It happened again. I got caught out on my housekeeping (or lack thereof) by surprise guests. This time it was the husband saying "oh yes come on back to our house!" to a large group of friends. I had literally a seven minute head start before everyone arrived. I freaked out on the drive home, and then I made a plan to minimize the damage to my housewifely reputation. I focused entirely on the "common" rooms that everyone was going to see:
Minute #1: First grab and toss anything trash. Next, use an empty laundry basket to clear up anything "loose" such as clothes, toys, books, magazines, etc. Hide the basket.
Minute #2: Clear the dishes. This means hiding them in the oven if there's no room in the dishwasher.
Minute #3: Sweep but stick to the worst spots and don't go over sixty seconds.
Minute #4: Vacuum same rules as sweeping.
Minute #5: Spot clean the floors, and wipe down the counters and sink.
Minute #6: Wipe down the bathroom and scrub the toilet if needed.
Minute #7: Light a scented candle, look around, and find the biggest remaining eyesore. Work on that until people arrive.
The key to making all this work is to KEEP MOVING. If you stop or you spend too much time on any one thing you are dead. Perfectionists may not be able to handle this method of tidying, but I say so what you have to do in case of crisis. Actually, this experience has made me look at housekeeping in a new way. If you really work HARD for a few minutes it's truly amazing what you can accomplish.
wow what a whirlwind!! I will try this tomorrow morning, setting a timer and seeing what I can get done!
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