Crisis Cleaning: An Emergency To-Do List for when Surprise Guests Are on Their Way to Your House

We have all experienced it. The sudden phone call that says people are coming over. Aack!! The house isn't ready for guests! Here is my emergency to-do list for getting the house ready for those surprise guests.

You ~
Before you even focus on the house, take a quick look at yourself. Are you dressed? Is your hair done? No matter how spotless the house is, if you're still in pajamas your guests will notice you first. So the first thing you need to do is get some real clothes on. And at least make a quick attempt at your hair and face, so that you look presentable.

Mobile Trashcan ~
That's right, grab a trashcan, and make it mobile. Walk through your house, starting with the main rooms, (like the entryway and the living room). Take the same path that you expect your guests to take. Pick up all the obvious stuff that doesn't belong there. You know the stuff I mean. The stuff you were going to throw away 'later'. Now is the time. You don't have to clean it if you're going to throw it away. Dump it quick, and then put the trash can away. Remember, this is just a quick pass for the obvious trash. Don't start digging out or doing any major de-cluttering, just grab the stuff that really shouldn't have been left out in the first place.

The Bathroom ~
If your guests stay long enough, sooner or later they will want to use the bathroom. They are going to be in there alone sitting still for a few minutes looking around and noticing all the details, so this room is important. First, take a paper towel dampen it with water or your favorite spray cleaner. Run it around the baseboards of the bathroom. The majority of the dust and hair that gets dropped on the bathroom floor gets pushed to the edges. You can pick up 90 percent of the debris that is left on your bathroom floor just by running a quick damp paper towel around the edges.

Now give the mirror a quick spritz with your favorite window cleaner, and wipe it down with paper towel. (Not the same one you just used on the floor!) You can also use window cleaner on most sinks, so give it a quick spritz and wipe out with paper towels too, to remove any gobs of toothpaste whatnot.