Company Coming and Your Home is a Disaster? Clean Up Quick with These Secret Maid Cleaning Hacks!

We’ve all been there: whether it’s Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve, or a spontaneous dinner party, nothing ruins guests’ appetite faster than a dirty home. Beyond the embarrassment, having your friends and family walk into a filthy space can give them good cause for alarm, as no one wants to take foodborne illness home as their party favor! But let’s face it, life is busy, and you might not have time for a multi-day deep clean every time you have guests over, especially if the plans are last-minute. 

That’s why we’re sharing our insider trade secrets on how to make your home feel clean and inviting in seconds. We’ll reveal what pre-work you can do to make last-minute tidying even faster and highlight the key areas to focus on for maximum impact. Get ready to impress your guests without breaking a sweat! 

The Four Ss of a Strong First Impression 

As professional cleaners, we’ve discovered that people subconsciously judge cleanliness based on four key factors:

1. Scent, Shine, Space, and Symmetry. Scent: The Invisible Greeting

Foul odors have been a human warning signal for unsafe food since caveman times. It’s hardwired into us to associate bad smells with dirtiness and danger, so use that wiring to your advantage! To create an immediate sense of freshness: 

• Deodorize Soft Furnishings: Spritz your couches and carpets with an ecofriendly odor-neutralizing spray to eliminate any lingering musty or pet smells. 

• Set the Mood with Scented Candles: Light some seasonal candles with fragrances like cinnamon, pine, or vanilla to create a welcoming ambiance.

2. Shine: Spotlight Sanitation

Shiny surfaces subconsciously signal cleanliness because smooth items reflect more light and appear to be free of dirt. 

• Quick Polishing: Use a microfiber polishing cloth to buff key surfaces like coffee tables, mirrors, and your refrigerator. Microfiber picks up dust and fingerprints in seconds, so you don’t have to polish with toxic chemicals. 

• Spotlight Areas: Focus on spots that catch the eye due to lighting or placement. When in doubt, spend your time buffing dining and coffee tables, as well as your kitchen fridge.

3. Space: The Illusion of Organization

Cluttered spaces can make guests feel uneasy, as all the chaos can imply dirt and contagion are hiding underneath. 

• Clear Counters and Tables: Remove unnecessary items to create open, inviting spaces. Push back, group and stack items that can’t be taken away. 

• Banishing Baskets and Bins: Stash loose items into decorative baskets, cabinets, or bins under side tables to quickly create the appearance of airiness.
  

4. Symmetry: The Art of Order

Humans find symmetry and patterns soothing, like ASMR for your eyes. Whether it’s a perfectly proportioned face or spiraling fractals in Romanesco broccoli, patterns and symmetry instinctually make us believe something is healthy and appealing. Use this to your advantage by creating symmetrical patterns as you quickly tidy around. 

• Place with Purpose: Arrange items like pillows, books, and decor in centered patterns like grouping toss pillows largest to smallest on a bed or spreading magazines in a fan. 

• Gather in Groups: Place like items together—arranging vases in a line on a shelf or skin care products in clusters on a bathroom vanity adds a sense of order. 
• Lineup Labels: Whether it’s shampoo in the shower or coffee in your kitchen, turning products labels facing forward makes your space feel like a spa or swanky store display. 

Guest Quick Clean Prep Work 

To make your home party-ready in moments, a little preplanning goes a long way. Do these 2 critical pieces of preparation NOW before the chaos of the holidays hit. Future you will thank you! 

Create a Grab-and-Go Cleaning Caddy 

Like an old-fashioned doctor with their emergency bag to make house calls, a cleaning caddy can be a real life saver! Having everything in one container you can easily carry from room to room saves precious time running back and forth to the cabinet under the kitchen sink! 

• Choose Your Caddy: Upcycle an old gift basket or purchase a sturdy container with a handle big enough to carry 3 or 4 spray bottles and some tools. 

• Stock It Up: Include your most-used multitasking cleaning products  including all-purpose disinfecting cleaner, bathroom cleaner, microfiber towels, kitchen sponge with a scrubby side, scrub brush and an old toothbrush for nooks and crannies 

Setup Speedy Storage Solutions 

You and your family can tidy up at lightning speed when everything has a home and everyone knows where items belong! By making it easy to put things away, you’ll reduce clutter not just for the holiday, but every day. 

• The Gift that Keeps on Giving: Upcycle old gift baskets or attractive bins as storage under side tables or on shelves. 

• Think Outside the Box: Shop sustainably at local thrift stores and yard sales for unique storage solutions, finding unconventional uses for unwanted items. Resort to new organizers only if necessary. 

• Designate Drop Zones: Assign specific places for items that usually clutter your space—hooks for backpacks, a bin for kid’s toys, a small basket for remote controls. 

Top Priority Tasks: What to Actually Clean

With your space tidied, scented, and shined, it’s time to focus on hygiene essentials. If you’re short on time, prioritize the following areas to ensure guest safety and make the best first impression. All of these can be cleaned with a disinfecting all-purpose cleaner and microfiber towel, so just grab both and run around wiping, but remember to switch towels once you’ve wiped up a bathroom because ewww!

1. Kitchen Counters

• Why: Food prep surfaces must be clean to prevent cross-contamination. 

• How: Wipe down with a disinfecting all-purpose cleaner and a microfiber cloth before and after cooking.

2. Tables

• Why: Guests will touch and eat off these surfaces. 

• How: Clean dining, coffee, and side tables to remove germs and sticky residues. 

3. Faucets and Bathroom Vanity

• Why: A clean sink area suggests overall cleanliness and allows for proper hand hygiene. 

• How: Wipe down faucets, sinks, and countertops to remove soap scum and germs. 

4. Toilets

• Why: A dirty toilet is a major turn-off and can send guests running. 

• How: Scrub the bowl and seat (top and underneath) quickly but thoroughly. 

Bonus Round: Floors and Upholstery 

If you finished the list above and have more time: 

• Vacuum Floors and Couches: Especially important if you have pets. It removes hair and allergens. 

• Damp Mop Hard Floors: Adds shine and guards against your guests’ reckless “5 second rule” decisions. 

• Eco-Friendly Pro Tip: Damp Mop with a spray bottle of diluted floor cleaner an d a lightly dampened microfiber mop pad for a fast, eco-friendly clean. Damp mopping with a microfiber flat mop conserve water, keep disposable mop pads out of landfills, and cuts your cleaning time in half! 

Still Not Fast Enough? Let ecomaids Do the Dirty Work! 

While all these tricks will help you get ready for a party faster, the BEST hack is to simply maintain a home that’s always guests-ready with ecomaids! If you have a professional deep cleaning your home every other week, or even just monthly, then all the worst buildup will already be removed, so a quick tidy up and wipe down is all you’ll need to look totally pristine! Environmentally conscious and value driven customers choose ecomaids because we’re known as the gold standard in cutting edge green cleaning that delivers top quality results without wrecking the planet or our customer’s budgets. Entrust your home’s cleanliness to ecomaids, so you can free up time to focus on what really matters—enjoying your party guests and creating lasting memories!