When I was younger I had a housecleaning business. I cleaned two houses a day, most of them once a week. Although cleaning my house is not my favorite thing, I did like cleaning other peoples homes, it was nice to see the difference and I didn’t get sidetracked like I do at home.
I learned a lot during that time, the biggest thing being that it’s easy to fool people. I would sometimes have customers call me for an emergency cleaning because they were having company. I usually had to tell them I didn’t have time because I was scheduled but one lady helped me add another service to my list.
She said, just for an hour, help me make it look clean, and that’s what I did. You can make your house look clean in no time at all.
First grab a wet cloth and a dry cloth so you can wipe and dry the bathroom sinks and wipe any noticeable spots on the floor. Get a laundry basket and take everything that is out of place in each room and put it in the basket. Kids toys, books, clothes, dog toys, whatever, put it in the basket. Hide the basket out of site.
Remember, clear spaces look clean, even if they are not. Put dirty dishes in the oven, appliances that you don’t need right now, put away to give a more open look to counter tops. Anything on your desk put in the drawers.
Straighten throw rugs, if they have fringe, comb it straight with your fingers. Light a candle, put clean towels in the bathroom and kitchen. Fluff your throw pillows and if the couch looks bad, artfully throw a lap blanket on it.
Most people aren’t looking for the dust, it’s the big things they see. People come to your home to see you so if you are in a hurry, fake a clean house, brush your hair and put on a smile. They’ll never know.