Company is Coming

September 18, 2020 by MP

Quick! Company is coming and they’ll be here in 30 minutes. Instead of immediately feeling overwhelmed and anxious about how messy your house is, follow these few steps to get your home ready in 30 minutes or less. You want your home to be tidy and want to come off as a good hostess, so focus that overwhelming feeling on these 8 to-do’s, and you’ll be the hostess with the mostest in no time at all!

Disclaimer: This blog post is purely for unplanned company. If you are trying to prepare for your parents’ visit from out of state and you’ve known about it for weeks, you might need to do a little deeper cleaning/preparing. I merely touch on surface items that are quick to do and hide the rest 🙂

1. Lemons

Lemons not only make beautiful decor for kitchen counter tops, they also help fight the smell that sometimes lurks in your sink. Slice a lemon in half, throw it down the disposal, and rinse with water. Any lingering odors will be gone and replaced with the fresh scent of lemon.

2. Baskets

Grab a basket (or baskets) and quickly walk through the areas of the house your guests will be in (most likely living room, kitchen, sitting room, etc.) Gather everything that needs to be out of sight in the baskets. Think laundry, toys, laptops, phone chargers, magazines, etc. Place the baskets in a laundry room or closet to be out of sight. This is not the time to try to put everything back in its place – this is the time to hide the clutter 🙂

3. Serve Something

Water, coffee, wine, tea, cheese, Ritz crackers, fruit. You get the point. Serve something. Being a good hostess means you can throw something together last minute and be hospitable towards your guests. Bonus points for serving out of a nice pitcher/platter/etc. This doesn’t have to be an Instagram worthy charcuterie board. Heck, if all you have is your kids’ cheese sticks, chop those little bad boys up into cubes. Everyone loves cheese cubes. Throw in some grapes or berries and crackers, and voila! And you always have at least water on hand.

4. Wipe Down Sinks/Surfaces

A quick wipe down of the counter tops will do wonders for the overall appeal of your home. Dirty counter tops can be a huge turn off to your guests, so make sure there aren’t leftover crumbs from last night’s dinner on them. Don’t forget the inside of the sink as well!

Also, a quick way to declutter the area around the sink – you know, where all the cups tend to pile up – is to just place them all in the dishwasher. Out of sight, out of mind. The dishwasher can be a great place for storage 🙂

5. Check the Bathroom

And, don’t forget the bathroom. Make sure there is toilet paper, freshen up the hand towels, throw out the trash, wipe down the counter tops, and check the toilets. If the guest bathroom is also the kids’ bathroom, put all of the tub toys up and make sure there isn’t random toothpaste anywhere…..I don’t understand toddlers 🙂

6. Fluff Pillows/Throws

Fluff and straighten the pillows in your sitting areas. Fold/drape/roll/hide all the blankets your kids have brought into the living room. This will make your living room look put together.

7. Light A Candle

If you are not a fan of candles, throw some cookies in the oven to bake. Or, try putting 2 tbsp vanilla extract in an oven proof dish and bake at 300 degrees for ~20 minutes.

BONUS: Fresh Flowers

When it comes to hospitality, having fresh flowers is the cream of the crop. They are not only aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but they can compliment your interior design, lower blood pressure, make the room smell good, and brighten anyone’s mood!