We have all had those times when we need to have our home look nice, but we don’t have time to thoroughly clean it. Here are 10 instant ways to make your home look better...
1. Wipe out the sinks and shine the faucets. Grab a cleaning wipe and clean the kitchen sink and bathroom sink. Then, spray your faucets with Windex and rub out the smudges until they are clean and shiny. Doing this will give the sinks a just-cleaned look and it only takes a couple of minutes to do.
Of course, if you have dirty dishes in the kitchen sink, put them into the dishwasher. Otherwise, you may have to take the time to wash them.
2. Pick up the clutter. Pick up the clutter in the rooms you need to look spiffy. Use a laundry basket to corral everything, making it easy to carry any items to the rooms where they belong.
Even if you hide that hamper away until the next day, at least the rooms will have an organized appearance today.
You can even set the timer for five minutes and play a "beat the clock game" with yourself or your kids...making it more fun and the job accomplished quicker.
3. Get rid of smudges and fingerprints. Look for them on mirrors, doorknobs, windows, and walls.
4. Quick-dust noticeably dusty surfaces. No, you don't have to dust your entire home. Just dust those areas that are visibly dusty. This may be a glass coffee table right in your main living space or a piano in your den.
Use a microfiber duster that will "remove" the dust, rather than just move it around.
5. Give the toilets a swish. Squeeze some toilet cleaner in the bowl, and squish it with a toilet brush.
6. Empty the trash. Remove the kitchen and bathroom trash, tie those bags, and put them in your garage or outdoor trash pick-up bins. Add a dryer sheet to your indoor trash containers if they're smelly.
7. Straighten and fluff the pillows. Be sure the throw pillows on sofas and chairs are fluffed and displayed in a nice way.
8. Close doors to messy rooms. Sometimes there is no time to straighten up a messy room. Close those doors so there isn't a view into them.
9. Look around and finalize. Are there cobwebs? Be sure you remove them. Pet hair on the furniture? Use a lint roller pick-up to remove it. Crumbs on the kitchen floor? Vacuum them up.
10. Add a nice scent. Spray some room spray, bake some bread (even baking frozen loaf will do), or light a candle. A home that smells good automatically feels clean and welcoming.
