Part of opening our doors to the world and practicing hospitality with our kids is having a space we can feel proud to invite others into. The space does not have to be large or perfectly decorated. Cleanliness and a welcoming demeanor go a long way. That is why I have this list of things to clean before guests arrive at my house.
Now I’m not saying our houses need to be spotless before we can host people. Real life with kids leads to messes, and most people understand that. If you have people coming over a lot and you have young kids, it is not necessarily realistic to have the house sparkly clean and completely clutter free all the time. But that does not mean you should not try at all. I recommend having a short cleaning routine that focuses on the spaces your guests will use. I think you can shrink the long list of things to clean down to 7 critical things that can be cleaned in under an hour.
Ideally, a regular maintenance routine would keep the house reasonably clean on a daily basis and then you can layer on this quick clean before any guests arrive. But, even if regular maintenance has fallen by the wayside, there are a few things you can do quickly to rescue a messy house.
You will notice that this list focuses on the grime. When guests are arriving shortly, it is not the time to embark on an extensive decluttering project. Let’s head straight to the grimiest places in the main living spaces and polish them up a bit. Now that I have this quick cleaning routine down, I can accomplish all of these within the last half hour before someone shows up at my house, if I move quickly.
1. Scrub the toilet.
Potty training children and a houseful of people can lead to some icky toilets. If you have multiple bathrooms in the house, just clean the one(s) guests might use. It is unlikely someone will go into your master bedroom.
Keep a toilet bowl brush next to the toilet and safely store some cleaner nearby for a quick scrub and flush. Keeping those materials handy also makes it easier to clean the messes when they happen, which is usually the easiest time to clean them up.
2. Address the smells – light a candle, boil some scents on the stove, or bake something that smells good.
For some people, smells deeply influence how they experience physical spaces. How your house smells (dirty diapers? or apple pie?) will be one of the first things someone notices about your house, before they have even had a chance to see that your house is clean or dirty.
I do try to be mindful of people’s sensitivity to scents. For some, making your house smell like Bath & Body Works can trigger migraines. I like to stick with non-toxic candles with subtle smells or, even better, boiling some citrus (half a lemon or orange will do the trick) with some rosemary or cloves and vanilla on the stove. If you were planning to bake some bread or a dessert for your guests, baking that right before or as your guests arrive will also help make your home smell great.
If you can, get the food in the oven, the concoction on the stove boiling, or the candle burning at least 15-20 minutes before your guests arrive so the good smells have time to spread throughout your home.
3. Wipe down the eating space.
Clear dishes, wipe away crumbs, and scrub off any spilled food and beverages. I have been using Branch Basics for several years and really like how well Branch Basics cleans up my kids’ messes without the level of toxicity of so many other household cleaners. And I like that I can use it when my kids are present.
Often, while I am doing this quick home tidy and getting ready for guests to arrive, I will pull out some coloring supplies and play an audio story to entertain my kids. So I will leave that out on the table and let them continue with their artistic endeavors. With this quick wipe down of the table I just focus on cleaning up the food grime.
4. Tidy the kitchen and clean old dishes.
Of all the things to clean, the kitchen will have the biggest visual impact. This late in the game, you probably won’t be able to complete a deep clean of your kitchen. But it is the time to make the kitchen look sanitary. Especially if you will be prepping any food for your guests. We would not want to eat at a restaurant with a dirty kitchen. Your guests may feel the same if they show up and there are crusty or smelly dishes piled in the sink, old food spilled on the countertops, etc.
If you don’t have time to do the dishes, put them in the dishwasher or take them to the garage in a box (I’m not joking). Basically, do what you need to do to clear out your sink. I am not a big fan of pushing off dishes because they only get harder to clean as the food sets. But I would be lying if I said I haven’t, in a pinch, thrown things in the dishwasher that I know I need to come back and scrub later.
I also suggest you toss out old/moldy foods in the fridge and give the handle and the fridge’s inside ledge a quick wipe down. Again, we don’t want people to think the kitchen is unsanitary or that the food may not be safely stored and prepared. You never know when someone is going to open the fridge looking for a beverage or condiment.
Finally, wipe down counters and the inside of the microwave. Even the messiest kitchen can be dramatically improved in 15 minutes.
5. Take out the trash in the kitchen if full.
Old trash can get pretty gross and stink up your house. Emptying your trash before your guests arrive also makes space for any trash that may accumulate while you are hosting.
6. Change the hand towels in the bathroom(s) and kitchen.
We are focusing on the high touch surfaces. What spaces and items will your guests touch or interact with?
Nobody likes to dry their hands on a crunchy towel. And with little kids learning to independently clean up after mealtime, our hand towels can get quite dirty. I always quickly swap out the hand towels in the bathrooms that my guests will use and in the kitchen. I like white towels because a fresh white towel looks clean. But, because a clean white towel can quickly look dirty if my toddler gets ahold of it, this is usually one of the last things I do before house guests arrive.
7. Sweep the floor.
Out of the 7 things to clean on this list, the floors may not seem like a very big deal. Dirt and crumbs on the floor are not as noticeable as a dirty countertop. But, we are a shoes off household. I can’t stand walking on crumbs, and I doubt my guests enjoy it either. Like with the crunchy hand towel and the bad odors, I try to consider all the ways a guest in my home might experience the space. Touch is a big one. Guests probably won’t know if you mopped recently. But they will notice crumbs between their toes.
A quick sweep really makes an impact. Although it is last on my list of things to clean, I do try to make time for the floors before my guests arrive. If I am short on time, I will prioritize sweeping the spaces that people will be in the most and that are in the worst shape.
VoilĂ ! There are my 7 things to clean before guests arrive.
But what if I don’t have 30 minutes?
If you are really tight on time (say you only have 5-10 minutes) and are trying to decide which of these things to clean, here is what I suggest:
1. First, light a candle.
It takes a few minutes for the scent to start to fill your space. By taking 30 seconds to light the candle first, it can spend the next several minutes at work masking any odors while you clean.
2. Address the grossest things in the primary living spaces first and skip the things that are not that bad.
Odds are nobody is going into your bedroom or cares about the kid’s toys laying about. But get rid of the obvious grime.
You might be surprised by how fast you can get through a lot of this list. You can always circle back to do a deeper clean if you have time at the end. So, if you glance at the toilet and it is looking pretty good, then just change the hand towel and move on to the kitchen trash. Maybe it was trash day yesterday and there’s not much in there.
Ok, now the table just needs a quick wipe down and then it is time to tackle the kitchen. Do your best here. If you just fed your kiddos, and snack stuff is out, don’t worry about it! Your guests will understand that little kids are constantly eating. But do get rid of yesterday’s dishes.
Alright, maybe the guests have arrived and the counters aren’t perfectly clean and the floor didn’t get swept. You can always encourage your guests keep their shoes on if the floor is a total mess and you plan to clean it later anyway.
But the main thing is…
3. Don’t sweat it when you can’t produce perfection.
At its core, hospitality is about relationships, not pretty spaces. I do my best to keep up with the messes and welcome my guests into a clean space. But the house is not always looking how I hoped it would when people arrive at my house.
For some encouraging words on practicing hospitality with young kids in your house, check out this post. Now don’t stress about the house and enjoy the company!
