Often it’s the casual “Oh, just come over and bring a bottle of wine” gatherings that lead to the best friendships and memories. However, if your home isn’t ready for last minute guests, then you’ll be a lot less likely to toss out that invitation. With this down to the minute guide, you can have your home guest-ready in under an hour and a half!

Ready, Set, GO!

• 30 seconds—Put on fast, upbeat music to keep you moving.
• 10 minutes—Go through house with a laundry basket gathering mislaid items and clutter. Have children put up the “found” items or stash in closet to put away later.
• 5 minutes—Get all the trash out of the house. Start with the kitchen trash. Then take a large trash bag to each bathroom and empty the small waste baskets.
• 10 minutes—Make all the beds in the house. Take an extra moment to fluff and arrange pillows.
• 5 minutes—Clear and completely wipe down kitchen counters.
• 15 minutes—Dust away! Dampen a microfiber cleaning cloth and go to town. Add a spritz of lemon juice for a fresh scent if you like. With only water on your cloth you don’t have to switch rags. Go from electronics to wood, sweeping away the dust. With guests on the way, this is NOT the time to detail clean. But DO go through the entire house. Just hit the high spots, knowing that you’ll get to the top of your kitchen cabinets another day. Clean all rooms from top to bottom and left to right. This method makes it difficult to miss anything.
• 10 minutes—Using the wand attachment, vacuum along the baseboards of the entire house. Connect a long extension cord to the vacuum so you can move quickly through the entire house. Don’t forget the bathrooms!
• 20 minutes—Now that the edges are done, go back through the house with the vacuum and get the center of all floors, hard surfaces and carpeted ones.
• 6 minutes (for each bathroom) —First, gather the bathroom cleaning supplies into a small plastic waste basket. Supplies should include: Toilet brush, toilet cleaner, disinfecting wipes/rags, glass cleaner and paper towels/microfiber cloths.
• 10 seconds—Squirt toilet cleaner in bowl and let sit.
• 1½ minutes—While that’s disinfecting, spray glass cleaner on mirror and wipe down with paper towels or microfiber cloths.
• 2 minutes—Wipe down toilet lid, seat, tank and surrounding area with 
• disinfecting wipes.
• 30 seconds—Swish out the bowl with toilet brush. Flush and wipe rim with a disinfecting wipe.
• 1½ minutes—Finish up by cleaning the sink and vanity with disinfecting wipe or rag, making sure all telling makeup smears and toothpaste remnants disappear.
• The floors of your bathrooms should already be clean from vacuuming. Wipe down with a damp rag if necessary.

 Keep your dishwasher empty. That way you have a place to stash the mess when last minute guests are on their way.

Keep a container of disinfectant wipes under each bathroom sink. Each day, perhaps after your shower, use a wipe to clean off the sinks, counters and toilet bowl. This keeps the bathroom tidy all week.

Save time and aggravation by connecting a long extension cord to your vacuum cleaner. You can vacuum your entire house (or one floor if you have multiple levels) without having to unplug it for each room. If the kitchen, for example, is the center of your house, use a kitchen outlet to reach all of your rooms.

Don’t forget that you and your family are your home’s most important guests. Going through this routine is a superb way to keep your house maintained so you always open the door to a fresh, clean welcome home!