This post has been compensated by Collective Bias, INC®, and its advertiser however all images and opinions are my own. #GladeFineFragranceMist #CollectiveBias
We’re still getting settled into our house here in San Diego but it’s starting to feel more and more like home. I’m still in this weird vacation stage where I haven’t been here long enough to really accept that I live here and yet I’ve been here long enough to get to know the area close to our place and find my shopping spots. It’s an interesting balance that I’m learning just comes with a move and you roll with it. A few nights ago I had some ladies over for a chill night. Even though the house isn’t fully unpacked and things aren’t where I want them to be I don’t ever want to close myself off to not having people over. I’ve learned in the past how easy it is to seclude yourself and make excuses for not spending time with others and I’m done playing that excuse game!
After finalizing plans with the girls I realized I didn’t schedule a lot of time to pick up / clean the house before they arrived. I literally had about 30 minutes to make it look presentable before they arrived and that made my perfectionist heart flutter with nerves. I grew up in a household where every surface needed to be cleaned and everything put away before guests arrived so naturally I’ve carried that into adulthood. While I LOVE that I try to keep a clean house 99% of the time I’ve also learned that life happens and days bleed together and sometimes you just have to do the mad-dash clean and pick up before people are knocking on your door.
With that being said I made a short list to help you quickly prepare for guests:
ONE | Sweep / Vacuum the main walking areas
There is just something nice about having a clean place to walk. We have linoleum floors in the living areas so dirt and whatnot comes from walking in and outside as well as a cat who shakes his litter all over the place which means I try to sweep/vacuum at least once a day. I loath having anything stick to my bare feet.
TWO | Wipe down your kitchen counters and empty the sink.
Trust me, it will make you feel so much better to have your kitchen picked up and the dishes either washed or put into the dishwasher for later.
I’m not sure about you but I get a little stressed out when I walk into my kitchen being super cluttered (my vitamin bowl is currently stressing me out with how messy it is!).
THREE | Clean your bathroom!
Wipe down the counters and put some cleaner in the toilet bowl and do a quick scrub. Maybe I’m crazy but I get a little creeped out when I walk into a bathroom that looks like it hasn’t been wiped down in a while. I’m a bit of a clean freak (as mentioned above).
FOUR | Scan the main entertaining room and remove anything that doesn’t belong.
Do you have random socks, cups, bobby pins scattered around that don’t really have a place – quickly run and put them in the room they belong to! I try to do this at the end of every day but I’ve been slacking off so this is even more important to do right before guests arrive.
FIVE | Make it smell nice.
There is something so comforting and welcoming about walking into a nice smelling room; so make sure all the rooms smell amazing! When preparing for the girls arriving I ran into Walmart that morning to pick up some snacks and stumbled upon Glade® Atmosphere Collection™ Fine Fragrance Mist and immediately opened up the different numbers to smell all the smells! I selected No. 1 Enraptured™, No. 2 Bright™, & No. 3 Free™ scents and put them into my cart and didn’t look back. One of the reasons I was drawn to this mist was because the collection is infused with essential oils, and masterfully crafted fragrances. I’ve always been a fan of the Glade® brand and all of their products and now being able to keep a mist in each of our most used rooms is going to keep my house smelling inviting for months to come!
So tell me friends, how do you prepare for guests at your home?
Do you have a must-do list you go by, or are you a fly by the seat of your pants kinda preparer?
