ready for company in 20 minutes or less

Laughs

We have company over every Friday it seems – so  it forces me to clean my house. But lately, even the promise of company coming hasn't done much to motivate me in the cleaning department.

Luckily, I have a strategy that gets my house and me ready for company in 20 minutes or less!

20 min: Get dressed. Don’t worry about stains – we’ll cover that later.

17 min: Close every single door in your house that you can. This will keep your company out of your bedrooms and hopefully your den or office – and your basement.

15 min: Spray Air freshener or light a scented candle.

14 min: Give your kid a trash bag, and send them on a scavenger for trash and diapers.

13 min: Next, tidy up the bathroom that guests will use. Wipe it up quickly, light a candle and make it look nice. Remember: That's a room where guests will have a good amount of time to sit privately, unobserved and look around.

10 min: Take  an empty laundry basket, and put all of your dirty dishes and  clutter in it. Put the laundry basket in your minivan.

7 min:  Toss a few toys into it, and leave it in the middle of your toy room (aka your family room). Tell your company  the kids are donating to the needy.  

4 min: Plug in your vacuum, and leave it sitting out near the front door.

2 min: Use baby wipes to wash your armpits and your face (not in that order).

30 seconds: Get yourself a cup of coffee or dark soda. Don’t drink it.

THEY ARRIVE

Opening the Door: As you’re opening the door, “spill” the cup of coffee all over your shirt. That solves any potential stain problems you might have going on. Make a big deal of spilling coffee all over your “clean” shirt. Welcome your guests into your home by saying the following:

Come on in! Welcome!