Spin off housekeeping q- is your house company ready *now*?

[SnuggleBuggles]

I was thinking about this for a while. We dropped in on a neighbor on a random Tuesday afternoon and her house was immaculate! Both floors! (I can only seem to have one floor really clean at a time.) Now, both of her kids were at preschool/ daycare so she had some time to clean probably. But, odds are my house would not look like that on a random day!

There are occasions where I probably wouldn't open the door for surprise company but most of the time it is decent enough. It would be fine for most of my other mom friends, just not for an acquaintance.

So, pretend that this company is not a close, regular friend or family member. How would you feel about your house right this second. Would you invite them in? Would you let them go all over the house or would you try and keep them contained to certain rooms for reasons of cleanliness?

Additionally, how fast could you speed clean? If your house wasn't company ready how fast could you get it company ready? Is it hopeless? Would 5, 10, 15, 30 minutes do it?

Beth

ETF gramar (at least the one I noticed. There are probably more problems!)

[LarsMal]

DH and I spent hours cleaning the house this past weekend- not that you'd know it today! I would probably need about 20 minutes, just to pick up all the toys and crap laying around. It's more messy than dirty.

If someone came by this second, I'd apologize for all of the toys laying around, but at least if they had to pee, I would be happy to let them use any of the clean bathrooms!

The good thing is that people always tell me it looks good for having a destructive toddler running around and an infant in my arms all the time. :-)

[Pennylane]

My house is always surface clean other than a few random toys. I dust, windex and try to sweep everyday. My floors always seem to need mopping though! The playroom is not picked up until the end of the day but it is hidden upstairs.

I could get it looking pretty great in about 15 minutes if I had too.

Ann

[sarahsthreads]

I think 15 minutes would take care of everything but the vacuuming. I have two dogs, and it takes at least 30 minutes to vacuum both floors of the house. Ideally it would happen at least every other day, realistically it happens closer to once a week. Basically, when DD starts complaining about dog fur sticking to her feet or I know company's coming tomorrow. ;)

But generally the kitchen is clean enough for company (assuming DH hasn't had free reign in there since I cleaned it) and the bathroom is too. There might be toys on the living room floor, but who cares?

The second floor? My room and DD's room are generally picked up enough for people to see. The guest room and my craft room are in a state of flux at the moment (we're reorganizing both rooms, and that always makes a huge mess) but hopefully when done will be easier to keep clean. Until then, those doors are shut. (I'd padlock them if I could!) Master bath...not so clean, that would embarrass me (anyone know how to convince DH to clean out the sink after shaving?). The other upstairs bath is clean enough to let people use, but DD's hairbrush, toothbrush, washcloth, etc. is usually all a mess on the counter. I just love this "I do it myself!" phase.

Come on over - if it's too messy for you, I'll go find the vacuum! :D

Sarah :)

[pb&j]

Where's the option for "no, it's messy and maybe a little dirty, but I would let company come in anyway and not be embarrassed because I have a toddler, a full time job, 2 cats, and no cleaning lady and surely anyone that I'd let in to my house knows this and is in awe of everything I do every day instead of cleaning the house." It's not like we live in filth, but there's always something else to dust, pick up, wipe down, and clean off. That's my life. I do make a concerted effort to keep the bathrooms clean and the kitchen clean enough to prepare food in. As long as there are clean sheets on the guest bed, I consider my house to be "company ready."

[Marisa6826]

True friends shouldn't care what your house looks like. Now, in laws are a whole different story. ;)

The cleaning lady is way over due, so the house is not spotless by any stretch of the imagination. Well, maybe if I confiscated glasses/contact lenses at the door, it might pass. :P

We have a game called Hide the Sh*t that we play before new people come over. I can get a fair amount craftily hidden in under a half hour.

More often than not, it's MY appearance that's lacking rather than the house.

-m

[lisams]

The main floor looks pretty good - just a few toys that need to be picked up and a few plates in the kitchen that need to go in the dishwasher. Upstairs DS and DD's bedrooms are pretty well picked up. Now my bedroom - I think the toys get up and walk to my room. There are toys, a pile of clothes I need to fold and put away, a stack of books I've been meaning to read for months and my bed is not made. My bathroom is clean, does that count?!

I would be OK with having someone over right now. It would take me 10 minutes to tidy up.

[lizajane]

you forgot to include the "bwah ha ha ha ha" choice.

i laugh in the face of your cleanliness question!!!

my house is a DISASTER. tornado style. heinous.

but i still have people over all the time. i can't stop living just because i have two rowdy kids who can't be still or learn to keep things in ONE place. (like kitchen chairs...)

[brittone2]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"We have a game called Hide the Sh*t that we play before new people come over. I can get a fair amount craftily hidden in under a half hour."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Affectionately known as "stash and dash" in my house :P

[happy2bamom]

I'm lol at the "hide the sh**" comment. We often play that game too, I just never had a name for it. I could have someone stop by, but I would keep them contained to the main floor (and keep the office door shut). DH and I are both messy people, so I feel like the house is never clean enough for company. But... I want to be social, and I can't keep up with the mess, so I just apologize profusely to everyone that comes over. I had a cleaning company come over a couple of weeks ago to give me an estimate. We are currently trying to find room in our budget b/c we desperately need help! Neither of us likes to clean, but my DH can put up with much more of a mess than I can, so I"m the one that usually ends uup cleaning. Mostly, I think that I need help organizing - I don't have a place for half of my stuff.

I would need a good 30 minutes to get my main floor in respectable condition. the upstairs and basement would take a full weekend (honestly)!

[g-mama]

My house is in company-ready condition right now *only* because it has been on the market for two months. It is making me crazy trying to keep it this way and I don't know how anybody with kids can do it all the time.

We are ready to pull it off the market because 1) the market sucks right now and 2) I am so tired of trying to keep it looking perfect!

Ordinarily, it's in a clean but somewhat messy state. My kids throw the couch cushions and pillows around and play on them, they use the stuff in the kitchen cabinets to play and pretend, there are always baskets of laundry somewhere in process....it's just how my life is.


~Kristen

Paolo 11-00
Benjamin 8-03
Marco 12-05

[crAbbymom]

I can't tell you the last time I had anyone but family over. I am too embarrassed by the crayon decorated walls, stained (been steam cleaned, though)carpet that needs vacuuming, and the overall nasty ole cluttered mess.

I spend too much time reading or at the computer. If it weren't for the internet and library, my house might actually be clean. Nah. I'd probably end up watching TV instead. I am embarrassed to be me. :(

And yes, I've actually tried Flylady a couple of times because of my CHAOS. And...Flylady is wrong. I AM LAZY. NOT just overwhelmed. Well, maybe a little overwhelmed, but mostly lazy.

ETA: Well, I have to say Thank You for this poll...I got off my butt (and the computer) and actually cleaned up some, did laundry, and made my bed! :D I was inspired by y'all!!

[TaChapm]

I am the ready enough for company. I have always been a bit of a "Neat Freak." Now the toys that the kids were playing with at that moment would probably be out but I have 3 kids and there is no way to avoid that. The toys do get picked up every time the kids are out of the way (eating or sleeping) so it doesn't get too bad (usually). ;) I vacuum every day (I HAVE TO...Jaci likes to eat EVERYTHING). I have a Swiffer Sweep N Vac (best invention ever) and I use it after every meal (again...I have to!) I use my swiffer wet jet after supper while Jacob gives the kids a bath. I have a pretty decent schedule and as long as I stay on top of things then it is fairly easy to keep clean. I wipe the bathrooms down after I take a bath, dust every 3 days, actually sweep and mop (not with swiffer) every Sunday. I unload the dishwasher FIRST thing every morning while drinking coffee. That way the dishes never stack up. I just load as anything gets dirty. Dishes in my sink is a HUGE pet peeve! I do a load of laundry every day (and put it up) or else it just gets out of controll FAST! I still usually have 4-5 loads to do on the weekend.

Really it is just all about staying on top of things...I probably only spend an hour a day give or take cleaning and doing the laundry.
Not too bad.

Tara

http://lilypie.com/pic/070612/X6DW.jpg http://b5.lilypie.com/IwLRm5/.png

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http://lilypie.com/pic/070612/mFCc.jpg http://b1.lilypie.com/a7JXm5/.png

[niccig]

Must rooms are pretty clean, just don't get out the magnifying glass to check the baseboards etc. I would need to pick up/straighten a few things, close my closet door etc. DS's train table and kitchen are in the family room, so those kind of toys will always be out. The floors would need doing, 2 dogs so I should do floors everyday...I don't....

[JoyNChrist]

My house is pretty much always company ready, simply because I'm naturally pretty neat. Granted, I have it pretty easy since DS isn't really mobile yet and my husband is gone all week, so he doesn't clutter anything up (he is not neat in any sense of the word).

Now, as far as cleaning baseboards, mopping, dusting, and things like that go...I'm lucky if I get it done once a week. I'm not good at keeping up the deep-cleaning thing, but the house is always picked-up and presentable. And I refuse to be embarrassed by it or apologize for the state of things - I'm basically a single parent during the week, taking care of a high-needs baby while working on my master's. If somebody doesn't think I'm doing a good enough job, they're welcome to trade lives for a few days.

I'm currently trying to develop a more organized system to keep things clean, since I know it will be more difficult once DS is more mobile, and also because I do need to get around to the deep-cleaning things more regularly.

At any given time, it wouldn't take more than 5-10 minutes to get things company ready (well, maybe not nosey in-law ready, but you know what I mean). ;-)

[MarisaSF]

I always make sure to make a little bit of a mess before company comes over. That way my friends will never know that I'm actually a perfectionist superhero. ;) I like the idea that they can all go home and whisper, "Wow, our home looks so much better than Marisa's. I feel bad for her; let's bake her family brownies to make up for Marisa's obvious inadequacies as a homemaker."

This makes them feel good about themselves AND gets me brownies. Everyone wins! :P

[maestramommy]

If company were coming over right now, and I knew about it, I'd vacuum and wipe down/check the bathroom. That would take about 15 minutes. If I were suprised by company, well too bad for me, but I'd still be fine with it. Dh's cousin came over for dinner last night and I wasn't embarrassed. My MIL is here right now, and she hasn't said anything, even in a back door way, so there you have it.

In general, the house is pretty tidy considering what's been going on the last month, but that's because our place is small, we keep the stuff to a minimum, and Dh and I have a limited threshold for clutter. We pick up Dora's toys and books once a day, and that's enough for me.

[Marisa6826]

I prefer the phrase 'slacker' instead of 'lazy'. :)

I was shocked at how much time I had to do other stuff when our laptop went in for repairs.

I just keep telling myself that I'm much more knowledgeable for being online so much. :P

-m

[Marisa6826]

Tara-

I bow down to you in great awe and admiration!

Holy cow. Three kids AND a clean house? Seriously, I want whatever is in your drinking water. :)

-m

[elephantmeg]

I subscribe to the "15 minute to company ready" philosophy. We did have about 10 minute warning for company last night and I was fine. Picked up some stuff, wiped off the counters, wiped the sink. I do floors, bathrooms, dusting, laundry once a week and pick up every night as well as keep up with dishes and clean the kitchen after meals. That's good enough for me!

[thomma]

We had a deep clean done (happy 40th to me!) a few weeks ago. It would take 20 minutes to make it company ready. It's clean just cluttered...which is habitually my problem. We play "hide the sh#t" too. We have two laundry baskets that are used specifically for it. We chuck everything into the baskets and they are moved to the master bedroom- which is an absolute disaster area. *No one* is allowed in there! :)

Kim
ds&dd- 4

[lizajane]

i was like this.

but now i am tired. all the time. i have seen drs. they don't help.

i have to work during every free moment i get because i have kids all day (preschool two mornings is NOT enough) and they are wild things and then i am too tired at night. as in, too tired at 7pm. i am about to face plant into my keyboard, i am so tired. i just stopped by to let schuyler have a few more minutes to look for his diego toy before bed.

sigh.

maybe if i ever figure out why i am tired, the clean in me will rise again. or maybe my kids will move away and the mess will just magically disappear.

[SnuggleBuggles]

These replies have been great! Thanks for sharing!

Beth

[oneplustwo]

I voted for the second option before reading the replies, and boy is it clear that my embarrassment threshold has dropped to some kind of negative number. My house looks like a bomb has gone off in it, and it would take me a solid YEAR to get it in company ready shape along the lines others have mentioned. Ya'll are welcome over to my cluttered, disheveled house, just walk carefully around the piles of dirty laundry, toys and books that litter the floors so that you don't trip. Oh, and don't look into my sink!!

[ShanaMama]

I didn't read the other replies yet, just wanted to share this thought I once heard:
Assuming your house is not in the condition you'd like it to be, look at it from the visitor's POV. If it's a man & the house is a mess, you just raised his wife's housekeeping ability in his eyes. If it's a woman who sees it, you just gave her a major housekeeping self-esteem boost. So you're doing everyone a favor & they're less likely to feel pressured when someone comes to their door.
Now if the house had been immaculate... you'd just be raising that imaginary bar higher. ;) But seriously, I use the thought that my visitors' house probably looks as bad as mine to diffuse the embarrassment & tension. It goes to show I'm just normal.
Also, I *don't* apologize for having a house that looks like people live there!

ETC clarity & spelling

[C99]

Most of my house is fine because I happened to clean today -- as long as the person doesn't go in my kitchen or the upstairs bath. Oh, or minds kid paint in the bathroom sink. :)

[oneplustwo]

You are right on! I found out a few months ago that one of my friends especially valued my friendship b/c when her DH complained about the condition of their house, she was able to point to ME to make HER look better. And she thanked me for it! So I provide extra value to my friends for making them look GOOD in the housekeeping department. My clutter and mess serve a higher purpose!

[GaPeachInCA]

Our house is immaculate. BUT, that's because we put it on the market last Friday, so every day before we leave the house, everything must be put away (no dishes in the sink or even a towel out!). We accepted an offer on Wednesday, so we are just counting down the 5 days of contingency before we can relax a little. Thank goodness! :D

In general, though, we are always ready for company. There will be pots in the sink or dish drainer (dishes always go right into the dishwasher), shoes and bags in the entry and the newspaper on the counter. But, overall, our house is tidy and there is just the normal clutter of everyday life that gets picked up on the weekend.

[elliput]

This is my house too.

[jadamom]

Us, too. Our house has been on the market for a couple of weeks. It's cleaned up everytime we leave the house, which is not easy, considering that there's a mess made every 5 seconds!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Very good point.

There was a B*tching post thread about cleaning for playgroup a while back that this reminds me of. Over there I was singing the praises of everyone just being honest and not going overboard on the cleaning just for the occasion. That way everyone could just relax and not stress when it was their turn to host. It almost turns competitive when you see other parents with kids the same age and a clean house.

It would be great if I could just not worry about what others think about my mess. I grew up in an extremely cluttered home (I always feel better about my domestic skills after hanging out at my parents- or ILs- for a while :)). I was always embarrassed to have company over after some not real friends (guys, actually) made some mean comments about it in the 5th grade. I guess I don't want ds to have that experience later on. He probably won't care though. :)

Beth