of the floors as your last step to remove the dirt and dust.

Bedrooms-6 minutes per bedroom
  • Strip linens and remake beds. When making beds rather than hunch over tucking bottom sheets under the mattress use one hand to lift the corner while tucking the sheet with the other.
  • Clear all clutter , if you’re in a hurry gather clutter in a spare basket or bin for later organization and tuck out of sight in a closet.
  • Wipe down furniture with dust spray and microfiber cloth, working top to bottom.
Bathrooms-7 minutes per bathroom
  • I like to clean all of my bathrooms at once-make a quick trip around all the bathrooms in the house to clear counters and spray counters and tubs with cleaner, allow to sit while you clean toilets and wipe down the outer toilet surface.
  • Go back and wipe down counters and rinse tub then clean mirrors.
  • Come back to clean the floors when cleaning the kitchen floor.
Living/Dining Rooms-7 minutes
  • Clear all clutter.
  • Starting in one corner of the room and working around dust all surfaces top to bottom. (If you have blinds and/or ceiling fans, dust those first.)
  • Use upholstery attachment and vacuum upholstered furniture.
  • Vacuum floors along with all house carpeting as last cleaning step.
Kitchen-12 minutes
  • Load all dirty dishes in the dishwasher and fill sink with hot soapy water. If your stove top has removable burner pieces that need to be cleaned, place in water.
  • Clear counters.
  • Dunk sponge in hot water and squeeze out excess, wipe down cabinets, counters and other surfaces again working top to bottom. Rinse sponge in hot water as you clean-you’ll be amazed how much dirt comes off!
  • Wipe down appliances. (When you have more time consider doing this trick for preventing fingerprints on stainless steel!)
  • Finish cleaning any stove pieces and replace.
  • Clean floors last along with all hard flooring surfaces in the house.
Floors-15 minutes whole house
  • When vacuuming carpeted rooms work your way backwards out of the room moving quickly and without too much overlap to save time.
  • Vacuum, don’t sweep hard floors-use an attachment to get corners where dust and pet hair can accumulate. This helps prevent kicking dust into the air that will quickly settle again and aggravating allergies.
  • Steam mops or Hardwood Floor Cleaners (this is my favorite) also make cleaning hard surfaces much faster than traditional mops, so I highly recommend investing in one of those to keep your cleaning quick!
Thanks so much for the words of wisdom, Melissa! Now that you've got the cleaning done, it might be a good time to sit down for a minute and relax. Make a hot cup of tea and enjoy the cleanliness.... because any minute, the doorbell is gonna ring.....

Happy Cleaning!