Thanks to The CLEAN-X® Family for sponsoring this post.
I’m not what you would call a “suzy homemaker”. With three kids, including a newly turned toddler, living in a small home plus my time taken up by this blog, my three other part-time jobs and my various other commitments in addition to parenting, most of the time my home cleaning task list ends up low priority on the to-do list. It’s not that I don’t want a clean home, but more so that I’m trying to squeeze all that I do into the limited hours I have each day.
Being that it’s the New Year I thought about resolutions and goals and decided to set a few simple ones: to spend more time with my family, to make my physical & mental well-being more important, and to keep my home company ready. And by company ready I don’t mean that it’s going to be spotless because I’ve accepted that’s not realistic. Instead, I want to be able to invite a friend over when they are having a hard day, to be able to host more family events, and to be able to be the mom that says, “yes, have your friends over” whenever my kids ask (and not just after we’ve spent hours cleaning!) I want to be that home that is always open and welcoming when our friends and family need a place to go instead of vowing to have people over “when the house is cleaner and looks nicer”.
I know I’m not alone in feeling this way. I recently read an article in praise of scruffy hospitality and not waiting until our homes and furnishings were looking Pinterest-perfect to have guests over and it really resonated with me. So that’s something I’m focusing on in 2020. Here’s how I plan to attain a company ready home so I can welcome people into my home without reservation or embarrassment:
Do a quick cleanup before bed & use Invisible Shield® Products by CLEAN-X for a wipe down of the hard surfaces (Read the Clean-X Story)
Waking up to a mess is the worst! We live in a small home and my daughter doesn’t have her own bedroom so all the toys are in the living room. We’ve been making it a point to pick up all the toys before bed so I can have a few minutes of toy free bliss before she inevitably pulls all the toys out again. We also try to do a quick bathroom and kitchen pickup daily. We can’t seem to keep up with the dishes (how many families with multiple kids can?) but a few dishes in the sink is a lot better than an overflowing sink-full of dishes.
Use cleaners that protect surfaces, making them easier to clean in the future
Last year I wrote a post about Invisible Shield®, a cleaning line I’d just been introduced to and started using (see the post here). I was so impressed with this line because, not only did the products work amazingly well, but they minimize cleaning time in half… (yes!) by protecting against re-soiling and stains without the use of harsh chemicals and with its unique “Shielding” benefit. It’s “2 in 1” technology products both clean & shield surfaces in 1 step! Surfaces stay cleaner longer which means less time cleaning for me! My favorites in the line were the Invisible Shield® Water Spot & Stain Remover and the Invisible Shield® Protective Glass & Surface Coating that let me tackle one of the most difficult and time consuming areas to clean- the bathroom- with ease. They specifically help with the shower, removing stains and protecting the build up from coming back. Just look at the difference in the post above… it only took minutes to clean! When you go back to clean the next time, you’ll notice far less soiling and spotting and once protected, a simple wipe with a damp cloth is all I need (I’m all about saving time when it comes to cleaning the grossest room in the house!)
Invisible Shield® had new products come out recently that I was excited to try. The new products in their line are:
- Invisible Shield® Toilet Spray Cleaner & Protectant-
- Clean & protect toilets, urinals & bidets
- Maintains an “invisible shield” against the buildup of hard water minerals, fecal matter, urine and stains without dulling the surface
- Prevents the growth of odor causing bacteria, mold & mildew stains with the power of hydrogen peroxide
- Automatically renews the invisible water, soil & stain repellent barrier coating for easier cleaning… with just a simple flush or occasional brushing
- Invisible Shield® Refrigerator Cleaner & Protectant-
- Keeps refrigerators sparkling clean and smelling fresh inside and out
- Cleans with the oxidizing power of hydrogen peroxide
- Maintains a protective barrier with each cleaning to prevent odor causing bacteria, mold and mildew stains
- Invisible Shield® Cooktop Cleaner and Protectant-
- New- dual-action cream cleanser formula removes stuck-on food spills without scratching cooktop surfaces
- Deep cleans glass ceramic and metal cooktop ranges & protects with a water, soil & stain repellent coating
I was really looking forward to trying the kitchen products. I already love using their Marble & Granite Cleaner and Protector because it makes my kitchen counters shine so I knew their refrigerator and cooktop cleaners would work to clean and protect my appliances just as well. A while ago my oldest and I spent a good couple hours scrubbing down every nook and cranny of our fridge and I wish I would have had this Invisible Shield® Refrigerator Cleaner & Protectant then because I think the process would have went a lot quicker! I used it now though- and wow! Just a couple wipes and the sticky juice spots are gone. Plus, just a little of the cleaner makes my fridge smell fresher when we open it hours later.
Invisible Shield Products are Patented user-friendly surface care-green compliant and free of harsh chemicals! The CLEAN-X family is offering one winner up to a $75 value in Invisible Shield Products for 1 full year! Enter below.
To purchase product click here and receive 10% off your order – Use Promo Code: MTFM 10% off entire order -Active from today until Feb 29. The CLEAN-X Invisible Shield cleaning products are also available on Amazon!
Have a home for everything (and -this is important- make sure everyone knows where it is)
So many times a new item has come into our house and I have made a home for it but neglected to tell my family members exactly where that home was. You can probably guess what happened….that item got used and then was left on a counter, on the table, on a book shelf, or whatever flat surface that was nearby. Now do my husband and kids always put things away after they use them? Of course not! BUT they surely aren’t going to put something away if they have no clue where it goes! I find once I show them they are a bit more likely to put it back in the future and it’s one less thing cluttering up the counters.
Make a list of what’s really important to clean and do those essential things first
Sometimes I have this idea in my head about what a clean house should look like and, if I know people are going to be coming over, I want everything deep cleaned but it’s unlikely that anyone that comes into my home (or your home) is going to be looking at our baseboards or opening up our kitchen cabinets to see if they are organized. I am really trying to focus most of my attention -and time- on the three places people spend the most time in- our living room, our kitchen, and the main bathroom.
How do you keep your home company ready? Chat with me on social and help me make this 2020 resolution of maintaining a company ready house a reality! Also, make sure to enter the giveaway below to win a year of Invisible Shield cleaning products (a $75 value!)
