Preparing the house for guests: What to clean a week before visitors and things to do if they arrive on short notice

If you've only got a few minutes before guests arrive, focus on clearing clutter.

When visitors are coming to your home, either to stay over or just spend an afternoon, there are a few things that need to get done.

And though the pressure to make things tidy often comes from ourselves rather than our guests' expectations, we still like to make the house look good.

Usually what you can get done before your visitors come is based on how much time and notice you have before their arrival.

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If you've got a week up your sleeve, like now with Christmas not far off, there are plenty of things you can tackle now to save stress later.

But if you only get short notice or have been so busy you've had to leave cleaning to the last minute, there are particular things you should focus your attention on.

To find out what we should be cleaning in our homes one week and 30 minutes before guests arrive, 9Honey Living spoke to MaidForYou director Delah Gomasi.

What things should we clean if we only have half an hour before visitors arrive?

If I only had 30 minutes, I'd focus my time attention on vacuuming the floors, tidying any clutter, taking out any rubbish, making sure beds were made, cushions were fluffed and the toilet paper looked neat. [I'd also do] a quick wipe down of benches and our bathroom countertops to make sure there was no toothpaste residue.

What should we clean if we have a week before guests arrive?

A week is a long time, if you're not cleaning at the last minute you'll have plenty of time to get your home spruced up before your guests arrive.

These are the areas I'd tackle:

• Shower screen needs to be spotless and free from mineral deposits and limescale build up.
• Beds need to be made properly, linen washed and changed.
• Towels should be folded and washed for our guests arrival.
• Any leftover or old food should be removed from our fridge (these cause kitchen odours).
• Mirrors, making sure they're spotless with no smudges or handprints.
• Sanitising light switches and door handles.
• Wiping down the skirting.
• Cleaning your cat's litter tray.
• Cleaning bench tops and removing clutter from around the kitchen.
• Making sure the home is free from general clutter and any rubbish.
• Vacuuming, mopping (making sure to thoroughly clean corners and crevices) and a thorough cleaning of toilets, shower stall and the bathtub (especially if your guests will be using them).

If guests are staying over what things should we consider cleaning?

If guests are staying the night, it's always good to thoroughly clean your bathroom and shower stall and make sure they have clean linen and towels. Be sure to clean underneath any beds that they will be sleeping on and inside any bedroom closets – you don't want your guests to get a surprise, especially if you're using your closets as a means of storing clutter that you didn't want your overnight guests to see.

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What are the things guests tend to notice about other people's houses?

When I've stayed at Airbnbs as a professional cleaner, I always notice how dirty the shower screen is. I can tell when I walk into a room how dusty it is, usually from the amount of sneezing I'll do as soon as I walk in.

One thing I always notice is corners of the floor, because they're difficult to mop and vacuum they're generally always really dirty. Floor rugs can be filthy because they're usually not moved to clean underneath, even though you can vacuum them that doesn't get rid of the dust and dirt that is found underneath them, this is especially true for heavy floor rugs.

READ MORE:Expert's tips for getting the most out of your vaccum

When guests leave, what things should we be cleaning first?

Like things that we considered when our guests were arriving, the first thing we'll clean is their used linen, towels, the bathroom and shower stall.

Any areas that they're using as a means of cleaning themselves or for personal hygiene we'll clean immediately. Especially bathroom rubbish bins, our shower stalls, our bathroom countertop and in and around the toilet.