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Pre-party cleaning

By Meg | May 30, 2007

Last Saturday my husband and I had a get together at our house with our friends. Anyone who knows us very well knows that our house-keeping skills are somewhat lacking. Neither of us would ever pass for Martha Stewart and that my husband and I seem to run out of time and energy way too often to keep the house looking spick-and-span. However, holidays or random parties come along and I finally find the motivation to tidy up a bit in order to make good impression with new friends and show the old friends that I made an effort to help them feel a bit more comfortable. The house never seems to look as nice as I want it to look, but it suffices.

Friday, I was reflecting on the task ahead when I came across a post from Home Ec 101 entitled Top 5 things to clean to make your guests think you’re a decent housekeeper. Now that’s my idea of housekeeping!

  1. Toilets - Check.
  2. Mirrors/glass/other shinies - Good enough.
  3. Floors - I just barely got those done. I managed to mop the kitchen floor and fortunately a very kind friend showed up early to help and vacuumed for me (not sure what Martha Stewart would think of that, though). Maybe one very happy day I will get a Roomba robotic vacuum to do the work for me.
  4. Cobwebs - Fortunately we don’t have a problem there thanks to regular bug control service.
  5. Clutter - It was a mad dash, but I finally got most of the clutter packed into rooms we weren’t using for the party. I would have liked to have de-cluttered the foyer, though, since that is one of the first places guests see.

To that list I will add sinks and counter tops. While it’s tough to keep the kitchen sink clear when preparing food, it helps to have an empty dishwasher ahead of time so that you can put things in when you are done using them. Bathroom sinks should also be at least free of hair and toothpaste. While you’re in there, close the shower curtain and spare yourself the trouble of cleaning the tub unless it is really awful. Counter tops can usually be wiped down with a damp cloth to get rid of hair, dust, crumbs and other bits of food. The same should be done for the kitchen or dining room table. Ours has a glass top so unfortunately I have to use a glass cleaner to get it to look really clean.

We also have four cats. So, scooping out the litter boxes is a must. I always assume that my nose is more used to any smell than my guests in order to be on the safe side. I add some baking soda just to be sure. Oh, and by the way, it’s a good idea to do all this before vacuuming so that you can vacuum up any spilt litter. In addition, I usually try to wash our couch cover and throw blankets the night before so that they aren’t covered in fur.

If my husband or I have some extra time, I do like to have the driveway blown free of leaves and dirt. It also helps prevent people from tracking stuff in with them.

Well, now you know my dirty little secret. How do you prepare for parties at your place? When you visit others’ homes, do you have any pet peeves when it comes to housekeeping?


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6 Responses to “Pre-party cleaning”

Rebecca Says:
May 30th, 2007 at 12:05 pm

Candles are nice, to burn up odors. Although in the summer they aren’t necessary, as the windows are open all night, every night.

I actually don’t mind the cleaning tasks themselves, but I have a hard time getting around to them. I should have company over more often!

Susanna Says:
May 30th, 2007 at 1:05 pm

I could’ve written your post, it’s such a perfect description of what we go through when we have company, right down to the cats. One helpful hint I got from an old Heloise book is to keep rubbing alcohol in the bathroom. Put a little on a cotton ball and use it to wipe off chrome - it only takes a second and it makes it so shiny that it looks like you made a lot of effort cleaning.

Meg Says:
May 31st, 2007 at 5:05 am

Rebecca, I feel the same way. It’s not that cleaning is that hard, but it does seem less important between the get togethers. While I hate the mad dash to get things done, I do look forward to having things clean, even for a little while.

Susanna, great tip! I’ll have to remember that. I love being able to clean with simple products that I already have around the house.

Confessions of a Housewife Carnival - June 18, 2007 | Confessions of an Everyday Housewife Says:
June 18th, 2007 at 2:58 pm

[…] presents Pre-Party Cleaning | All About Appearances posted at All About Appearances, saying, “My little […]

Meg Says:
June 21st, 2007 at 3:17 am

Susanna,

I hosted a Mary Kay skincare party at my house tonight (well, yesterday at this point). Once again, it was a mad dash to clean, more so because my husband’s been out of town and he’s a great help when he’s here. I used alcohol on the chrome just like you advised and it worked great. Thanks again!

Link: Confessions of a Housewife Carnival - June 18, 2007 | All About Appearances Says:
July 7th, 2007 at 2:03 pm

[…] thanks to Eve at Confessions of an Everyday Housewife! Eve chose to feature my post Pre-Party Cleaning in this week’s Confessions of a Housewife Carnival. I feel very honored that out of 30 […]

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