Is your home always 'guest ready'?

[Bigbonesmeatandgravy]

If someone drops by unexpectedly would you be happy to let them in or would you feel embarrassed about the state of it? My house is always a bit of a mess and I feel conscious of unexpected visitors more often not. Things like the bin needs emptying, crumbs on the floor, dishwasher needs loading, clothes strewn around randomly. I feel like I spend half my life tidying so it's not laziness, it just gets messy again straight away. I also have one spare room that is a dumping ground and such a mess at all times that I would be mortified if anyone entered it.I have 2 kids under 4 so that's my excuse! YABU My house is always visitor ready YANBU My house is rarely visitor readyAnd if your house is a bit of a mess, do you care what people think?

Glad I'm not the only one.
I'd really appreciate tips on keeping on top of it too, as I feel like I never stop but barely scratch the surface.
I'm messy but I hate mess!

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

No

But I am unfortunately a mixture of both slovenly and houseproud, so it's annoying. I hate letting people in if my house isn't at least vaguely presentable, but have so many better/more interesting things to do with my life than clean, and I am constitutionally incapable of putting something away properly once used.

Mine isn’t always tidy and often needs a Hoover but it’s guest ready because my guests are coming to see me not a show home. If they want a show home they know not to come here.

Well that shows how backward your mindset is really. Lots of men care about their home being visitor ready. My dh would absolutely care about something like this.

Op, we do a quick 15 min tidy every single night of the living and dining areas. Kitchen is cleaned every night so the morning is just quick wipe and loading into the dishwasher. We have a guest toilet that no one really uses but it's cleaned weekly and I just do a quick spot check If anyone is coming over. No one goes into the bedrooms, but we are just in the habit of making beds and tidying the room while getting ready. So I would say it is visitor ready.

Well, it's always a mess. People are used to it. Or they gossip about me behind my back. Can't say I care either way.

Anyone who comes over will be pointed to a sofa, the kitchen table or the outside table for a gas, and offered hot drinks or some wine or whisky, and whatever crisps, biscuits or chocolate I can ferret out (although if they've brought their own they get extra guest points). That's hosting as far as I'm concerned, not the level of mess or amount of dust.
I expect the same if I go to someone's house too: no ceremony, and I don't care if it's a state. I've come to see a friend, not to make an inspection.

If a guest wants to come unannounced, it is the risk they do take.

No, I was brought up with my mum madly blitzing an already pristine home for guests, so there is no "good enough" standard. I need an hour before people come round, and then I'm still embarrassed. I can see it's a bit bonkers.

Yes, very much so.

But my motivation isn’t for it being “guest ready”

it’s for being a tidy, clean, highly organised and welcoming home for ME and MY CHILDREN!

Our house is hardly ever guest ready. I am messy and so is DH and DD so getting it clean and tidy is hard work for us. It happens sometimes but not as often as I'd like!

Declutter and reduce what's in your home then it makes it easier to clean. I rarely do a big clean but little and often keeps on top of it.

It would depend who the guest is and whether it was say just for a cuppa or to stay.

@HerTableLaid

what a ridiculous post.

i have a highly organised and clean and tidy home and I love doing extra things to make lovely for guests

but my ex husband - he would get up hours before we had guests to do full spring cleans, power wash the patio, clean windows etc

My best top tip would be that every single thing has a place. So no drawers filled with junk, no piles of stuff on top of cupboards, a toy storage basket in the most used rooms. You literally can whizz around and tidy up without getting bogged down shifting things around. I find a kitchen with lots of stuff on the countertops very untidy, like lots of utensil holders all over, mantelpiece with lots of pointless ornaments all just gathering dust, etc.

Mine is, but mostly because I am not houseproud and will welcome any guest in. My adult DC are home from university and the house has exploded with mess, but it is a relaxed and happy place to live in for them and their friends.

It's not guest-ready as I'm busy working or doing education or pointedly resting. No one pops by, but if they did they would find a clean house as I can't live in mess, it sets me on edge. So I am tidying and cleaning all day long but that's fine since I don't have to go to a job I don't mind.

Christ no. We work full time and a toddler and its kinda fascinating how quickly it can all fall to shit!

Mine is but I’m not a naturally tidy person so spend money on having a cleaner. Plus it’s a fairly big house with just two adults living in it so it’s easy enough to keep neat between cleans.

My house is almost never guest ready. And if guests show up, well... that whole "if you can't handle me at my worst" quote applies 😂

For my house to be guest ready I’d have to hoover and brush the floor every day and I don’t have the time for that however it is generally tidy and kitchen is generally clean unless it’s straight after a meal. I don’t actually care what someone thinks of my house if they turn up unexpectedly, if they’re someone who would judge me then i wouldn’t invite them in.
why are clothes strewn everywhere though? I’ve got two young children who go through outfits but I don’t leave the discarded clothes everywhere

Not by MN standards.

However I never feel embarrassed having people round. Well unless I've left dirty knickers on the bathroom floor or something.

Absolutely not, and I literally panic sweat when my children's friends ask if they can come to our house. I always say yes, because I want our house to be somewhere they can come back to, but I really worry that as my children get older they will be too embarrassed to bring them back.

I'd love to be tidier but I think I get 'clutter blindness' which is a phrase I learned on here that seems to fit well.

House is generally clean (ish) underneath, we have a cleaner every two weeks (otherwise I'd never keep on top of it but she can only do what she can in a short amount of time) and I can generally make sure the toilets don't have poo stains but that's about it.

There's always so much clutter, I'd love to know what other people do with their clutter. It just overwhelms me.

Hahaha nope! We have a family clean up once a week and do the house top to bottom, everyone does a cleaning task. We hoover several times a week and clear up a bit in between, but the mostly looks ‘lived in’ . I used to be guest-ready all the time but now work full time and life’s too short!

@rbe78 i think we might be long lost twins. Hate the mess, but also hate dealing with it.

And I have a 2 year old who no longer naps - I can tidy with him around (as long as he gets a go with the hoover too) but I can’t clean the bathroom with him because he’s been known to stick his finger in loo cleaner.

In short, no.

I’d like it to be tidy, we downsized and got rid of lots of things but there’s still not enough storage space yet. I try to keep the dining table and the lounge clear.

But I am unfortunately a mixture of both slovenly and houseproud, so it's annoying. I hate letting people in if my house isn't at least vaguely presentable, but have so many better/more interesting things to do with my life than clean, and I am constitutionally incapable of putting something away properly once used

This is totally me too!