Quick Cleaning Tips To Help You Prepare For Holiday Guests + The Best Mop

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CleanForTheHolidays #CollectiveBias

I’m sure you all know the feeling…you get a call that a friend or relative is stopping by. Not next week, but today. Of course they decide to pick the day that you have yet to shower, the morning dishes are still sitting in the sink, and the house looks like someone ransacked it. Instead of going into a panic attack, I’m going to share with you some quick cleaning tips that will help you prepare for guests this holiday season and throughout the year. I’m also going to introduce you to the best mop I’ve ever used.

Quick Cleaning Tips To Help You Prepare For Holiday Guests

Go on a pick up spree

Grab a basket and pick up everything that’s scattered around the house. If it doesn’t belong in the room, place it in the basket. This is not the time to start organizing, you’re simply gathering everyday items that wind up on the floor or furniture. Your kids (even littles ones) can get help out with this task.

• If your guests are not arriving right away: Put items away where they belong.
• If your guests are less than an hour away: Place the basket in a closet and deal with it later.

Clean up the bathrooms

After a quick pick up, the bathroom is probably one of the most important rooms to focus on. Your guests might overlook your messy house, but they won’t overlook a dirty bathroom. Start by wiping the glass, sinks and any other surfaces that need wiped down. Next, focus your efforts on the toilet. You must, regardless of time restraints, clean the toilet. Period.

• If your guests are not arriving right away:Clean all surfaces, toilet, sweep and mop the floor.
• If your guests are less than an hour away: Focus your efforts on the visible surfaces and toilet.

Dust and wipe down surfaces

Wipe down glass and dust all furniture surfaces in the main living areas. Always wipe from top to bottom. In the kitchen, make sure to wipe down the countertops and appliances. Again, this is a task that the kids can easily help with.

• If your guests are not arriving right away: Clean the inside of your appliances and the inside of furniture such as entertainment centers.
• If your guests are less than an hour away: Only focus on the visible surfaces and worry about doing a deep cleaning when you have time.

Clean the floors

If you still have time after working on the previous tasks, you’ll want to focus on the floors. Start off by sweeping or vacuuming the main living areas. Next, you’ll want to mop the floors to give it that I was “just cleaned” look and smell. Typically my kids can’t help with the mopping portion because they tend to make an even bigger mess. However, I found an awesome mop called O-Cedar ProMist. It’s easy to use and the best part is that you don’t have to wait forever for the floor to dry. Quick, simple and my type of cleaning.

• If your guests are not arriving right away: Sweep, vacuum and mop floors. If you want to impress your guests (and have time), wipe down the baseboards as well.
• If your guests are less than an hour away: Sweep the floors and spot clean with a mop.

Light up a candle and relax

The holiday season is a busy one and getting all worked up over what your home looks like is not going to help you enjoy it. Your family and friends are not going to be concerned with the state of your home. They simply want to spend time with you and your family. If you are uptight, they’ll notice and won’t be able to enjoy themselves. So relax, light up a candle (takes away funky smells!) and prepare yourself to create long lasting memories.

If you want to know where to purchase the O-Cedar ProMist, you can find it at your local Walmart.

I also created a simple checklist in case you need a quick reminder. Simply click on the image below to print or save:

Do you have any quick cleaning tips to add to this list? I would love to hear them!