How to Clean the House in Less Than an Hour

Is your house a mess and guests are on their way? Do you need to clean up quick, but you are unsure where to even begin. Follow this guide and your house will be company ready in less than an hour.

The first thing you need to do is walk through the house picking up all the toys, dishes, and clothes that are lying around out of place. To do this quickly take a laundry basket with you and toss the dirty clothes into it. You can throw other items into it to carry easily from room to room and put away. You will also want a sack for any trash you may find and to empty trash cans. I like to use the plastic sacks from the grocery store for the small waste baskets in each room.

Now that you have been through each room and picked up laundry, dishes, and other items you should put the laundry in the hamper or laundry room. If you have not done laundry for a while and your hamper is spilling over, put a load of clothes into the washing machine. Even if you do not turn it on, your guests will never see it.

Take the dishes to the kitchen and load the dishwasher. If you do not have a dishwasher, run some hot soapy water to put the dirty dishes into. Leave them to soak and begin cleaning the kitchen counter off. Put anything lying on the counter away and wipe the counters down with either bleach or a multi purpose antibacterial cleaning product. Quickly wipe down the outside of the microwave and refrigerator.

Guests may need to use your bathroom while they are visiting. The cleanliness of the bathroom is very important. Take a plastic sack into the bathroom with you for emptying the trash and go ahead and do that first. Hang the trash sack you are throwing away on the door knob, a drawer, or a hook so that it is not in your way.

Flush the toilet. Put your favorite toilet bowl cleaner inside the toilet and leave it for a minute while you wipe down the toilet seat and the outside of the bowl. Use a mixture of half bleach and half water in a spray bottle for cleaning the toilet, sink, and countertops (make sure bleach is safe to use on your particular counters). Bleach and water is great for killing germs and bacteria plus it saves money. An all purpose antibacterial cleaner will work as well and can be used on almost any surface. After cleaning the outside of the toilet use a toilet bowl brush to scrub the inside. Flush, and if you have disinfectant spray use it on the toilet and the sink fixtures.

Now wipe down the counter, sink, and faucets with the bleach and water spray or your all purpose antibacterial cleaner. Do not forget the toothpaste splatter on the mirror. The trick to a no streak mirror is to use a glass cleaner and newspaper. Fold, hang, and/or straighten any towels you have that are not in cabinets and can be seen. Lastly, unless you have carpet, the floor needs cleaned. Using an all purpose antibacterial cleaner and a paper towel (or antibacterial wipes) clean the floor. Pay special attention to the places hair and dust gather. Take the trash with you when you are done with floor.

Okay, if you do not have a dishwasher then you still have the dishes to do. After washing the dishes, quickly dust any coffee or end tables you have. If you own any electronics that are black, such as a TV or computer you will need to dust those as well. Now all that is left is sweeping the floors.