Sometimes when you have a house filled with lots of little, paws and more it can get a little difficult to keep on top of. Then, out of the blue family or friends that you haven’t seen for months or maybe even years want to pop over. Or maybe, you live in rented accommodation and the landlord needs to come and do an inspection or have some work done. It is likely going to take hours to get it all done in time, and that is if you have all hands on deck. There are things you can do in advance to make it easier to get on top of everything if you get any last minute surprises.
Here are a few things you can do:
Open your windows wide at least once a week. Why? Well, you are very much used to the smell of your own home. It might be diapers, animals, or a particular food that you love to cook. Whatever it is, you likely won’t notice the smell anymore. Other people will. Once a week air the house out.
Speaking of windows, let the light in. That sunlight will highlight those areas that need some attention. The settled dust, cobwebs and dirt will all be highlights. The general rule should be that when you pp the windows open to air the house out, use this as the time to clear the dust too.
Clear the clutter. Families are prone to collecting too many things. From slightly torn magazines and books to toys with one leg missing. While it might be tempting to keep packing them away in the toy box, to be dealt with another day, you are essentially giving yourself more work. Tip the toy box out on the floor and get rid of anything is broken or games that have parts missing. Get the kids involved, you might find that they have outgrown a lot of what is in the toy box. Getting the family involved in decluttering is a great idea.
Make a Pinterest board and fill it with your design inspirations. Cruise the internet for color palettes that you love, for cool pieces of furniture, easy DIY looks and for professional looking model homes. Sometimes by taking time out of the cleaning and prep, to do something fun, we can unleash a whole new level of cleaning excitement. When you are looking for inspiration, make a not of your favorite designers.
Update the walls. Very often people will move into a house, paint it once and then neglect to update it again. Don’t be tempted to slip into that frame of mind, or if you already have, it might be time to get the paint brushes out again. Usually, all you will need is a quick coat of paint or to patch up some of the wear and tear. If you have wallpaper, it might be time to check and see how that wallpaper paste is getting on. After some time it might begin to discolor the paper, and not have the hold it once had. Combine this step with the one above and you have a recipe for a little bit of redecoration. Fun!
Houseplants are brilliant for a few things. But, in this instance, we are going to enjoy the fact that larger houseplants can cover a multitude of sins. You can use larger plants to cover chipped wood, peeling wallpaper, cracked walls and so much more. Not only that but they add a usually much-needed pop of life and green. Lovely.
Bookshelves. They cover a large area and are inherently neat looking. All you need to do here is display your most loved books, figurines, and family photos. A top tip here is to put your books in some sort of order. Color coordinated has a high impact. Alternatively size or alphabetical work well too.
Dress your windows. Aside from keeping them clean, you should treat them as simple focal points. Thick drapes can be very expensive, but nice blinds and voile can frame a window beautifully. When you think about showhomes, they rarely do more than frame a window and are always beautiful.
The scent of a home makes a difference. As mentioned earlier, yours will have a unique to you smell. There is nothing stopping you lighting some fresh smelling candles and improving the smell ten-fold. Depending on the time of year you might like to have some seasonal scents. Here are some examples:
- Spring – Washing Powder/ Fresh Linen, Cucumber, Freesia, Gardenia, and Rose all work beautifully
- Summer – Rhubarb, Pomegranate, Ocean Breeze, Coconut, Honey, Mint or Citrus.
- Autumn – Pumpkin, Pine, Cinnamon, Cloves, Chocolate or Apple
- Winter – Yankee Christmas Candles, Spiced Apple, Pine, Figs, Wood Fire and Spiced Orange are all very festive.
As well as just being lovely, a good scented candle can also cover up anything less than delightful in your own home.
Make the beds. This is a small tip, when people nip upstairs to use the toilet, if your bedroom doors are open then make sure your beds are made. It only takes a minute to make them each day and looks so much neater.
Lighting makes a big difference to the feel of a room. You might be tempted to buy the brightest light bulbs possible, instead opt for some warm toned light bulbs in any of the rooms you’d be entertaining in. The softer lighting is not only flattering but also if you haven’t gotten round to hoovering, it won’t display all that dust in quite such a harsh way.
Throws and cushions. If your couch is way beyond its best of days, you can hide a multitude of sins with some comfortable soft blankets, and some matching cushions. If you had been intending to change the look and feel of the room, this is a cheap and effective way to do it.
Keeping your house guest ready doesn’t have to be difficult or take up too much time. A few small things done every week will keep it in tip top condition – no matter who comes knocking.
