As a host, you want to make sure your guests have a great time. And as a guest, you want to feel welcome and comfortable when visiting someone else's home. But how do you make this happen when you're dealing with an apartment that's in complete disarray? We've got some tips on how to get your space together in time for guests who are due to arrive tonight!
Get the vacuum out (and maybe even the mop)
Now that you've committed to cleaning and organizing, it's time to get started. First things first: if you don't have a vacuum, get one. A clean apartment is often found in between the crevices of your carpet and under furniture—a place where dust bunnies breed. A vacuum will help you get rid of these little buggers so that your place can sparkle from top to bottom (and everywhere in between).
If you do have a vacuum, use it! This is not optional—and while we're on the subject: do not skip this step! Vacuuming and mopping will help keep dirt and dust at bay—not only will this improve how clean your space feels as soon as guests arrive but also prevent any allergic reactions they might experience otherwise due poor air quality.
Throw out the trash
The first thing you should do is empty the trash. This means taking out any garbage that's in your apartment, putting it in a trash can, and then putting the garbage bag into said trash can.
Don't forget to recycle! You may have a recycling bin that has items that need to be recycled. Put them in there!
And don't forget about composting! If you have a compost bin, make sure to put any food scraps or waste cooking oil there so they can decompose into fertilizer for your garden!
Hide all those empty bottles of wine in the recycling bin
If you're like most people, your apartment is a mess because you've been drinking. You drank a lot in preparation for hosting guests, and then you kept drinking so that the stress of thinking about hosting guests wouldn't keep you up at night. Now, with only 24 hours until they arrive and the anxiety hitting its peak, it's time to tidy up and hide all the evidence of your drunkenness.
First things first: put out the recycling bin. It's right there by the door—you can't miss it! But don't just shove everything into it willy-nilly; make sure that empty bottles are facing downwards so they don't break when they hit other pieces of glass or metal waste products in there. And remember to take apart those cardboard boxes before tossing them into the bin; otherwise they'll jam up their shredding blades and make more work for yourself later on when someone has to clean out this big mess again (it won't be me).
Put those dishes in the dishwasher
It is best to wash your dishes in the sink first and then put them in the dishwasher when it's full. After you use a dishwasher, make sure that you clean it out before you start using it again. Don't put dirty dishes into the dishwasher—it's not a trash can!
And don't forget to put it out in the morning, because if you wait until after work, you might miss your guests. And they'll be very upset with youYou should also make sure that the dishwasher is cleaned out every few months. If you have hard water, you may need to add a rinse aid or vinegar. This will help your dishes come out cleaner..
Hang up that wet towel you've been using as a make-shift shower curtain
Here's the thing: if you're like me and are running out of time to get your apartment cleaned, it can be tempting to just let those wet towels that were once used as makeshift shower curtains sit there and air dry. After all, they're not your guests' problem!
But here's another thing: unless you have a housekeeper or someone who can come clean up after yourself when you leave in less than 24 hours, hanging up wet towels isn't going to get them clean any faster than if they'd been left on the floor or folded on top of each other in the corner. In fact, doing so will probably just make them smell like fabric softener instead of whatever pungent body odor cocktail was already lingering there before. Plus, if we're being honest with ourselves here (and I hope we are), we've all been around enough gross things in our lives that hanging up dirty clothes would probably only rate somewhere near "routinely eating food off the floor" on our lists of things we don't want our friends to see when they come over tomorrow night—and that's assuming they'll even notice without being told first!
So what do we do? Well if you've got anything resembling an open window nearby (or even just some fresh air blowing into a room via a fan), then set those wet towels out there until they're completely dry before placing them back where they go now—preferably somewhere else besides right next to where someone might sit down later tonight when no one expects company! And if not? Well then tough luck; either put 'em back where they belong or give them away as last minute gifts for someone else who needs something useful...like maybe their own parents? Or start using a Turkish Towel in bathroom that dries fast and does not grow mild.
Wipe down that mirror you never clean
You've got a big, clean mirror that you never clean. Here's how to do it fast:
- If your mirror is particularly dirty, use a damp cloth or sponge to wipe away any visible grime before starting on the glass itself. Spray down the surface with water and vinegar (or rubbing alcohol) and then wipe it dry with a clean towel or rag right away; this will help loosen up any dirt that has become stuck on there over time.
- If things are still looking grim after step 1, apply a few drops of liquid dish soap directly onto an old toothbrush and use that to scrub away any remaining residue from your mirrors' surfaces—this will help lift stubborn stains while simultaneously softening them so they're easier to remove with just water later on!
Do a quick sweep of the bathroom to get rid of any hair or dirt on the floor.
Get rid of any hair or dirt on the floor.
Sweep up any hair and dirt that's on the floor, then do a quick sweep of your bathroom with a damp washcloth to get rid of any smudges or dust.
Clean the sink and mirror.
Wipe down your sink and mirror so they're clean and shiny, then wipe down all mirrors in other rooms to make sure they look nice as well (you don't want to be too picky if you have guests arriving soon). Empty out any trash cans around the house so they're ready for guests to use them if needed (and make sure there's enough toilet paper in each bathroom!).
Tidy up your bedroom. You can put those clothes away later.
If there is one room in your house that should be tidy, it's the bedroom. You can do this later, but now is the time to focus on making sure that your guest will be able to sleep comfortably and have access to all of their belongings.
This means making the bed, straightening up any clothes strewn around the room, putting away toys or books that are out and making sure that your closet is tidy. If you have any dirty laundry (and if so: why?), make sure that it gets put into its proper place as well.
It's likely that this will take up most of your time for today—if not all of it!
Tidy up your desk, but don't stress about organizing your papers.
Your desk is probably the messiest area in your house, so it's important to clean that up. Stuff is scattered everywhere and you've got bills and receipts piling up. There's a lot of paper clutter on your desk, but don't worry about organizing it now—you'll get around to that later. For now, just throw everything into a pile in the middle of your desk or floor next to it (or however far away from where you have been working) and come back once all of your guests have arrived at their destination so they can help tidy up while you're cooking dinner and getting ready for them!
Dust the furniture.
Dusting is the easiest and most rewarding part of making your home presentable. It's best to start in one room, like the living room, and work your way around the rest of the house.
Use a duster with a long handle—this will allow you to easily dust under objects (a coffee table, for example) without having to bend over and feel like that kid from "The Karate Kid." This can be as simple as a feather duster or an old sock filled with some cornmeal or cat litter. If you want something more high-tech, try an electrostatic dusting cloth made specifically for electronics like televisions. Just make sure it's not too abrasive so it doesn't scratch any delicate surfaces.
Dust in the direction of the grain (up on furniture) or patterned area (across windowsills). Make sure not to miss spots behind furniture too! You may need some assistance if there are cobwebs up there. For wood furniture that's been cleaned but still has some buildup left over from past dustings, use a damp sponge or cloth soaked in warm water mixed with 1 tablespoon dish soap before wiping down each surface thoroughly until dry—this will help lift any remaining dirt off while keeping things clean at once! Don't forget about crevices either; these are easy places for bugs and other critters to hide out until they come back out on their own accord later on down time when nobody is there looking after them anymore... which leads us into our next tip: Don't leave anything out overnight."
Make sure there's fresh toilet paper in bathrooms.
So you didn't think it was possible to run out of toilet paper, but here we are. Not to worry! You can buy a new roll at any drugstore or grocery store (and they're usually cheap).
If you don't have time to run out and get some, though, there's another option: ask one of your neighbors if they've got an extra roll lying around in their bathroom. Just remember that it's not a bad idea to check every bathroom before everyone arrives—if someone else has already used up all of the TP in one place, then yours will be next in line for a refill.
Take a deep breath and know you can totally get your space together in time for your guests!
You can absolutely get your space together in time for your guests! You have everything you need, and you can do this. It may be challenging, but it's not as bad as you think—you can get it done.
You might be thinking: "But my apartment is a mess!" or "I have no idea where to start." We hear those thoughts all the time from our clients who are overwhelmed by their home organization challenges. But know that we've got some strategies up our sleeves that will help make getting your place ready easier than ever!
The most important thing is to take a deep breath and know that you can totally get your space together in time for your guests! The key is to start small. You don’t have to tackle everything at once, so focus on one or two things at a time until they feel manageable. Then move on to the next thing on your list until everything looks nice again—and don’t forget about those dirty dishes in the sink ;)
Keywords:
- Apartment cleaning
- Guest preparation
- Quick tips
- Vacuuming
- Mopping
- Trash disposal
- Recycling
- Hiding empty bottles
- Dishwasher use
- Wet towel management
- Mirror cleaning
- Bedroom tidying
- Desk organization
- Furniture dusting
- Toilet paper availability
- Guest readiness