Get Your Home Guest-Ready in 30 Minutes or Less

This post will show you a really simple 30-minute routine that will help you get your home ready for guests. Perfect for those lazy summer days where you forget you have company coming (or you decide to throw a last-minute dinner party!). Be sure to check out the included links for additional tips on how to keep your home clean and organized on the daily.

You can read the full blog post right here , or check out other cleaning and organizing tips on my blog, Love & Renovations .

Step 1: MINUTE 0-10: Do a Quick Clutter Sweep

The key here is only put away things that belong in the room you’re in! For example, if you find some stray dishes in the living room, don’t take them directly to the dishwasher. Set them on the kitchen counter and head back to finish decluttering in the living room – deal with the dishes once you make your way to the kitchen.

One room at a time, stay focused! If you’re moving quickly, this shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes (and if you don’t have systems in place so that your clutter is really easy to put up, head on over here to get yourself organized first!).

Step 2: MINUTE 11-15: Vacuum or Sweep High-Traffic Areas

This isn’t the time to be sweeping under the dining room table, y’all – no one is going to notice. When I’m in a hurry I prefer to bust out the vacuum because it tends to be a little more efficient, but the broom will work just fine here too. Focus on the areas where people will be hanging out a lot, ignore the places where they may just pass through or not spend time.

Step 3: MINUTE 16-20: Choose Your Battle: Mopping or Dusting

Which would make a bigger impact? A quick mop (perfect if you have a lot of hardwoods + dogs…this is almost always what I choose!) or dusting some of your most visibly dirty spots? You’ve only got five minutes here, so don’t think too hard about it – pick the one that’s bothering you the most at the moment and go to town. If you’re mopping, the high-traffic rules still apply – you don’t have time to mess around with hard-to-reach spots. If you’re dusting, try to focus only on the things that guests might see or hang out near – your coffee table, that bookcase right next to the kitchen, your dining room centerpiece. If it’s higher up, in a not-often-used corner, or not frequently accessed it can be skipped!

Step 4: MINUTE 20-28: Do a Walkthrough

This is the part where you take a quick stroll through your home and put on the lens of an outsider. Does anything stand out to you as being particularly dirty or in need of straightening? Make sure there’s toilet paper available in the bathroom, make sure you don’t have crumbs on the counter, that sort of thing. Remember, the things you notice about your home aren’t the things other people are going to notice! You might be bothered by the dirty baseboards or the fingerprints on the fridge, but your guests are more likely to notice an odd smell or an empty soap dispenser in the bathroom. Think like a guest, not like a host!

Step 5: ​MINUTE 29-30: Time for the Finishing Touches

Turn on some music and light some candles! This is one of the most important steps because if your guests walk into a home that smells great and has a cozy, calming atmosphere they’re not even going to notice the giant dog footprints by the backdoor. Promise. Often, having a “clean” home is more about how it feels than how it looks.

And with that, you're done! Congratulations, you've cleaned your home in just 30 minutes. If you want even more cleaning/life hacks to help you stay on top of things, I've got you covered !