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It is the night before party day and you are overwhelmed completely and probably the last thing you feel like doing is cleaning your house. But looking around you feel embarrassed at just the thought of anyone setting foot in your house looking the way it does! Well, I am here to tell you NO ONE WILL REALLY LOOK! It is time to set yourself free from the judgment that I promise only you are imposing pressure on yourself! Here are the few things I suggest doing to fake a clean house for a party though, because come on we aren’t complete barbarians!
Declutter your kitchen
If that means hiding everything in your pantry or hall closet for the day so be it! I often stash extra appliances in my son’s closet on party day, because he has the most space. Giving yourself that clean slate will make your kitchen look more open as well as allow places to display the delicious food you are cooking.
Wipe down the bathroom
This one is an area I spend a little more time in for the simple fact that as a woman while we are seated doing our business, we tend to look around a little! So I will make sure everything in that room is pulled together and clean. I also put out good hand towels and fresh soap.
Clean the fridge
This is for two reasons- 1, your guests may be helping you prepare things and chances are they will look in your fridge for items. 2, you need room for the food before serving it as well as any leftovers once the party is over. So free up as much space as you can and give the shelves a quick wipe down.
Quick dusting
Run a quick wipe over tables, mantels, or other eye-level surfaces especially if you have photos displayed. Guests tend to look at all the family photos that you are showing off, so let’s make sure there are no cobwebs for them to admire too!
Fill a basket
Grab an empty laundry basket and do a quick sweep of items that don’t belong out. Think shoes in the hall, jackets strewn over chairs, and dog or children’s toys all over the den floor. Toss them in the basket as you go. You can sort through it all after the party and actually put it away. In the meantime stash it in a closet or laundry room out of sight.
Tidy the bedrooms
Make the beds and hide the dirty clothes. This one drives my husband nuts. His attitude is why are people wandering around upstairs and going in our room?! Well, the problem is the girls’ bedroom is also upstairs and the chances of the kids running up there to play and a parent going looking for them is very real and happens at almost every party so yes you need to tidy up the bedroom. And if this is not an option you need to close the door and post it off limits- better yet lock it and let everyone wonder what you are hiding!
Make it smell clean
Light candles, diffusers, or use air fresheners. A house that smells clean surely must mean that you cleaned right?! Stick to clean scents that smell like soap, or citrus scents. Avoid heavily perfumed florals as they can make air smell heavier, and if there is truly underlying scents of dog or last night’s dinner it smells worse.
What I DON’T do…
My last house cleaning advice is something I am going to tell you NOT to do, and that is not to mop! Mopping all your floors before your party is pointless. With all your guests coming and going and chances are slopping wine and food in small dribbles throughout the night too. They will be filthy all over again. So save yourself the trouble and mop the day after the party when they actually have a chance of staying clean for more than a few hours!
The goal is to tidy up any area that may look disorderly but we are not taking the time to scrub baseboards or dust every corner of the house. I promise your guests will focus more on the food and fantastic party you are hosting rather than looking around scrutinizing the last time you washed your windows.
I hope this helps release some of the self-imposed pressure and stress all of us moms tend to apply before we have house guests. Remember this is your village and they love you. They are coming to spend time celebrating with you, not judging you. Your energy is definitely better spent enjoying your party I promise!
For more tips on reducing stress before a party check out my post “7 ways to reduce your party planning panic”
