Manage Your Life
Monday, November 30, 2009
How to fake a clean house
partner
When you’re short on
time, here’s how to give your living spaces the illusion of
cleanliness.
The Living Room
- Reserve one side of sofa cushions to be shown to guests. Before
company arrives, flip over the cushions to reveal good-as-new
fabric. When guests are gone, flip them back.
- Rid the sofa of pet hair by wetting the fingertips of rubber
gloves and gliding your hand over the sofa. The hair will stick to
the rubber.
- Stack books, catalogs, and magazines in neat piles on the floor
or arrange them in a deep decorative basket.
- To disguise windows in need of washing, pull curtain panels
closed.
- Fold a clean blanket neatly and drape it over a stained sofa.
Strategically placed throw pillows can also camouflage soiled
upholstery.
From Real Simple:
Easy Steps for Cleaning the Bedroom
The Kitchen
- When the dishwasher is full and the sink is overflowing, stow
dirty dishes and silverware in a stockpot and pull them out later
to be cleaned.
- Cover up the lingering aroma of last night’s supper by boiling
nutmeg, cloves, or cinnamon and orange peels in a sauce-pan on the
stove.
- Declutter the refrigerator by taking down notes, drawings, and
magnets and throwing them in a plastic bag. Sort through it
later.
- Fold hand towels to hide stains. Two tips: Hang the clean side
over the oven handle (with the stains in the back), or roll towels
in neat spirals and stack them pyramid-style next to the sink.
The Bathroom
- Glide a sticky lint roller over the bath mat to pick up
hair.
- Light a candle. Everything looks better (and cleaner) by
candlelight.
- Hang a fluffy bathrobe on top of damp towels dangling from the
hooks on the back of the door.
- Store a rattan or canvas basket on top of the toilet and throw
in stray cosmetic brushes.
- Hang fresh guest towels. The humidity in this room makes
textiles look droopy, even after a recent machine washing.
- Mound cosmetics and hairstyling products in a container
underneath the sink. In a pinch, pile them in the tub and close the
shower curtain. Cross your fingers that guests don’t snoop.
Fake-Clean More Rooms: Home Office, Kids' Rooms, Laundry
Room
More from Real Simple:
Cleaning Supplies We Love
Conquer Household Odors
Surprising New Cleaning Solutions
Related: living room, kitchen, guests, cleaning, bathroom
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Posted by tengibson Wed Mar 18, 2009 5:19am PDT
Why not just do the dishes everyday and wash the towels. Pretend all you want, but visitors can tell if your house is clean or you're merely faking it. If it's clean under neath all you have to do is pickup the newspapers and put the dirty dishes in the empty dishwasher. Purge your house of anything you don't use or haven't used in 2 years. Teach your family to help clean up everyday. If you keep it clean then you won't have any worries.
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Posted by Heather -HH- Wed Mar 18, 2009 5:39am PDT
Right on tengibson ! Clean your house daily, OMG I couldnt live in a nasty, clutter filled home.
Wash the dishes and towels, for one thing the towels will stink before too long ! The dishes are much eaiser to clean right after use, than hours later when that food has now become part of the plate lol.
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Posted by KJM Wed Mar 18, 2009 6:14am PDT
sometimes when your at the end of your pregnancy, and your husband comes home late and there is a toddler underfoot as well as a 100 pound lab, your just too tired to get to the dishes THAT night... it happens...I found the article helpful.
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Posted by KerryQ Wed Mar 18, 2009 6:28am PDT
good for surprise visits from the inlaws, before you have gotten around to cleaning yet...
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Posted by Patient_Vengeance Wed Mar 18, 2009 6:31am PDT
Thanks KJM for admitting that some people live in the real world! Sometimes life is messy and I'd rather spend the rest of my free time putting my precious little girl to bed and reading her a story than missing that mommy time with her.
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Posted by haley Wed Mar 18, 2009 6:48am PDT
I use these tricks, we have storage ottomans that i try to leave empty, i can stash clutter in them nicely in a pinch. Also, if it's not someone newot your home, they don't need a tour, throw stuff in bedrooms ans close the door!
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Posted by Phoenix Wed Mar 18, 2009 6:50am PDT
Some of the tips are nice. I have to agree with KJM, sometimes you just can't always find the time EVERY DAY. But, I would only use some of these in emergencies, such as a surprise guest. If I know people are coming over in advance, I will probably just clean.
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Posted by Derrick C Wed Mar 18, 2009 6:54am PDT
Lord knows I needed these tips.. Love the one about fliping the Sofa cusions..
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Posted by none Wed Mar 18, 2009 6:55am PDT
Definitately a good help! I WISH I could keep my house clean at all time, but with a 6 year old, a 6 month old, a dog, two cats, and an amazing but at times lazy husband, things get left around! Plus I'm wasting my time on the internet and not picking up! =) I should work on that!
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Posted by ~Arani~ Wed Mar 18, 2009 7:09am PDT
Who doesnt like a clean home?? But hey! Working 10 hours a day, plus actually getting home, trying to be happy, trying to do hobbies, sometimes is hard!! The tips are really good.
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