Speed Cleaning: Look Tidy in 20 Minutes or Less

From Quick & Easy Cleaning

By Emily Lapkin
Special to HGTV.com
"If it’s not dirty, don’t clean it," says Queen of Clean Linda Cobb. That’s the most important thing to keep in mind when it’s time to spruce up before someone stops by. Here is Cobb’s ultimate guide to a quick cleanup!

  1. Take a laundry basket and go from room to room picking up things that don’t belong. Stash the basket in a closet or somewhere guests won’t look.
  2. Next, tidy up the bathroom that guests will use. Wipe it up quickly, light a candle and make it look nice. Remember: That’s the room where they have the most time to sit privately, unobserved and look around.
  3. Next if you have time, run the vacuum in the main rooms they’ll be in and fluff the pillows.
  4. Shut the door on other rooms that will not be seen or needed to be used if they’re messy.
  5. If it’s nighttime, turn on some lights. If it’s daytime, open up the shutters or the curtains or the blinds. A well-lit room looks cleaner.
  6. Next, take a pan of water throw it on the stove throw in some cinnamon and cloves and let it simmer to give your house a nice, fresh scent.