Most of us do a thorough cleaning of our apartment before guests arrive. This is a standard practice, because we want other people not to feel uncomfortable seeing the mess in our homes. In addition, we ourselves do not want to be known among the people as sluts and messes, so we prefer to arrange visits in advance and diligently hide the true state of affairs in our house.

Guests should not see dust on cabinets, dirty dishes in the sink and socks thrown on the floor. But how important is cleaning before guests arrive? There is an opinion that this practice hides your true face and deprives you of easy communication. Your job is to agree with the arguments listed below, or refute them.

Demonstration of the true "I"

By cleaning before guests arrive, you want to make a good impression. However, remember how you behave if your own mother or best friend? You are glad to close people, despite the presence of dishes left on the dining table, or an unmade bed. You do not have the goal of appearing better than you really are. And the better a person knows you, the less embarrassment you feel when inviting him to an untidy home.

More guests

If you feel awkward only in front of strangers, it means that you will think 10 times before inviting them. And as long as the desire to have a good reputation prevails, there will never be frequent guests in your house. You'll find a thousand excuses just to new colleague did not see your imperfections.

Rejection of stereotypes

And why not destroy this incomprehensible standard of perfection and not allow other people to enter your life? This does not mean that you should stop preparing for new year holidays and give up forever wet cleaning on weekends. It just means that some minor nuances should not stop you from spontaneously inviting new acquaintances, and your social group will expand significantly.

People around are more willing to communicate with imperfect people

In the end, people are so arranged that they are more willing to make contact with those who are not perfect. Small flaws give rise to more relaxed and trusting communication. Just allow yourself to meet other people more often, and it will make you a little happier.

06.06.2018 10:21

Everyone has been in such a situation: only the elephant did not dance in your house, and suddenly your friends or mother-in-law call you and ask for a visit. Of course, you are not Cinderella, but if you have an hour left, then you can put your home in order. It is enough to clean up in key areas so that guests consider you the perfect hostess.

Hallway: floor

This is the first area where a person's foot enters your home. Shake out the rug, gather up the cobwebs, and sweep the floor quickly with the mop. It is not at all necessary to lift your shoes and be meticulous, it is enough to make a good impression. If you want to strengthen it, then run a damp cloth along the main routes: the transitions between rooms. When the dust does not sparkle in the rays of the sun, it seems as if you are aiming a marafet every day. Remove things from the table or stool in the hallway so that guests can place their bags and other things on them.

Balcony: animal bowls

If you have cats and dogs, be sure to clean up the trays and wash the bowls they eat from. Check that there are no balls of wool lying around the apartment, which, when the wind blows, turn into tumbleweeds. Important point: you are used to and no longer feel the specific smell that is characteristic of pets. But the rest he punches in the nose at the entrance. Therefore, to be sure, use air fresheners. Most people like citrus scents, which are associated with cleanliness and good mood.

Probably, there are people in the world who are happy to clean the apartment. But most prefer not to spend precious hours of free time on cleaning. But you don’t want to live in chaos and disorder, so we will tell you how to quickly clean up the apartment. This skill will come in handy if guests suddenly decide to come in, and simply if there is a desire to devote the weekend not to a rag and a mop, but to more interesting things.

Books on home economics distinguish the following types of cleaning:

  • Daily. It includes making beds, washing dishes and other small chores.
  • weekly. This is a larger event, including cleaning plumbing, washing the refrigerator, window sills, etc.
  • General. This cleaning, during which things are moved in closets, chandeliers, windows, etc. are washed.

Modern people, as a rule, try to minimize time costs and not spend a whole day off cleaning. To do this, you need to properly organize your life.

Here are some helpful tips:

  • Get helpers. Good powerful vacuum cleaner, dishwasher and other Appliances will free up a lot of time.
  • Convenient inventory. You should not spare money for the purchase of a good mop and comfortable rags. Dust is much easier to remove if you wipe it with a microfiber cloth rather than an old T-shirt.
  • Without household chemicals not enough. Now it is fashionable to refuse household chemicals, to use "grandmother's" means. But you will have to “pay” for this with free time. Modern cleaning products make the job much easier.
  • Minimalist setting. People have different ideas about comfort. If you like a style with a bunch of pillows, blankets, various figurines, then you will have to spend long hours cleaning. Those who prefer not to start "dust collectors" clean up much faster.
  • We act gradually. There is such a system "fly lady". Of course, it is not suitable for everyone, but there is a rational grain in it. If you spend 20-30 minutes daily on cleaning, you won’t have to “kill” the whole day off to sort out the weekly blockages.
  • Use modern systems storage. If all things are in their places, then the room looks cleaned.

How to clean up in an hour

To clean up in an hour, you need to learn how to combine several things at the same time.

  • Start with the bathroom and kitchen. Treat plumbing and stove with special cleaning products, while you are doing other things, cleaning agents will do their job and you won’t have to spend a lot of time scrubbing stains.
  • If there is no dishwasher in the house, then close the sink in the kitchen with a cork, pour warm water, add detergent and immerse dirty dishes in this "bath". Let it lie down, only it will be better to wash off later.
  • In the meantime, walk around the rooms, collect things that were out of place. Wipe the dust, clean the mirrors with a special tool. It's time to get the vacuum cleaner, clean upholstered furniture, and then, changing the nozzle, remove the dust from the floor.
  • Now you can rinse the detergent from the plumbing fixtures and stoves and wash the dishes. And the final touch is washing the floors. If you have a good mop, this work will not take much time and effort.

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Before guests arrive

If you urgently need to clean up before the arrival of guests, then try to look at the apartment through the eyes stranger. It is unlikely that guests will begin to look behind the sofa in search of dust or begin to inspect the order in kitchen cabinets. Therefore, we pay attention only to those places that immediately catch the eye.

  • Hallway. This is the first room in the house that the guest enters. Therefore, we quickly collect lying shoes, bags, umbrellas and other little things.
  • Bathroom. We pay attention to the condition of the sink in the bathroom, if there are clean towels and toilet paper.
  • Then the guests go to the rooms. When cleaning in an emergency, there is no time to put things in their places. Therefore, we take a large box or basin, and add everything that is not in place. We'll sort things out later when we have time. We pay attention to whether there is dust on horizontal surfaces.
  • Guests rarely enter the kitchen, unless they want to help set the table. To clean up the kitchen, you need to free the surfaces as much as possible and wipe them. Can't wash the dishes? Just put it in neat piles in the sink. The main thing is that cups and spoons do not roll on the table.
  • And of course, you need to pay attention to the condition of the floor. It should be free of crumbs and other debris. If there is a robot vacuum cleaner, then it must be started in advance. If this technique is not available, you will have to use a conventional vacuum cleaner. But you don’t need to clean the dust from the corners and thoroughly clean under the furniture; in emergency mode, it is important to clean the center of the premises.

If there are children in the house

If there are children in the house, keeping order is especially difficult. Just got out, the toys were scattered again, and juice was spilled on the cleaned sofa. In order for the apartment to be in order, try from an early age to teach your baby to eat only at the table and not run around the apartment with cookies or a sandwich.

It is very important to properly organize the storage of toys. This question must be decided taking into account the age of the child. Up to a year, as a rule, there are no problems, since the playing space is limited to an arena or a rug, and toys are given out by an adult.

Read also: 7 ways to get rid of cockroaches

By the age of 2, the baby accumulates a lot of toys. But at the age of 2-5 years, children are not able to play for a long time. Therefore, it is worth dividing all the toys into 2-3 parts. And give the baby only one part. When mom notices that interest in toys has faded, they should be removed and replaced with another part.

Tip: Don't waste time neatly arranging dolls and cars on the shelves. It is better to purchase a box or a special storage basket.

At 6-7 years old, the child should already be accustomed to independently monitor their toys, insist that after the game everything is put away in its place.

What is important to remove

When cleaning quickly, you need to optimize the work. Therefore, you need to decide what is important to remove in the first place, and what can wait.

In the kitchen

In the kitchen, you need to maintain order every day, otherwise you will then have to spend a lot of time dismantling the rubble and wiping off the film of fat. It is better to have closed lockers, not shelves. Moreover, the front part of the cabinets and cabinets should be smooth. Then the furniture will be easy enough to wipe, without wasting time washing out the dirt from the grooves and curls.

Cover the top of the cabinets with foil or paper (newspapers work the same). Then, when cleaning, it will be possible to simply remove and replace this coating without wasting time washing.

Try not to keep foreign things in the kitchen. If the surfaces are free, then cleaning will be much easier. Clean daily kitchen sink. If you do this every day, then it will take a couple of minutes to wash. If you ignore this rule, then you will have to clean the sink for a long time to a shine. You also need to wipe the apron and countertops daily.

In the bedroom

Cleaning the bedroom will not take much time if this room is not cluttered with various things. Try to keep all the little things in the nightstands or chest of drawers.

We start cleaning from the bed. If the bed is in a mess, then a feeling of slovenliness is immediately created. Then we collect the clothes, immediately putting the things that need washing into the dirty laundry basket. Now we remove extraneous things that should not be in the bedroom. If there are a lot of such things, then it is better to put them in a box or bag and then take them to their places, and not go with each thing separately.

In the living room

In the living room, as a rule, the whole family gathers in the evenings. Therefore, various things often accumulate here. Collect them in a separate bag or box, then spread them all at once in their places.

Then you need to wipe the dust and polish the furniture. Use modern polishes, they will help to quickly bring surfaces in order. Next, you need to wash the glass surfaces - cabinet doors, inserts in the doors, and then clean the floor. The final touch is to adjust the pillows on the sofa, when they lie at random, it seems that the room is a mess.

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Make a menu

Calculate how many people will be at your holiday, and make a menu based on the number of guests.

It is better to find out in advance if any of the invited people are allergic to any products. Perhaps one of the guests adheres to a certain type of food, so try to diversify the choice of dishes so as not to leave this person hungry.

By choosing a menu that will appeal to all guests, you will express your sincere concern for them and your hospitality.

If guests come with children, then also please them with something and. A good solution would be to set a separate small table. So adults will be more comfortable, and children will have more fun.

Don't overdo it. It is better to impress guests with the taste of cooked dishes, and not their unprecedented quantity. Think about decorating treats. After all, aesthetic presentation is already half the battle.

It is better to cook a hot dish according to the recipe you have already tested, but you can experiment with salads. Don't forget fruits and vegetables. They not only diversify the menu, but also serve as a decoration. holiday table if you are creative in how you present them.

Once you've decided on the menu, make a shopping list. Add to it not only the main ingredients, but also other products that need to be purchased: bread, water, juices.

It is better to stock up on food gradually so that a large amount does not deal a sharp blow to your wallet and your mood, especially if you plan to have a real feast. In this case, it is better to think in advance how much money you can allocate from your budget, and start saving up for the holiday table.

Think over the setting

Prepare the furniture

Once you've decided on your guest list and your menu, think about how you'll accommodate everyone. Do you have a large table? Are there enough chairs to seat all the guests? Is there a place for outerwear?

You may need to do a little rearrangement so guests don't have to huddle. It is better to think over such details in advance so that they do not take you by surprise at the very last moment.

If you have very little space in your apartment, and a lot of guests are expected, put a buffet table, ottomans, chairs or armchairs. Firstly, it is unusual, and secondly, you will have a place to dance. Besides, no one will suffer from overeating.

Choose dishes

Make sure you have enough plates, glasses and cutlery for all guests. Pick up salad bowls and dishes for hot dishes in advance, and also think over serving. Here are some ideas for inspiration.






If you are planning an extensive menu, but everything does not fit on the table, then there is an easy way to solve this problem. Do not serve hot items such as mashed potatoes or chicken legs on a shared platter, but serve each separately. In extreme cases, this can be done with salads.

You may want to bring treats from the festive table to one of the guests. To do this, prepare a lot of empty food containers, cling film or foil. In addition, you will definitely need them when you remove the leftover food from the table. Do not put crystal vases in the refrigerator.

Create entertainment for guests

If you have a folding table, then wipe it completely from dust in advance and check if it needs to be repaired.

Wipe down any souvenirs, lamps and candles, and any decorations you want to put on the table.

What to do if the guests are already on the doorstep

First of all, focus on the room where the guests will be. Remove all unnecessary things from your field of vision. They can simply be transferred to a closet or to another room. Carefully arrange souvenirs, magazines, books and everything that is left on the shelves. Dust all visible surfaces: coffee tables, low shelves, electronics. If you have carpets or carpets, be sure to vacuum them. All this will not take much time.

Then move on to the bathroom. If time is running out, just put some cosmetic order there. Remove excess towels and dirty clothes. Vacuum the toilet rugs, clean the mirror and the faucets. Put in new soap. Straighten the bathroom curtain so that the bathtub and shelves are not visible.

Guests may not enter the kitchen, but still wipe the table and surfaces kitchen set. Remove leftover food. And if dirty dishes remain, then try to hide them somewhere. If you don't have a dishwasher, use the oven for this. You can also wash the dishes after the guests have left.

Ventilate the apartment so that there is fresh air in all rooms. And don't forget to look neat!

take it easy

Don't worry if things don't go according to plan. Any holiday is an occasion to meet close and dear people, and not an assessment of your household skills. Be friendly and open, then the atmosphere in the house will become much more comfortable.


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