Company Coming? Speed Cleaning Tips to the Rescue!

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college cleaning gift basket
Don’t forget your back to school savings!

“Hey, Pam, we’re in the neighborhood and thought we’d drop by. Is that all right?” We’ve all had this phone calls, right? That’s when we look around the house and panic. I always wonder why no one could drop by right after I cleaned the house. No, people wait until it is at its worst and choose that exact moment to come over. In an effort to save my sanity, I’ve developed a system of tips to speed clean the house.

Stock up on cleaning supplies

1. This is the most important tip! Always, always, always have cleaning supplies on hand. Have you ever looked in your supply closet and realized you were out of disinfectant or cleaners? Stock up by always having one extra.
2. Speed clean the rooms you know your guests will see. Pick up the clutter in the family room, straighten up the pillows on the sofa, and give the rug a quick vacuum. Put up a clean towel in the bathroom and wipe down the counters just in case.

Speed Cleaning Tips
3. Close the door to areas you don’t want people to see. I always shut the bedroom doors and blame it on putting up my cats so they won’t be running around the house.
4.Keep a basket in the family room. I use one I picked up at Walmart, along with my cleaning products I purchased using Henkel coupons. I pile everything that is lying around (books, shoes) into the basket and put it in what my family has dubbed “the clutter closet.”

Speed Cleaning Tips for bathrooms
5. Place an air freshener like Renuzit® in the room people will be visiting. The fresh smell will make them think you just cleaned.

Okie with Renuzit

What is your best cleaning tip?

44 Comments

  1. I need one of these in every bathroom to keep it all together! Great idea!

  2. I love looking at all the supplies, it makes me want to shop and stock up. And it also makes me realize I need to clean. Ugh.

  3. I’m cracking up – no one ever stops by after I finish cleaning either! Great idea to create a cleaning supply basket for a college student. I might make one for my sister, she’s finishing up her last semester!! #client

  4. College kids definitely could use a few cleaning pointers. I love the idea of a cute basket of goodies! Great products too

  5. I know this story well… Haha! It does take time to learn how to do the perfect sweep and organize items to look at. If all else fails, the cleaning tools closet is a great place to toss things until your guests leave, 😉

  6. I’m all about some speed cleaning. I spent a few hours cleaning up today and I still have more to do. Ugh! I have the nerve to want more space! LOL!

  7. This is a great idea! I could have used this in college for sure!

  8. I love the College Cleaning Basket idea! These are some great cleaning tips as well. Thanks for sharing.

  9. what a great Idea for a college kid! The room freshener is a must!

  10. I love this idea. You have added in some good products too.

  11. Why have I never thought of this!?!? Brilliant!

  12. Great idea! This is the perfect gift for a college kid!

  13. I know that last minute cleaning frenzy all to well. Thanks for the great tips!

  14. Thank you for the coupon. Great idea for students!

  15. That’s a good deal on the coupon book! And that’s a beautiful cat in the picture. 🙂

  16. Forget college, I want to make one of these for myself! Such a cute idea! I think I’ll make one for my baby sister who just got her first apartment by herself.

  17. What a cute idea for a college cleaning kit! I’m sure any college student would appreciate this!

  18. Great cleaning tips! I like to close doors to rooms I don’t want people going into.

  19. Oh my goodness, I have three sons and we you throw my husband in there I can’t even tell where the smells are coming from!! Ha!! I love the idea of the room deodorizer. Works like a charm!

  20. Great job. I’ve made so many college baskets and the things I have put into them have changed greatly over the years. Most recently I have been making cold/flu season baskets!

  21. Lately, I have been trying to clean more with vinegar. I am hoping to make the change to cleaning exclusively with it as soon as I can.

  22. I blame my cat too for keeping the door closed, in fact she dislikes people so it’s a half truth. Great tips.

  23. I’m all for making it and sending it with the kiddo… will they use it, though? 😉
    Boys can be so darn stinky!

  24. These are good ideas. When kids go off to college they do not know what to pack to clean up messes. It is nice to give them a starter kit.

  25. I totally need to get better at speed cleaning. You never know who’s going to show up!

  26. The air freshener definitely helps remove those stale odors that we might not be noticing. But seriously people, I need months of advance notice!

  27. that’s a great idea for a cleaning basket. I will be making one for my daughter next year

  28. I try to do a quick pick up each morning in case of drop ins. That way it isn’t totally messy, just a little “lived in” lol.

  29. All great tips! There’s nothing like the panic of the “I’m coming over” phone call to get the house cleaned quickly.

  30. My son is 14, so it won’t be too long before it’s time for him to go off to college. This is a great idea, and I’ll definitely make a cleaning basket one of the things I’ll send with him. Will he use it? It’s debatable, but at least he’ll have it.

  31. what a great idea to have for unexpected company. I need this for my daugthers room.

    • Cleaning the litter box daily and refreshing the litter with a new upper inch or so, mixed in with an inch or so of new clean litter. Sprinkle baking sheet soda freshener for multiple cats. Take the soiled litter, place it in a doggie doo-doo bag, knotted and tied and taken outside to the garbage can. Sweep around the litter box to remove any litter granules on the floor. Wash the litter scoop with disinfectant soap to remove any residue that could smell awful. I also wipe the exterior of the box with wipes that are specifically meant for this purpose. Then… relax, enjoy your kitties and feel good that your home now smells fresh and not like soiled, urine soaked kitty litter.

  32. What a great line of products. I use many of them myself, with 7 of us our house gets messy!

  33. Great tips. We do the basket idea a lot. In fact I find it so much easier then running around the house picking up one thing at a time.

  34. This is a great idea. Dorm rooms are some of the grungiest places on earth. The kids will probably get some use out these products the first day!

  35. That is too funny! Doesn’t it seem like company NEVER stops by when you’ve just actually finished cleaning and your house is spotless! OH well! We can only wish. Thanks for these easy tips!

  36. My mother made me a huge basket of cleaning goodies when I went off to college. All of the really expensive and smell-good stuff. I still remember how much I loved that.

  37. These are awesome tips for a quick clean-up in your home! I have the same issue with people wanting to come over when my house is the messiest!

  38. I wold leave to see this happen when my son goes off to school! I suspect my training now would have to get more intense for him to be clean away at school!

  39. Love the tip about “close the doors” – that’s key!! If I only had somewhere to just store everything that’s sitting on my kitchen counter! For some reason it collects everything (and it’s mostly mine, ahem). Great tips!

  40. You mean college students are supposed to clean their rooms, too?? 😉 I don’t think I ever saw or heard of anyone cleaning their dorm room, and forget about the frat guy friends I had. So long as the beer cans and pizza boxes were tossed they didn’t care about much else!

  41. These are all great tips, but my favorite is having Renuzit on hand. This is especially true if you have a son. Boys are stinky no matter how old they are!

  42. Those are all great tips. The thing that gets me are the people that stop by withOUT the phone call first. Drops ins are never welcome at my house.