Having a Super Bowl Party? It doesn’t matter who you root for, the ads and the half-time show make Super Bowl parties fun!  And the great thing is they are typically casual – just grill up some burgers, make a chilli crock pot, or build your own pizza!  A few chips and dips, and jolly it up with a selection of beers that reflect the names, the mascots, or the hometowns of the competing teams and you’re all set!

If you haven’t already got your invites out – SomeEcards has some great SuperBowl-centric invitations, Evite, or Paperless Post will send personalized invites. Decorations are optional, but most party stores will have banners and such, or you could just go with paper plates and napkins in team colors.

I’m gonna share ten simple tips to help you do a quick, effective cleanup so your home is ready to receive guests and then you’ll be all set!

Avoid Perfection at All Costs – getting most of it done in a quick fashion does not allow you to get into detailed cleaning.

Understand why you are doing the quick cleaning – cleaning for a special event allows you to focus in the rooms that are going to be utilized instead of the whole home

When cleaning and de-cluttering, I suggest moving left to right around the house.  Stand at your front door and continue to organize and clean.  Remember everything behind you is now considered a clean, clutter-free zone and everything ahead of you requires attention.  Using this method always you to measure what you’ve done and what’s left to do.  If you don’t need to clean a particular room, close the door and move on.

Use a timer, set for 15 to 20 minute increments.

Keep a calendar or notepad next to you, that way you can write down TO DO’s ideas and reminders that come to you and you don’t have to stop and go to another room to write down a note, (which creates distractions).

Select some music that will make you move quickly.  Slow classical music creates slow movements when dusting or doing dishes.  When you are “up” and dancing and smiling – you’ll automatically move faster!

Before you start cleaning, decide what your system is for the quick clean up. Create four or five tasks  that you will do in room. Remember, cleaning means different things to different people.

Example Sytem #1

• Dusting

• Trash out

• Vaccum

• Pick up everything on the floor

• De-clutter the surface of the main piece of furniture

Example System#2

• Dusting

• Water plants

• Push in all of the chairs

• Open all the shades

• Move all items that don’t belong in the room to it’s proper location in the home

Start with the most important room or the most difficult room and set the number of minutes you will spend cleaning it. Prioritizing your rooms ensures you get the most meaningful rooms done first – so if you run out of time, you’ll still be okay.

Keep a basket with you as you clean.  When you find items that don’t belong in the room you are cleaning, toss them in the basket and keep cleaning.  We lose time when we walk each individual item back to its proper location.

Understand whether you are more likely to clean in the mornings, afternoons or evenings. Stick with what works.  I know I’m a morning person, so I power through my cleaning first thing to make sure it’s done and I can get on with the day.  Others are late night people and the cleaning can be a relaxing way to wind down the day.

Quick cleaning really can help you on a regular basis too. The longer you spend doing chores you don’t like, the more you’ll dread doing them, breaking the cleaning into bite sized chunks spread over the week, can make the home seem more manageable.