How long would it take you, on average, to get your home company ready?

[Erica in PA]

How long would it take you to get your home clean and ready to have dinner guests over for the evening? Let's say that means getting every room in your home except your own bedroom clean and neat-- including kids' bedrooms. I'm asking because yesterday it took me *far* too long, imo, to get our place ready for our company... and I'm wondering if others have that trouble too, or I'm the only one who has to scramble in those situations.

[Ria]

About an hour, but I'd make the kids do their own bedrooms.

 

Ria

[The Governess]

It depends. On a good day, no time at all. On a bad day, an hour or two. Most days I could be ready with 30 minutes notice as long as I was already showered and dressed. :D

[4kiddies]

If my husband could keep his eyes on the kids and I and everyone else was already showered/dressed then probably a half hour.

[CookieMonster]

How long would it take you to get your home clean and ready to have dinner guests over for the evening? Let's say that means getting every room in your home except your own bedroom clean and neat-- including kids' bedrooms.

 

I start getting ready for company five days in advance. :001_huh:

 

But, I also have two children under five. ;)

 

I am sincerely hoping that once my youngest (soon to be among us) is three or so, I could conceiveably get the house ready the day of special events. :w00t:

 

But, perhaps I am delusional and I'm just a really bad housekeeper. :confused:

[Danestress]

is a question of how clean you think a house has to be in order to have company over?

 

If I have to have my house look really awesome, then it takes me the better part of a day to clean this 3600 sq foot house. If I relax and decide that I am not really trying to impress anyone with my great housewifery, I can make things look reasonably nice in an hour.

[Plucky]

ITA! We downsized by half and now have a 2000 sqft home. Doing Motivated Moms daily and easily, my house looks good - not perfect or spotless but nice. I've decided that if it's good enough for us daily then it's good enough for people dropping by. We are having more people over, too. People come see us not our house. It's a good feeling.

[LaxMom]

I start getting ready for company five days in advance. :001_huh:

 

But, I also have two children under five. ;)

 

I am sincerely hoping that once my youngest (soon to be among us) is three or so, I could conceiveably get the house ready the day of special events. :w00t:

 

But, perhaps I am delusional and I'm just a really bad housekeeper. :confused:

 

:iagree: Uh-huh. And then I'm also going to need to know the following:

Who is coming? Is it my mother who once got on my case for not having cleaned up the dog vomit that hit the floor at the same time she hit the driveway, before she came in? :willy_nilly: Or is it friends with kids, who don't really care what the house looks like, and who (the kids) will probably help re-trash it anyway?

 

Also, is anyone going to want to eat with utensils or pee? That may take extra time. Is this variety of company the sort that will feel weird about sitting on the couch with the pile of laundry? Will they appreciate the books being everywhere, so they can leaf through at their leisure?

 

I think I need more information.

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

I voted most of the day, but I'm pretty particular about what my house looks like when I have company. That, and 3 little boys aren't exactly *helpful.*

 

If someone is just stopping by for a short visit, I like about a 1/2 hour notice.

[JudoMom]

It takes me about an hour or so. My house is normally picked up and straightened, so to get company ready I need to run the vaccum, mop the kitchen, dust, and clean the bathrooms.

[Murphy101]

BUT the biggest factor is that I have daily chores and regular pick-up built into our day, so it rarely gets to be a huge mess to begin with.

 

It's not unusual for me to have company over at the drop of a hat, sometimes a LOT of company.

 

The irony is the company I keep. (and I really think this is true of most folks) Well they're a pretty nice bunch of folks who probably wouldn't notice the mess anyways. Too busy getting coffee and chocolate to care about kid's beds being made or whether the floor has vacuum marks in it.;)

[Carrie12345]

I don't think we could ever meet my definition of "company ready".

 

Less than 1400sq', 4 kids, 2 dogs, 2 cats, broken dishwasher, a very open floorplan, and I absolutely hate housework.

 

When we do have company, I focus on the living room, dining room, kitchen, and main bath. As long as the floor is relatively cleared of toys, things are dusted, vacuumed, wiped down, and the couch is clean, I don't worry too much. I assume people come to visit with me, not to judge my clutter!

[Tap]

I voted 1-2 hours but just because that is typical for when we do have company.

 

I clean house every Sunday, the kids clean their rooms. If it was Monday night....the house would be ready in 15 minutes. The further into the week...the longer it would take.

 

We usually have company on Friday/Saturday, unfortunately those are the worst days for clean up. It takes 1-2 hours to clean, but that is with the kids doing their own rooms, and respective chores.

[LaxMom]

Also, can we discuss how this can't actually occur? (Emphasis mine, obviously)

Serious cleaning and decluttering is needed, 3-4 hours

 

Serious cleaning and decluttering may make the house presentable in 3-4 days, but hours? That's not serious.

[Parrothead]

Depending on the state of the house at the moment of notice, and type of company I could have it ready anywhere from immediately to an hour. A friend dropping by gets the living room floor picked up, and a quick search for any unknown "Heidi On No!" An acquaintance coming will get the floors vacuumed, the dishes shoved into the dishwasher or oven to hide them and the Heidi search.

 

If it is someone important enough and I can put them off long enough I"ll do a more through cleaning and the the hard floors cleaned.

[GailV]

It depends on the company.

 

Aunt Donna could stop by this instant and be comfortable with the house as is -- we could light a fire in the fireplace and cook hotdogs over it, or else order pizza. Aunt Linda requires several days of frenzied cleaning and possible redecorating, followed by a gourmet meal. And for MIL to come over I'd need to ... I dunno, maybe get a divorce, change my name, and move out of the country.

[LaxMom]

quick search for any unknown "Heidi On No!"

 

I don't know what that is... should I be concerned? Could Heidi be lurking under my couch?!?! :001_huh:

[Danestress]

My MIL is in my house all the time and I don't feel like I have to clean for her - she's very accepting and comfortable and just makes herself at home. My mother comes and "worries" about me because my houseplants need watering and maybe my life is just all too much for me, lol. It's not like she is mean or openly critical, but I have to really *clean* for my mother or else she gets so concerned that I'm just too tire:tongue_smilie:

[Pamela H in Texas]

dinner guest ready would probably be about 30 minutes. overnight guest ready would be 2-3 hours.

 

However, we have drop in guests all the time, apologize for how the house is, and get weird looks because most would consider us guest-ready most days after 9am.

 

We have guests coming at 3:30. We got back from the congregation meeting at 3. It's 3:24 and I've made lunch and we've cleaned up. I wish the laundry was finished but I can't have everything :)

 

I voted "less than an hour." I really want to CLEAN the bathrooms, dump laundry baskets in laundry room, change out trash bags, check toilet paper rolls, run a quick vacuum, run over counters one more time, make coffee/tea, etc.

Edited January 18, 2009 by 2J5M9K

[Happy]

It takes me most of a day to both tidy and cook for company. Cooking does take time...and makes a mess...so maybe I'd do better if we ordered take out.

 

We are clutter bugs. Piles of books, mail, school stuff, shoes, assorted dishware, and garden supplies make nests near where ever I plop myself. It takes a while to sort the 'herd' and return every thing to it's rightful corral.

 

After that, I clean the kitchen counters, floors, and tables. Then the bathrooms. We close (and lock if necessary!) any doors we don't want opened.

 

I applaud those of you who pick up and tidy up daily. My life and home would be much cleaner and prettier if I did the same. There are just so many other really cool, fun things to do, though......

[Veritaserum]

The main living rooms are generally within 15 minutes to clean. Other areas of the house would take longer (1 hour).

[joannqn]

I voted 15 minutes, not because my home would be clean but because I don't invite the type of people who would care to my home.

[TraceyS/FL]

Serious cleaning and decluttering may make the house presentable in 3-4 days, but hours? That's not serious.

 

I agree - 3-4 hours would not net me the listed rooms "company ready" at all.

 

Clutter is me at hte moment.

[dragons in the flower bed]

I'm also going to need to know the following:

Who is coming?

 

Yes, this is me too. Some people can just come in. Others have to give me a week's warning (ahem, Dad, cough).

[Plaid Dad]

Our apartment is small enough that we have to keep it reasonably clean and tidy or it's unlivable for us. The single biggest task would be getting dd's room presentable; I can clean the whole rest of the house in the time it takes her to pick up her room. :glare:

[Julie in Austin]

:iagree: \Also, is anyone going to want to eat with utensils or pee? That may take extra time.

 

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

[Mom2boys]

And for MIL to come over I'd need to ... I dunno, maybe get a divorce, change my name, and move out of the country.

 

:smilielol5:I know just how you feel.

[Katrina]

I put 3-4 hours, but only because you included the kids rooms. Even then it wont be perfect, but I might be able to help them pick it up enough to run a vacuum though there. If it were just the main rooms of the house, I'd probably say 1-2 hours.

[jamnkats]

I voted no time at all, but our kitchen, diningroom and livingroom are all outside and our roof is made of grass. So our standards are probably much lower than yours.

 

If friends can't deal with the state of our home then they probably learn not to come by. It isn't a disaster or terrible mess, but I'm no Suzy Homemaker. I figure people come to visit ME not my house. :)

[linders]

I voted 1 hour, but that assumes the company is confined to the living/dining/kitchen/hall bath areas. If this was an overnight, use the whole house thing....5 hours. With help.

[siloam]

How long would it take you to get your home clean and ready to have dinner guests over for the evening? Let's say that means getting every room in your home except your own bedroom clean and neat-- including kids' bedrooms. I'm asking because yesterday it took me *far* too long, imo, to get our place ready for our company... and I'm wondering if others have that trouble too, or I'm the only one who has to scramble in those situations.

 

If dh were home it would take a few hours. He keeps us all on track. If it were just me, miss detail and get side tracked it would take a couple of days. But at the end of that time the house would have been deep cleaned and spotless. :D

 

 

Heather

[Garga]

Depends on who is coming and whether or not I hide all the clutter in a laundry basket in the bedroom :)

 

Also, depends on whether or not everyone else is out of the house, so I can run around like a madwoman, or will I be interrupted by the family every 4 seconds.

 

If I'm alone in the house, I can clean in about 1/3 of the time it takes me when everyone is home.

[Crissy]

I'd love 15 or 20 minutes notice. Then I could do a quick check of the bathrooms, wipe down all the counter tops in the house and make sure I'd put on some makeup.

I like a clean house for myself, so it is usually in a decent state when we're expecting guests.

[Macrina]

I have three young ones, but I could manage it within an hour. I would assume dh would be home to either tend the young ones that are more of a hindrance then a help or to help tidy.

 

We actually had this happen over the holidays when an extended family gathering got moved from my mothers house into our house with 2 hours notice. We got it all done and were sitting down and sipping coffee well before they arrived.

 

I give all credit to Flylady- oh and to my born organized mother who taught me well and gave me all the born organized genes!! :thumbup1:

[dm379]

Mine fluctuates. People stop by at all hours of the day and night here so it can never be *too* bad. But some days are better than others. We don't have a dishwasher which makes it hard to keep it nice all the time. I try to keep it mostly company ready all the time.

[ChristusG]

Funny....I was reading this thread and the phone rang. DH's aunt and uncle were about 15 minutes away and wanted to drop by. I went into overdrive mode LOL! Thankfully, earlier today I had washed the dishes (there was a pretty big pile), put away the Christmas stuff into the attic, had the kids put all the toys into the playroom, and tidied up the kitchen counters (they seem to be a catch-all on the weekends). So when the phone rang I quickly ran the vacuum in the living room and hall to clean up some bits of trash that had fallen out of the Christmas boxes....I wiped down the kitchen counters with a Lysol wipe, cleared some trash off my computer desk, and I wiped down the bathroom counter. I made it with a few minutes to spare!

 

I just thought it was funny that it happened while I was reading this thread! On a good week, I could be ready for company to drop by within about 30 minutes. I would just put some toys away, run the vacuum across the living room and wipe down the kitchen counters.

[dragons in the flower bed]

I can clean the whole rest of the house in the time it takes her to pick up her room.

 

I can paint the whole rest of the house in the time it takes mine.

[RoughCollie]

I said less than an hour because if we've just eaten, the kitchen might not be cleaned up. Otherwise, 15 minutes.

[beansprouts]

For dinner guests it would generally take less than an hour to tidy up the main rooms and the bathroom, but I would SHUT THE KID's DOORS. If you want to see those also, I need 3-4 hours at least...

[JenniferB]

I put 5+ hours. Every Friday we have a home fellowship group at our house and it takes me most of the day to get the house ready. But, I'm also doing lots of other things inbetween. I also like to do my extras on Friday so I will vacuum, spot clean anything and everything, polish hard wood floors, just basically everything. I also go at a slow and steady pace all day inbetween taking care of the kid's needs. I don't feel like it's too long.

[elise1mds]

I put 15 minutes mostly because if they're giving me that little notice, they probably know me well enough to know how I really live anyway. If it was someone I didn't know, it'd probably take me half an hour to make sure the little things were done. I keep the place pretty shipshape.

[StaceyinLA]

it might be closer to half an hour. I'm somewhere between the first two. I am rarely NOT company-ready but that's not really intentional. We just don't like clutter and mess so our house is generally that way.

[mom2abcd]

Also, can we discuss how this can't actually occur? (Emphasis mine, obviously)

 

 

Serious cleaning and decluttering may make the house presentable in 3-4 days, but hours? That's not serious.

 

That's what I was thinking.

 

Though it does seem to me that there is something strange going on in my house that it just can't stay clean... Maybe some people have little housekeeping fairies that clean for them at night.

[Michelle My Bell]

I have turned over a new leaf and things have been really clean around here lately. I just make sure everyone picks up several times a day. I hate the way we would spend hours a day cleaning. Now fifteen minutes and were done.

 

Michelle

[FlockOfSillies]

Depends on who is coming and whether or not I hide all the clutter in a laundry basket in the bedroom :)

 

You only need one basket?! :001_huh: And it doesn't already have laundry in it?

[Unicorn.]

Also, can we discuss how this can't actually occur? (Emphasis mine, obviously)

 

 

Serious cleaning and decluttering may make the house presentable in 3-4 days, but hours? That's not serious.

 

:iagree: Put me in this camp too! Sometimes, it's 3-4 days per Room!

[mktkcb]

Truthfully, if bedrooms weren't included, a day. Include kids bedrooms, a week. They just get sooo bad, and frankly I just don't look there much (the head in the sand approach). I'll readily admit that I'm a much better teacher than housekeeper. Oh well, I work on it, and I'm improving gradually.

Kayleen

[angela in ohio]

A year ago, I would have said a day. Now that we have people in the house 1-3 times per week, though, it is pretty much ready all the time. I said a little time but less than 1 hour, because we would need to pick up whatever we were working on.

[Laura Corin]

I said 1 to 2 hours, but I think that's wrong actually - I was thinking about the current moving chaos.

 

The sitting room is always fine for people to come in: there might be toys and books lying around, but I don't see that as being a problem. In normal times (when I haven't just moved house) I can be sure that the bathrooms and kitchen have been cleaned, and the whole house dusted and vacuumed within the last week. That seems fine to me. I tidy my own bedroom as I get up in the morning, and I don't worry about the boys' rooms.

 

So, I'm happy to invite people in any time, but with fifteen minutes to spare, we'd get the toys and books out of the sitting room.

 

Laura

[bumbledeb]

.

 

The sitting room is always fine for people to come in: there might be toys and books lying around, but I don't see that as being a problem. In normal times, [...] I can be sure that the bathrooms and kitchen have been cleaned, and the whole house dusted and vacuumed within the last week. That seems fine to me.

 

 

:iagree:

 

I had someone come by unexpectedly the other week who almost immediately commented on how nice it was to see a 'normal' home with stuff lying around. I was happy enough with the state of the place but if I'd known someone was coming I'd have given the bathrooms an extra clean.