Is your house always visitor-ready?

[Mandy21]

Question prompted by an impromptu visit from friends at the weekend and the house looked like a bomb had hit it and I was ashamed. I hadn't washed up after lunch, the children had started playing the the playroom then gone to play outside and there was a pile of washing in the hall ready to take upstairs to put away. The lounge was pretty tidy but even so, they saw all the mess in the rest of the house.

We had 3 DC of 6 and under, we have a traditional semi - lounge (which we do try to keep clutter / toy free), the back room / dining room which we have as a play room, and a kitchen.

Just interested to know how everyone else keeps their houses tidy - I must admit that we really need to organise / de-clutter in the play room but end up "saving" all the toys the oldest child had so that the younger ones can play with them and with the youngest not being 2 yet, we effectively have kept everything!

Any helpful tips gratefully received!

Umm, not really!

Downstairs is acceptable. Upstairs just been done. Would be fine if i could say 'Could we all go and sit in the bathroom or a bedroom -it's sparkling clean in there'.

Am I the only one with the 'just burgled' look?

No, and definitely not for the MIL - lucky she lives 100miles away

Yes it is. I can't relax if it isn't.

If I'm expecting someone, I'll have a quick extra sweep in case of dog hair, but otherwise it's always tidy and clean.

Thanks everyone - makes me feel so much better!

Another definitely not, although people have to take us as they find us.

I know a few people with immaculate houses and they tend to feel really unwelcoming; I get twitchy and feel like I'm intruding on a museum.

I do wipe the bathroom sink daily and the loo every couple of days so that's always okay for visitors, but again we invite people to give us an excuse to tidy.

'just burgled' is a look which describes most of our rooms well. We even have a room called 'the junk room' which is filling up. DH has suggested we rename it the 'organised storage room' to avoid the self-fulfilling expecations from its former name.

Mine looks just burgled at the moment.

Ha haaaaa!

Never.

It would be quite literally impossible.

I often ask dh to take a day off work before my dmum or pil due for the weekend because we need to do at least a day's worth cleaning/tidying.

no, as someone pulls on drive or door bell goes i move what i can from front room at speed, then i say im popping to put kettle on and load dishwasher up and push crumbs on floor with any teatowel i can find then while kettle boiling nip to back bog and scrub off any skid marks. Generally i do try to keep kitchen hygenic though.

housemom is your mom german?
My house is "ready for visitors in 15 min" and reasonably clean. My parents house is full of clutter and not very clean but my mother always has something to nag about how I deal with things :)
I think she is just jealous :o

mousymouse no, just mad Favourite hobbies are the subtle (or even blatant) put-down, criticising people (she never yet has had neighbours she likes) and cutting out articles from the Daily Express along the lines of "having fun is bad for your health" to give to me.

It's not always pristine, but I don't like to leave piles of washing around the place. I do vacuum every day and leave the house tidy before I go on the school run, just in case someone comes back for coffee. I have a friend who likes to just randomly pop in on some afternoons.

I don't mind temporary toy mess, and wouldn't tidy that up on the chance that anyone could knock on the door, but I don't keep piles of clothes on the floor, or leave washing up not done.

So yes - am generally visitor ready.

Mostly, unless I have Work In Progress. I am having a new bookcase delivered today and there have been piles of books around the place for two months now, since I have been having a huge rearrange and sort out of books. Hopefully the new bookcase will enable me to tidy up and rearrange sufficiently that I can keep everything in order.

As others have said, having sufficient storage is key to having a tidy home, and having a tidy home is key to having a clean home.

mine is - my visitors don't mind the mess

Those of you who have a 'visitor ready' bathroom - do you clean after each of your family have used it? E.g. hover outside with cleaning stuff waiting for them to finish?

hocuspontas - they are supposed to leave the bathroom and loo in the state in which they found it...

Mine is, I wish I had more people just popping in

Ha Ha Ha Ha

I clean my house twice a year whether it needs it or not!

I always find that when my house is spotless nobody comes to visit, but when it looks like a tornado has gone through it there is always an unexpected knock at the door!

aarggh !!

My house is always visitor ready if the visitor happens to be the cleaner.

I take the tack that they've come to visit us, not do a spot inspection. I'd never DREAM of putting my judgey judge britches on about someones lived in space.

I'm happy to host a pop in visitor, but they won't be ever received in a show home.

Aha. Ahaaaaa. Ahahahahahaaaa...

That'll be a 'no', then.

hocus - no I don't hover waiting to clean after people have been in the bathroom. But then I expect people not to leave poo on the toilet, or water on the floor. I clean round morning and evening, when I am brushing my teeth and then do a big clean once a week or so. I find that wiping round to remove toothpaste residue makes a big difference.