Sunday, July 17, 2022

Cleaning For Company

Am I the only one who goes to extra effort to straighten up the house when someone who is not family or close friends are stopping by? 

Left to my own devices, other than keeping things straightened around the house I do as little domestic science as possible. However, when I find out an acquaintance will be visiting I go all out to give the impression of a clean house. 

We will be having one of those visits Tuesday. In anticipation, I've:

  • Cleaned the bathroom as normal, but also pulled back the shower curtain on the bathtub we never use and gave it a good wipe down to get rid of the dust.
  • Swept and washed the kitchen floor, then pulled out the drawer underneath the stove and dusted that part of the floor. (Why I thought anyone would look there I don't know, but I found out it really needed to be done).
  • Removed Jackson the Cat's hair from his favorite couch cushions, bent down and cleaned the sides of the upholstered furniture that he rubs on, and wiped off the dirty patches he rubbed on the corners of the walls.
  • Scrubbed the grime off the kitchen cabinets, then opened each door and removed the grime from the inside, too.
  • Wiped down the outside of the microwave, then took the turntable out and washed it and the rest of the inside. 
  • Dusted the furniture in every room, then went back and wiped off the windowsills and baseboards
Am I finished? No. I'll be finding things to do up until it's time to make myself look presentable. The good news is that after my flurry of activity things will look good for a nice long time.

19 comments:

  1. Having company was always my good reason to deep clean my house. Especially if I was having a dinner party. I've quit doing those now, and seldom have reasons to entertain a large group. I still clean the house and especially keep the living room in perfect order because that's what seen when the front door is opened. I mainly keep the house neat and tidy for my own pleasure.

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    1. I think there's a difference between neat (straightened) and clean. It makes me anxious if things are out of place, but I can turn a blind eye to dust and cat hair.

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  2. " things will look good for a nice long time"
    A very long time. So long that you would be wise never to invite anyone over ever again.

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  3. My hubby does that when people are coming

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  4. I even clean the car before taking it to a mechanic. Best I can at least. It has deep seated stink from hauling hundreds of cats.

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    1. Yes, I bet all those unfixed cats really make a mess.

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  5. I'm the same - though don't pull out drawers that don't need pulling out! This would be the problem if I had a cleaner - i would have to clean first.

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    1. I've never hired a cleaning service but would definitely feel the need to pre-clean before they come.

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  6. Two different times, when working, I had a cleaning service, and yes, I cleaned before they came because I wanted all surfaces free and clear for the housekeeper to actually clean. Too many just dust around things.

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    1. It makes sense to have clean surfaces for dusting, but I've known people who have washed dirty dishes and made the beds to 'impress' the person coming in to clean.

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  7. I do the same and then when I'm done and it looks so nice, I wonder why I don't do that all the time! I will also make sure the inside of the refrigerator is clean in case I have to open it while company is there!

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    1. I'm thoroughly enjoying the spaces I cleaned.

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  8. So glad I'm not the only one 😂!

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  9. My sister in law and her boyfriend were visiting one afternoon and I had a call that another friend and girlfriend were stopping. My sister in law went into frenzy mode, doing all the above to me house, and that's how I learned to clean before company.

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  10. Luckily both my husband and I start doing those chores, BUT we haven't had people visiting the inside of the house in three years except for our daughter and her family.

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