spiff up a stylish home - guest post by Artistic Homeowner

Guests are coming for dinner at the last minute. You just remembered the book club is meeting at your house tonight. Your sister-in-law is stopping by for lunch. Whatever the reason, you need to tidy up the house- and quickly. No worries! Here are some easy tips to tackle midweek clutter in a snap.

Tidying up the Living Room

Gather up things that have collected during the week and are out of place- sneakers, hoodies, magazines, newspapers, etc. Toss them into a laundry basket and stow away in a closet for the time being. Quickly put remotes, DVDs, and CDs back where they belong. 

Fluff up sofa cushions and pillows, fold throw blankets.

Run a dust cloth over end tables, coffee tables and lamps. Do a quick once over on floors and rugs with the vacuum.

Tidying up the Bathroom

Empty the bathroom garbage. Clear the counter of makeup, toothbrushes, contact lens holders, deodorants, etc. and stow in a small basket under the sink. Remove any newspapers, magazines, and reading material.

You can scrub later, but for now- it's all in the wipe. wipe out the sink, wipe the faucet and mirror, wipe the toilet seat and rim. 

Freshen the toilet bowl with a squirt of toilet bowl cleaner or mouthwash and a 20 second swish around. 

Toss damp towels and washcloths into the laundry, add fresh hand towels. Open a fresh bar of hand soap. Give the bathroom a spray with room freshener.

Tidying up the Kitchen

Clear away homework, papers, cell phone chargers, change and other clutter and stash in a cupboard. Attack dust, crumbs, and dried jelly on the counter tops and kitchen table with a damp sponge or disinfecting wipe. 

Load up the dishwasher with glasses, dirty dishes, silverware, even pots and pans. Place dish soap, brillo pads, sponges and kitchen gloves under the sink.

Close all counter drawers and cupboard doors. Straighten up kitchen chairs. Clean smudges off the refrigerator doors and windows with cleaner. Quickly sweep or dust mop the floors. Give the rugs a shake outdoors. 

Tidying up the Bedrooms

Toss anything laying around on the floor into laundry baskets and load into the closet. Make the bed, fluff up the pillows.

Do a five minute vacuum. Crack a window 2 inches to let in some fresh air.

A quick note to moms of tweens or teens- a teenage bedroom may be far beyond the scope of a mid-week spiff up. If your teen's room is beyond help, simply close the door and pretend it isn't there. ;)

High five, lady, you did it! You transformed your cluttered mid-week house in a jiffy. Now light a scented candle and put on the coffee- you have guests coming!

Bio: ArtisticHomeowner.com sells 1000s of beautiful wall murals.  Find one that is just right for your spiffed up house!