Tuesday's tips: Clean enough is better than nothing

No matter how good my intentions are, by the end of the week, my house always looks like we hosted a sumo wrestling match in the middle of the family room. A plethora of spectator paraphernalia clutters the hallways — scraps of paper, empty food containers, even discarded clothing. It’s a mess. So you can imagine how much I love realizing company is coming for a visit over the weekend.

I used to think there were only two kinds of clean: family clean and company clean. However, I have recently decided there really is only one kind of clean: clean enough. In a pinch, I can “clean” my house in about an hour. Now that doesn’t mean you would want to eat off my floors or anything, but you can be sure that your hiney will have a clean seat.

Here are the top ten things I do to get my house ready for an unexpected guest.

1. Decorative boxes: Clear all the counter tops and hide items in pretty containers to be sorted through later.
2. Under the bed storage: Cluttered bedrooms are a breeze when you collect all the scattered items into bins to slide under each bed.
3. Laundry basket: I walk through the house picking up all of the discarded clothes and put them in one basket, along with musty bath towels and dirty hand towels
4. Replace linens: One of the best ways to freshen up a bathroom is to put out new towels.
5. Beds: Pull all comforters up and stack the pillows. I’ve quit using pretty pillow shames and now just use matching pillow cases. It saves a lot of time and keeps piles of pillows off the floor.
6. Febreze everything: Spray the beds, shower curtains, throw rugs and even pet beds.
7. Disinfecting wipes: Wipe down all counter tops, toilets, cabinets and sinks. And don’t forget those light switches and door handles! While you are wiping everything down, pour a little Pine Sol in your toilets, swish and flush.
8. Floors: We have mostly hardwood floors, so running a dry Swiffer through the house works best for me. I also use a dry Swiffer to dust off our huge garden tub that no one uses.
9. Rugs: There are throw rugs randomly placed all over the house. Rather than drag the vacuum everywhere, it’s easier to grab all the rugs and lay them out in one room, run the vacuum and then put them back.
10. Light a candle: You’d be surprised how clean people will think your house is just because it smells good. Plus, everything looks better in candlelight.

You can find lots more organizing and cleaning ideas on my Pinterest boards. What are some of your quick cleaning tips?