Estate and mortgage

Last-Minute Cleaning Shortcuts

You"re sitting at home on a Saturday afternoon, reveling in a few uninterrupted moments of relative peace and quiet. Then the phone rings, and unfortunately, you don"t have caller ID. Much to your surprise and, admittedly, chagrin, your in-laws announce that they just happen to be in the neighborhood and thought they"d stop by for a while. Your mid-afternoon break comes to a screeching halt. Then it hits you that your home is a mess. We"re not just talking about a few things astray, but a bona fide disaster area. Shrugging it off and resigning yourself to a messy home is not an option when you"re dealing with these finicky in-laws. The hardest part is figuring out what"s most important, what can be overlooked, and how to preserve your sanity while you"re scrambling to prepare for their arrival. First, consider that you"re going to be spending time in the living room, kitchen or both. Concentrate on these two rooms, and shut the doors to the bedrooms -- particularly if they"re unkempt. Start by dragging out the vacuum. Have you ever noticed how much nicer home looks with vacuumed floors? If you"ve got carpet freshener, sprinkle it liberally throughout your home. The scent will distract your in-laws from the rest of your mess. Get out your furniture polish and your dusting rag, and give your furniture a quick once-over. Then, head into your kitchen. Your countertops are probably exhibiting evidence of last night"s dinner and this morning"s breakfast. Get out your dishwashing liquid, apply some to a kitchen towel, dampen the towel and run it over your countertops. Then be sure to rinse your countertops to avoid detergent from getting on your food. (This is just a guess, but the in-laws probably wouldn"t appreciate crudites that taste like Palmolive.) Depending upon how much time you have, you may want to give those vinyl kitchen floors a fast cleaning to freshen them up -- and to freshen up the scent in the most popular room in your house. You don"t have to get out the heavy-duty cleaner and the sponge mop; that"s too time-intensive and laborious for this occasion. Instead, grab a mop, fill the sink with some mild detergent diluted with water, and give your floors the fastest cleaning in the West. You"ll be surprised at how effective this shortcut method is at freshening up your kitchen. It doesn"t take much elbow grease to remove dirt and light scuff marks. If those scuff marks are particularly stubborn, use a pencil eraser to remove them -- that should do the trick. Your powdered automatic dishwashing detergent is a very versatile product; you can use it to clean your stove as well as your floors, walls, refrigerator and even your glass surfaces. Fill your sink or a pail with approximately one gallon of hot water, and pour in one-quarter cup of powdered detergent. Let it dissolve. You"ve got an inexpensive and very effective cleaning solution. You may, however, want to test it on each surface before you begin. After you"re finished cleaning each surface, simply wipe it dry with a soft cloth. You"re going to be using glasses and silverware, but they"re spotted and in need of a fast touch-up. For your stainless steel, dampen a soft cloth with white vinegar (one of the cheapest, most versatile cleaning solutions around), and wipe them clean. Then run a dry cloth over them to prevent spotting. Follow this shortcut for cleaning your glassware. Hold the glasses upside down by the base, and dip them under a sinkful of hot sudsy water, plunging the glasses up and down quickly. Then run them immediately under hot clear water. Make sure that water is hot; running them under cold water will subject them to a sudden temperature change which could cause them to crack. Once the suds are removed, turn the glasses upside down on a dry towel on your countertop to dry. If you"re starting a cycle in your dishwasher in preparation for your guests" arrival, run one cup of white vinegar through the cycle to remove that soapy film from your dishes. If you have casserole dishes sitting around with stuck-on residue from last night"s feast, fill them with a mixture of baking soda (two to three tablespoons) and hot water, and let them sit for 20 to 30 minutes before cleaning. Your job will be much easier. To cut that heavy household cleaner scent from your kitchen, place a bowlful of lemons on your kitchen table. For your refrigerator, you"ve probably heard the tried-and-true trick of placing a box of baking soda inside to cut odors, but here"s another tip: If you"ve got vanilla extract in your pantry, pour a small amount onto a paper towel or cotton ball, and place it inside your refrigerator. By now, your in-laws are tapping at the front door. As you make your final lap to the front door to greet them, you realize that you neglected to spruce yourself up before their arrival. But your house looks and smells much better than it did just a short while ago. Besides, you can nonchalantly apologize for your appearance, then explain that you were in the middle of your usual Saturday afternoon routine: scrubbing your home to a state of perfection. That little white lie should silence any comments about your disheveled state ... provided you keep those bedroom doors locked.

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