Have you been there, when your timing is down to the wire, guests are coming over that afternoon, and you wish you had planned better by pulling out your handy house cleaning tips, sooner? Rushing when prepping for a party can make entertaining feel stressful and take the joy out of the gathering. Been there!
I’m so happy you stopped by because I’d love to help. If you don’t have a list of the essentials you need to clean before a party, do not fret. Below you will find a free cleaning to-do checklist you can use before hosting a party so you can entertain with peace of mind knowing our home is in tip-top shape for guests.
This post is all about handy house cleaning tips every hostess needs to know about. It contains Amazon affiliate links, meaning, I might receive a small commission, but at not cost to you.
All Homes Get Messy
Now, I’m not talking about the sort of cleaning where you stuff all of the extra mail in cabinets, carelessly shove the dirty dishes into the dishwasher; heave the shoes in your closets, and fly through the house with lightning speed making it look like nobody lives there. Can you tell I’m speaking from experience? Lol!
Let’s be real, nobody’s house is perfectly clean all of the time. When you have family members and pets living in a home, it’s inevitable that things get messy. The same goes for my house. I’m so thankful we are all normal!
Giving Cleaning Grace
Please keep in mind, that the ideas I’m about to share are for inspiration and checklist purposes. If by chance you are not able to clean all of the areas mentioned, please don’t cancel your party. We all know that “real life” happens (a lot), and there are times when we just have to do our best with the time and resources we are given. Give yourself a lot of grace.
A checklist can come in handy for the sheer fact that it’s on the list, and you have one less thing to think about. You can put your thoughts towards other important party preparations and refer to the cleaning list as you go about getting everything else ready.
Favorite Cleaning Products
I’m sure you have favorite products you use when it comes to cleaning your home. I do as well. But, if you are in need of product recommendations that work super well and come with high reviews, from yours truly, I’d love to share my list. I prefer to use “clean” and natural products as much as possible, but realize, that sometimes you just have to use some Tilex on those stubborn areas. The handy house cleaning products that I prefer to use and highly recommend are:
- Swiffer Duster
- Swiffer Sweeper
- Shark Vacuum
- Shark Steam Mop
- Dyson Cordless Vacuum
- Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Multi-Surface Concentrate (dilute with water and put in a spray bottle for the main cleaning solution)
- Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Soap (same dilution process as Mrs. Meyers Concentrate)
- Tilex
- Whink Rust Stain Remover (this practically melts hard water stains)
- Magic Erasers
Handy House Cleaning Tips
When hosting a party, ask yourself if your guests will be staying in the main kitchen and dining room areas, or if will they be walking throughout the house. If the latter, you will have a little more house cleaning to tend to than what I’m referring to in this list.
Here we will talk about a handy checklist for cleaning the essentials in your home before your guests come over. This means the main areas your guests will be walking through and gathering in. That way you can have peace of mind knowing the main areas of your home are clean.
1. Front Door and Flanking Windows
If your guests are coming into your home through the front door, and if it has a window, or flanking windows on the sides, make sure the fingerprints, doggie nose smears, and splashes are wiped clean so the glass sparkles.
2. Entryway Space
Not everyone has an entryway area, but if you do, dust, wipe, and shine the pieces in this space. Notice if there are cobwebs connecting to the chandelier, in the corners, or hanging from the ceiling; help make them disappear. Look around at the details of your home décor and make sure the grooves and particulars on them are free from any dust.
I prefer to use a Swiffer Hand Duster for the top layer of dust, and then use my spray bottle with diluted Peppermint Castile Soap or Mrs. Meyers Concentrate, for the wipe downs afterward.
3. Front Room
Since this is one of the first rooms your guests will see, it would be great if you did the typical: pick up, dust, wipe down surfaces, and vacuum and mop the floors. If the carpet has marks or stains, let this party be your motivation to pull out the carpet cleaner and get those spots out.
4. Powder Room
A MUST! When guests are coming to my home, I run to the powder room to wipe it down. Lol! Just about every party will consist of your guests needing a bathroom break. Another “normal” for us humans.
The basic essentials to clean in the powder room include the inside of the toilet bowl, as well as the outside, the toilet seat, the space behind the seat, and the outside of the toilet bowl.
Dust and wipe down any décor, wall art, light fixtures, wall fingerprints and drip marks on the walls, light switch plate, moldings, trim around the door, as well as the door grooves.
Clean the sink, the countertop, behind the faucet, and any water splashes on the mirror. Don’t forget to wipe down the light fixtures so they are clean of dust and cobwebs. (Tip- put out a fresh, clean hand towel for your guests to dry their hands on. Homegoods always has some affordable, high-quality options. If you want to go extra fancy, light a candle and put a hand scrub or lotion next to the hand soap.)
Wash the floors and make sure to pay extra close attention to the space around and behind the toilet.
5. Kitchen Cleaning Includes
- Microwave Cleaned (My sweet friend Florence offers some tips on how to clean and disinfect a microwave with a lemon. Feel free to click here to see how she does it.)
- Stainless Steel Refrigerator Polished (pay extra close attention to the handles and the sides of the doors.)
- Dishwasher Door Wiped Down
- Stove Top Cleaned
- Cabinet Doors and Sides Wiped Down
- Counter Tops and Table Tops Wiped
- Refrigerator Cleaned Out (if your guests will be helping with clean-up)
- Inside Silverware Drawer Wiped Out (if your guests will be helping with clean-up)
- Chandeliers/Light Fixtures Wiped Down
- Blinds Dusted or Wiped
- Molding Dusted or Wiped
- Furniture Dusted
- Vacuum and Mop Floors
6. Dining Room
Since this is usually the main space where guests gather for dinner, it’s essential to make sure that this area is cleaned up. Dust and wipe the table, the chair backs, chair and table legs, moldings, artwork, extra furniture, light fixtures, mirrors, blinds, and floor.
7. Mail Pile
I don’t know if this happens in your home, but in mine, there seems to be a reoccurring collection of mail, receipts, and important papers piling up in my kitchen. I like to use a hosting opportunity as motivation to do things I have been procrastinating. Sorting the mail pile is one of them.
8. Floors
The most time-consuming to clean, and the most important in my opinion, are the floors. You don’t want your guests to see kiddie crumbs, dog hair, and leftover food in the corners of your floors. I’d give the children a movie to watch, and put the dog in the crate, before going after tackling the floors.
You can also do a deep floor clean at the beginning of the week before your event, and on the day of the gathering, just focus on vacuuming and spot cleaning the floors. Don’t forget to wipe down the baseboards.
9. Ceiling Fans
Sometimes the cleaning fans can be overlooked in the cleaning process. I’m here to help remind you to get and keep those dust bunnies off so that when your guests look up, they don’t see what appears to be an Afghan Hound dog fast asleep up there. Lol!
Handy House Cleaning Checklist
Here you will find my free printable house cleaning checklist for the purpose of taking the stress and wonder out of what you need to tend to before you host a party. Click the box below.
I’m hoping this list of handy house cleaning essentials was helpful in providing the specifics on what you need to focus on before you have company, as well as giving you peace of mind knowing you covered all your bases.
P.S. A Note of Encouragement
Have you ever dreamed about hosting a party in your home and then got caught up in the stress of all the planning, prepping, cleaning, invites, timelines, pick-ups, to-dos, and more? I’ve so been there. Let’s take a step back for a minute and look at the “why” behind the gathering.
When you are in the midst of preparing, and you are up to your eyeballs with things to do, the last thing on your mind is the, “why.” After all, if everyone gets there and the basics are not in place, chances are the party might not go well. Or, at least as you hoped it would.
So, here is my encouragement in the process of preparing. Make a list! Sometimes you need to make three or four. When you write your tasks down, it helps remove the thought process of feeling like you are on a hamster wheel because you had a place to put them. Keep the list in a place you will remember, so you don’t forget about the things you need to do.
Take a deep breath. Remember the joy in the gathering. Remind yourself how much of an honor and privilege it is to have people come into your home. This gathering will be a gift from God because you are able to do something you love. When we make the talents in our lives come alive, God always blesses them. He wants you to use the gifts He’s given you. If you want more encouragement in that regard, click here to read a previous encouraging post about this topic.
Delegate as much as you can. Children, husbands, and friends can be a great help when you give them specifics on what to do. Offer lots of praise and rewards. This will help them have happy hearts when they are helping.
Do as much as you can, ahead of time. If hosting a gathering, and you have the time to really plan ahead, PLEASE, do as much prep in advance, as you can. This will help with lowering stress.
Remember the other events you hosted and the joy those brought while you are planning your next get-together. Let those thoughts fuel you as you plan for the upcoming one. Breathe, pray, plan ahead, delegate, and enjoy the process. You are so talented! Your party is going to be amazing!