How To Tidy Your House In A Pinch

Hosting people in your home can be daunting, especially when it’s Saturday evening and your friends are coming over in an hour. You start to panic and wonder, “How can I possibly make my house look more organized in just one hour?” No need to fret—we’ve got you covered with these ten tips on making your house look more organized in a pinch.

1. Start with the entryway – After all, this is where everyone will be arriving. Hang up the coats that fell on the floor, bring shoes back with their mates, and sweep the floor.

2. Dust, dust, dust! – Grab your Swiffer and run over surfaces where dust is most visible: table tops, TVs, and floor corners of the room.

3. Living Room – Fluff the pillows, fold the blankets, and put all games away. If there’s not enough time to put things into their original homes, focus on creating neat piles in the meantime.

4. Kitchen – Clear your surfaces as much as possible. Put pots and pans away, dry the wet dishes, and store them in their cupboards. The less that is visible the better.

5. Bathroom – Make sure you’ve flushed the toilet, closed the cabinets, and cleaned the inside of the sink where toothpaste may be lingering (my personal pet peeve!). If you have extra time, take a wet paper towel and wipe the faucet and mirror, and clean the toilet bowl.

6. Trash – If things are overflowing or smelly, take the trash out. Start fresh, especially if you’re having a big group of people that will likely overflow the trash bag you’ve already started.

7. Laundry – No time for laundry? At least corral it into your laundry bin to make things look cleaned up.

8. Bedroom – Make the bed. If you don’t have time for that, just pull the comforter up.

9. Air quality – Put your diffuser on for some fresh scents! If you don’t have a diffuser, add it to your organizing to-do list. I use mine all the time, and I love using orange essential oil to freshen up the room without any toxic chemicals.

10. Yourself – Make sure you don’t have any dust bunnies clinging to your shirt, and then take a minute to breathe before everyone arrives!

And remember, for anything that isn’t exactly put into place, cut yourself some slack—you’re not supposed to be Martha Stewart!