My entire place is one big "hot spot". What could I possibly tell people about this? I thought and thought and I finally decided that perhaps in this instance, my extreme messiness could be turned to an advantage. (Bet you never guessed a messy house could be a good thing!) Because my house is almost always in need of cleaning, I have become somewhat of an expert at "The Quick Clean", as I call it.
There are actually several things that you can do to attack those trouble areas when company is coming. Imagine, your mother-in-law calls. She is on her way over to visit. She'll be there in 30 minutes. You can't breathe, your heart begins pounding - panic is setting in! What to do, what to do?! Here are a few of my favorite "tricks" to clean up quickly.
1. Boxes - They are one of my staples when doing a "Quick
Clean". Toss it in a box and go thru it later. Just don't
forget where you put it!
2. Ovens - It's amazing how many dirty dishes you can put in
one.
3. Dryer - Same as the oven, but you can put bigger things in it.
4. Washer - I admit, I have been known to put things in here.
5. Dusting - Dust around, not under.
6. Vacuum - Do the middle of the floor. No one is going to
check under the furniture. If they do, they get what they deserve!
7. Bathrooms - This is where having more than one really comes
in handy. Clean one and leave the other. Swish the toilet, run a
wet cloth over the counter and sink and close the shower curtain.
(By the way, the shower is a good place to hide all the kids'
bath toys!)
8. Close the door - All of my friends know not to go into my
bedroom if the door is closed. (This is where I hide all the boxes!)
All told, these things should only take you a few minutes each.
After your company leaves you can pull everything back out. But the
next day you may be saying to yourself "Golly, that was a close
call!" (Yeah, I know no one actually says golly, but this is a
family oriented article!) One way to avoid this is to keep those hot
spots under control. Easier said than done, I know. However, there
are a few things that can help.
The worst area in my house is affectionately known as
"Mommy's Couch". This is the love seat and coffee table
where I do just about everything; watch TV, pay bills, work on
projects. It's where I wrote this article. The table and the
surrounding floor would become covered with papers and books and
whatnot as I went thru the week. My mother-in-law found a solution
for me - a decorative"bucket". It sits on the floor next
to "Mommy's Couch". This is where I put the mail, things
to be filed, magazines, tablets, etc. Once every week or so ( or
when it gets full) I go thru it and clean it out. It's not a
perfect solution, but it keeps everything in one place and leaves the
rest of the area clean.
Most people's biggest complaint is paperwork, and there are a few things you can do to keep it from multiplying.
1. Mail - go thru it before you even sit down. I live in an
apartment and I go thru it while I am still at the mailbox, throwing
out everything I don't need.
2. Filing - have a place to put it until you have time to file
it. A friend has a shallow desk drawer that she puts everything in
until the end of the month.
3. Magazines - have a container to put them in until you can
read them. If you find you never seem to have time, cancel the
subscription. Why waste the money!
4. Bills - have a place to keep the monthly bills, your
checkbook, a calculator and a small tablet. Then it's all in one
place when you need it.
Toys are another problem and if you have kids they are just a fact of life. I keep a storage drawer (with 3 drawers) and a big storage container in the living room. It makes clean up easy, even for my 2 year old, and I can just close them when we have company.
The biggest tip for "hot spots" is to try to go over these areas at least once a day. It only takes a few minutes and it's easier to do this than to go thru it once a month when it will take you hours to clean up. Your goal is to make your life easier, not to turn yourself into Martha Stewart. And remember, Martha has a housekeeper, you don't!