When talking about your home, do you often describe it as “lived in?” You’re comfortable with the overstuffed couch and the everyday clutter, and you don’t consider it dirty. But when unexpected guests arrive, do you find yourself making excuses like, “Oh, this week was so busy, I didn’t have time to pick up,” or “We don’t normally live like this.” Except that you do! If this sounds like you, you may like this post that includes these 9 ways to fake a clean house!
9 Ways to Fake a Clean House
Clear the Entry
The first rooms your guests step into are their first impression of your home. That’s where you should pay the most attention to living clutter-free. If this is a drop zone, place baskets or assign hooks or cubbies where family members can place their items neatly when they come in. Install cabinets or baskets with lids to hide clutter. Take a moment to sweep this area regularly and you won’t be so embarrassed to open the front door!
Have “Formal Rooms”
In Victorian times, the lady of the house would invite guests into her formal rooms, which were always kept up to standards for visitors. If your home has formal rooms, set up comfortable seating and usher your visitors into these areas and keep family areas private. That way it won’t matter if you are messy in your own areas. Always keep the guest bathroom clean as well.
Use Hiding Places
Remember when you were a kid and your mom asked you if you cleaned your room? You always said “Yes,” even though all you did was stuff everything into your closet and hoped she wouldn’t look there. Or you folded just the top layer of clothing in your drawer to give the illusion of neatness. Use these same tricks as an adult and stuff your clutter into drawers, closets and cabinets. (Even under the couch—temporarily.) Once the doors are closed (if they can close), your rooms look tidy and you feel like you have a clean house!
Set Up Zones
There’s a rule in business of “touch it once.” That means when you pick something up, don’t set it down anywhere—deal with it and place it where it is ultimately supposed to go. You can do this in your own house to give the illusion of neatness. Assign zones where items should be placed when you’re done using them. A toybox to hold toys. A basket to stack magazines and books. A rack to hold unread mail. Collections of items look tidier than having them randomly scattered on furniture, the floor and throughout the room.
Related: 20 Ways to Organize With Baskets
Use Cover-Ups
If your couch is covered with animal fur, or your kids have left stains on the chairs with their juice boxes, guests will have hesitation about sitting on them. Cover up these unsightly spots quickly with throws or furniture covers you keep on hand to quickly toss over these pieces of furniture.
Scoop and Run
When a friend calls and asks if they can drop by, grab the laundry basket and scoop everything that’s out of place into it for a really quick pick-up. Stash the basket in your bedroom out of sight. You can always sort through these things later to put them away where they belong.
Toss It
Is your home filled with papers, junk mail, wrappers, old magazines and other clutter? It may be time to get a big trash bag and toss out these extraneous items. There’s no need to collect things that are obviously junk.
Be Conscientious
Because we’re so busy with work, family and outside interests, we often drop and run, without noticing how clutter is building up. After a while, you don’t even see it. It only comes to light when you see it through a guest’s eyes. Set a habit of being conscientious about not cluttering your home and you’ll feel better about living in a clean house and having friends over.
Call 123JUNK
Do you feel overwhelmed by the amount of clutter in your home? Let 123JUNK help. We’ll gladly remove excess or broken furniture and household items, paper, electronics, appliances, tools, toys and yard equipment—pretty much anything you’d like to get rid of.
With our 1-2-3 Process of of Donate-Recycle-Dispose, we’ll cull out anything we think is perfectly good and donate those items to one of our local charity partners who can use them to support a local family in need. For appliances, metals, paper and electronics, we’ll deliver what can be recycled to the local recycling center for safe disposal. Only then do we take the rest to the area landfill for disposal. It’s our part—and your part—of protecting our environment and our local community.
For Junk Removal in Northern VA, Maryland and Washington DC, Call 123JUNK Today
We know you’re busy, so we try to keep our process simple. Call us to speak to a live operator who can explain our process, give you a price, and set up your pickup appointment. Before we arrive, we’ll give you a courtesy call to let you know we’re on our way. And when we get there, show us what you’d like us to remove. We’ll take a moment to lay down protection on your floors and walls, if needed, and get straight to work. In no time, your home will feel tidy and you won’t have to fake a clean house. What a relief!
To learn more or to set your junk removal appointment, contact 123JUNK at 1-800-364-5778.
