How would you "emergency clean"?

[Heather Micaela]

Assuming that your house starts a disaster and you have very little time to get it ready for casual company, what order do you clean up? I am trying to determine if my method is ADHD based of if others do it too.

So to put us all on the same page:
Someone you love and would be excited to see is in the area unexpectedly and will be over to your house in 3-4 hours.

Even if you normallay maintain a clean home it is a disaster (you create why: prior guests just left, too busy shopping, kids home on school break, just got over being sick and yet to clean). You have 4 areas you will have open to the guests - they will not be in bedrooms. (So like a bathroo, kitchen, living room, bonus/family room or foyer/hall) It will take an average of 1 hour to clean it to the point where you can actually vaccum and dust the main areas but you still have clutterl dishes, etc everywhere first.

So, knowing your guest COULD arrive an hour before you are completely done and that this guest is not expecting perfection yet you would LIKE a nice clean place to visit - how would you clean?

Would you:
Clean one room completely before moving on to the next?
Clean one room to acceptable (maybe forgoing floors/dusting or minor items like the dishes in the sink or jackets on the coutch) then move on to the next, then finish the details if time permits?
Clean one TYPE of thing first in each area. Such as floor clutter firsts or plates and such left around first, clothes clutter next, toys after that, finishing with the details.

Or is there another method that works?

(Oh and forget how you look - we will assume in this fantasy that you are already perfect looking and will not sweat or get messy. SO showering/changing need not be part of the sceanario)

I am adding a poll. Please try to choose the best answer and just clarify. Only choosie other if other is DRASTICALLY different.:)

[LadybugSam]

i have a list (i need lists or i get sidetracked and forget what i'm doing)

http://www.gentlechristianmothers.com/community/showthread.php?t=216646

[cindergretta]

I would make sure the toilet and sink are clean in the bathroom. I would make sure the kitchen table was cleared off and wiped down. I would make sure the couch is clear of clutter and such. I would make sure there is a clear "path" from the front door to the couch, kitchen, bathroom. Once those things were done, I would work on whatever seems most pressing *to me.* Like, if guest is likely to enjoy sitting at the kitchen table, I would ensure the counters are cleanish and the sink is cleanish so I could make tea or a snack for my guest.

If they are more likely to hang out on the couch, I would then concentrate on decluttering and vacuuming the living room.

That would be my MO.

:hug

[Heather Micaela]

Interesting
I like the list idea but I would really change the order. I would rather have all the clutter done and a sink full of dishes and un scrubbed toilets than have gleaming sink/toilet and nowhere to walk or sit

[Allison]

That's a lot of details for a hypothetical. :giggle

I'd clean each space to acceptable and then come back around to "perfect" if time permitted.

[LadybugSam]

Interesting
I like the list idea but I would really change the order. I would rather have all the clutter done and a sink full of dishes and un scrubbed toilets than have gleaming sink/toilet and nowhere to walk or sit

i re-read the list and changed it myself. The list i have printed out has the clothes/shoes/trash pick up first, so i change the online one, LOL

[cindergretta]

But would your guest rather clutter or a clean toilet? ;) I have a few friends whose houses are so filthy they kind of creep me out. :shifty Most of them, though, have cluttery houses with piles of this and that here and there. But their bathrooms are clean (not sparkling) and the kitchen is habitable.

I want to use a reasonable bathroom, kwim?

:think

[Radosny Matka]

For me - clean bathroom, clean kitchen, make sure toys/clothes are picked up, sweep, vacuum. If I have time for anything else, I would prioritize what looked worse. Really, if you have vacuumed/swept floors, clean counters, and a clean bathroom, your house looks clean to company. They aren't going around your house with a white glove (well, normal company isn't). They don't see all the little messes/imperfections that we see.

[ValiantJoy07]

I make a list of rooms we will he hanging out in, in order of importance
Living area
dining area
Bathroom
kitchen

I pick up everything in the living room and throw it on the couch...is sort bedroom stuff into a laundry basket...dirty laundry into a pile on the floor to be put in hamper and then go through the rest (living room stuff) and put away or throw away.
Dining room table I usually just have to throw stuff out.

Bathroom (as long as the shower curtain stays closed :O) takes 2 minutes to wipe down toilet and sink.
Kitchen is last and I can curtain off if necessary.

[Iarwain]

I picked the second option. For me the priority goes:

gross stuff
embarrassing stuff and large clutter
medium sized clutter and floors
small clutter and details

[Heather Micaela]

But would your guest rather clutter or a clean toilet?
Well I for sure make sure the bathroom SURFACES are clean, but the toilet bowl:shrug3 Not as high priority unless there is like a visible smear:sick My bowl will ALWAYS have a ring and stain because we live in a hard water area -it takes an hour to scrub so I have learned not to stress it for emergency visitors.

[cindergretta]

Well I for sure make sure the bathroom SURFACES are clean, but the toilet bowl:shrug3 Not as high priority unless there is like a visible smear:sick My bowl will ALWAYS have a ring and stain because we live in a hard water area -it takes an hour to scrub so I have learned not to stress it for emergency visitors.

I meant wiping it down, making sure there isn't pee splashed or pubic hair, etc. Your wording above made me think you would rather not have clutter than a clean toilet.

[Heather Micaela]

That's a lot of details for a hypothetical. :giggle
.
:giggle And it truly is hypothetical. Otherwise people tell me how they don't have that many rooms to clean or how it depends on the guest or all these other variables.

I clean in a circle.

I see clean as a continum. So I do TYPE A in each room. Then TYPE B in each room. Etc. A might be gross stuff, B might be laundry, whatever. Floors usually come first but I often dont vaccuum till I hit the earliest likely time they will arrive. Then I keep going deeper in my cleaning.

THEORETICALLY

In actuallity I bounce more and get distracted. I was just wondering if doing it that way was odd.:giggle

[MegMarch]

I do the kitchen first, because I imagine any guest would prefer food from a clean kitchen. Then I tidy the bathroom then the living area. I go back and wipe down the bathroom and sweep everything with a dust mop. If there's time, I vac bedrooms and if not, I close the doors.

I would gather dishes from each room as part of the kitchen and if it comes down to it I'd use the bathroom right after greeting them and do a super quick sneaky cleanup.

[Annainprogress]

I start on one thing then look at the clock and float to another. Or i get distracted. In reality though, mine wouldn't be done in 3-4 hours :shrug

[mamacat]

I would not scrub toilet bowl for an hour but would drip a few drips of soap in there and swish with a brush and then wipe down the tank handle,lid seat and around the toilet itself so doesnt smell like pee

[Love_Is_Patient]

I picked option 2, but it would probably be more of a combination, like this:

gather all dishes and put next to sink
gather all laundry and throw in hamper or bedroom (out of sight)
wipe down bathroom
declutter living room to acceptable level (places to walk and sit in relative comfort)
declutter kitchen or hallway to acceptable level
wipe down kitchen table
tackle floor or actually wash dishes or whatever stands out as most urgent at that point

in reality I'd get distracted and bounce around too.

[marigold]

I picked one area at a time because one room feels to big. I'd start with the kitchen counter, then the living room floor, bathrooms (sink, counter, and toilets) them kids rooms and on from there....

[crunchymum]

Emergency clean gets the 3 layers for me:


Layer 1: gather up all thing that don't belong in each room and place them in the proper rooms

Layer 2: put away the things that are now in the proper rooms

Layer 3: clean stuff


If it's like, SUPER emergency cleaning, I grab a big box and throw any and all visible clutter ino it. Then I wipe down toilets and surfaces. If I have time I'll sweep or vacuum.

[JessicaNichole]

i always start with the bathroom because i hate using dirty bathrooms...
next i do the livingroom since thats where we will be spending our time visiting
then i do the kitchen/diningroom
have the kids clean their rooms
throw everything out of place in my bedroom and lock the door.

[everydaygrace]

I picked b, but its a little bit of a combo. Like, I might start in the living room, but when I start picking up stray clothes, I'll tend to continue doing that in the other rooms until its done. Toys wouls be similar. Sometimes I start with the kitchen and sometimes I start with what people see when they come in the door, which is the foyer, living room, and part of the dining room. It depends on the guest and what we are doing. Let's assume the second. I might do the clothes, toys, shoes, dishes, from those rooms, one category at a time. Then I would focus on getting the rest of the clutter from each of those rooms. Kitchen would be next and I would stay there til done. For a quick emergency clean, it would be: rinse dishes and put in sink, clutter off counters, wipe down counters. Then wipe down bathroom surfaces and put in a load of laundry to get it out of sight.

[Apple-Saucy]

I start at the front door and clean backwards from there (my house is a long hallway before you get to the living room then you go around a corner into the kitchen) If someone could be at my house in 3-4 hours I stop myself from major cleaning at the 2.5 hour mark, clean myself up real quick and then run the vacuum. I don't worry about dusting because I don't expect my guests to don white gloves and inspect my home.

Ultimately your guests are there to see YOU, not your house.:hug2

[nessnco]

But would your guest rather clutter or a clean toilet? ;) I have a few friends whose houses are so filthy they kind of creep me out. :shifty Most of them, though, have cluttery houses with piles of this and that here and there. But their bathrooms are clean (not sparkling) and the kitchen is habitable.

I want to use a reasonable bathroom, kwim?

:think


I agree, I am so grossed out by dirty toilets :sick. I can cope with clutter anyday. Sorry just read further, ok for me the order is what needs help first.
I now have a bit of a phobia about dirty toilets after using a friends dirty toilet (I was busting otherwise I would have waited).

[ReedleBeetle]

If I have soon arriving company, I:

Throw all visible non-toy clutter into a laundry basket, making sure all downstairs rooms are reasonably organized. We home school though. :shrug3

Throw all toys into their bins and stack.

Stick all dirty dishes in the sink.

Clean bathroom (although, if I had hard water problems, I would run to the bathroom first and pour vinegar into the bowl and leave it for last).

Switch out dishes and run the dishwasher, wipe down counters.

Get myself ready.

If there is time, I sweep/mop/vacuum. If not, I spot mop/sweep. :shifty

Grab basket of all things collected, run upstairs with it and shove it in the guest room. If I don't get to this, it is sitting on the stairwell landing to go up when someone makes a trip.

[Sparrow]

I have a very hard problem staying focused cleaning up. This is what I do, and it helps.

I start with the easiest area. MIL suggested this to me - and it works. Start with what I can tackled. I have a box and anything that DOESN'T belong in that room goes in the box. Then I start with the big stuff, scooping up clothes, large toys on the shelf. Then I work my way down to the details. Wipe up visible spills if in a hurry. Vacuum if needed. I deal with the stuff in the boxes later.

[MomtoJGJ]

I picked other... :shifty

I would tell my kids "quick, so and so is coming over in a little while! We need to get the house cleaned up!"

At that point we have two methods we use....

I would delegate a room for each child, and set the timer for 5 minutes. I'd work on the kitchen. When that five minutes is up, the kids would rotate and do another 5 minutes, etc. Each time if someone finishes their room they go to the next room and help a younger sister. When the kids are all standing there staring at me before the timer runs out one time I do a walk through and make a note in my mind of what needs to be done in each room... then I give specific chores... (Jayden do laundry, Grace wipe down the table and sweep the dining room, Julianna and Evie wipe down the bathroom and hallway walls)

The other way we do it is basically an evil step mother game. :shifty I give them each a job and when they get through they come and stand at attention by me and I give them a new job :shifty They love it and it works...

No matter what way the kids are working, I'm doing the kitchen. Garbage and recycling taken to the outside bins. Dishes (load, unload, run dishwasher, etc). Clean off clutter from counter. Wipe counter and sink. Wipe stove top. Sweep, Swiffer. Wipe off cabinets/appliances, etc.

It basically takes us about 30 minutes if it's REALLY bad, but there's at least 5 of us working hard, and if dh is home he does the vacuuming and garbage runs, works on bringing dishes in, takes care of Penelope, folds up throws and stacks pillows.

[Quiteria]

I clean by type. :yes

[Heather Micaela]

I agree, I am so grossed out by dirty toilets :sick. I can cope with clutter anyday. Sorry just read further, ok for me the order is what needs help first.
I now have a bit of a phobia about dirty toilets after using a friends dirty toilet (I was busting otherwise I would have waited).
jftr I always clean the toilet;) there is no ick in it - just hard water residue. And soaking only does so much good. (And is impossible because it means no one can use the restroom.) I have been in many a clean bathroom in our area where the toilets look the same:shrug3
What I do is clean it at about the halfway point.

If I had at least a DAY to clean up I would still clean all the clutter first then deep clean the bathroom - which would mean using a scouring pad and my hands IN that bowl :sick Then washing my hands, then sanitizing my hands, then washing them again. Then a shower. Not happening when I have 3 hours.

---------- Post added at 01:36 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:08 AM ----------

I meant wiping it down, making sure there isn't pee splashed or pubic hair, etc. Your wording above made me think you would rather not have clutter than a clean toilet.
My wording said I would rather have a clean uncluttered living room than SCRUB the toilet. Wiping is not the same as scrubbinh. Wiping is done daily -or close to. You have to with littles. :shrug3 Even if I hadn't done it yet tthat day, he toilet would not be gross. But even when scrubbed to death it will have a stain in the very bottom.

And I might still wait till closer to the end because the clutter is harder to manage and organize and the toilet is clear cut. I do not know how long it will take to clean the living room. I know the batroom (santizing, not lime-awaying everything) will take 15 min tops. So at 15 min to the 3 hour point I would do the bathroom.

---------- Post added at 01:38 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:36 AM ----------

I agree, I am so grossed out by dirty toilets :sick. I can cope with clutter anyday. Sorry just read further, ok for me the order is what needs help first.
I now have a bit of a phobia about dirty toilets after using a friends dirty toilet (I was busting otherwise I would have waited).
I never said my toilet is dirty

[hollybells]

Like MomtoJGJ, we enlist the older kids. Now, at 10 and 13, they're a huge help but even 5 or 6 years ago, they were great for running things upstairs to the bedrooms, general gathing things up (look in every room for water cups / glasses and bring to the kitchen), tidying shoes in our tiny entry way, putting fresh hand towels in the bathroom etc.

And yes to the timer idea, too. :yes If we're really short for time, I do 15 minutes in each main room company will see, then see what's left and tackle it.

[PrincessAnika]

for me: clean off couches/put clothes etc in appropriate bedrooms or laundry place, clean toilet/bathroom sink, clean kitchen counters and kitchen sink. {even if its stacking the clutter into a box in my bedroom} after that, pick up general clutter and toys and go from there, til the doorbell rings.

[librarianjojo]

I chose the second option. I do emergency cleaning and regular cleaning in rotation through my 4 rooms the same way (I know, overwhelming ;)). An emergency clean looks like:

1. Pick up out of place items. Dirty clothes, cup, chargers, dog toys, shoes, etc. Just literally run through the place putting things where they're supposed to be.

2. Surface clean the bathroom. Spray down the mirror, vanity, sink, and toilet. Make sure the shower curtain is closed. Run the damp cleaning cloth over the floor. Put the cloth in the laundry.

3. Load dishes into the dishwasher and wipe down the counters.

4. Sweep foyer and kitchen and vac middle of the rooms. (If there is time).

5. Light a candle

Due to my limited space this usually takes about 20 minutes tops. :rockon

[Abibigail]

I do the kitchen first, because I imagine any guest would prefer food from a clean kitchen. Then I tidy the bathroom then the living area. I go back and wipe down the bathroom and sweep everything with a dust mop. If there's time, I vac bedrooms and if not, I close the doors.

I would gather dishes from each room as part of the kitchen and if it comes down to it I'd use the bathroom right after greeting them and do a super quick sneaky cleanup.

You are a GENIUS.

[Barefoot Bookworm]

I said one room at a time to completion but then I realized that I generally do the big clutter from everything and then the spot cleaning. Hrmm.