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How to Fake a Clean House

How to Fake a Clean House

When you’re short on time, here's how to give your living spaces the illusion of cleanliness.

The Living Room:

  • Reserve one side of sofa cushions to be shown to guests. Before company arrives, flip over the cushions to reveal good-as-new fabric. When guests are gone, flip them back.
  • Rid the sofa of pet hair by wetting the fingertips of rubber gloves and gliding your hand over the sofa. The hair will stick to the rubber.
  • Stack books, catalogs, and magazines in neat piles on the floor or arrange them in a deep decorative basket.
  • To disguise windows in need of washing, pull curtain panels closed.
  • Fold a clean blanket neatly and drape it over a stained sofa. Strategically placed throw pillows can also camouflage soiled upholstery.

The Kitchen:

  • When the dishwasher is full and the sink is overflowing, stow dirty dishes and silverware in a stockpot and pull them out later to be cleaned.
  • Cover up the lingering aroma of last night’s supper by boiling nutmeg, cloves, or cinnamon and orange peels in a sauce-pan on the stove.
  • Declutter the refrigerator by taking down notes, drawings, and magnets and throwing them in a plastic bag. Sort through it later.
  • Fold hand towels to hide stains. Two tips: Hang the clean side over the oven handle (with the stains in the back), or roll towels in neat spirals and stack them pyramid-style next to the sink.

The Bathroom:

  • Glide a sticky lint roller over the bath mat to pick up hair.
  • Light a candle. Everything looks better (and cleaner) by candlelight.
  • Hang a fluffy bathrobe on top of damp towels dangling from the hooks on the back of the door.
  • Store a rattan or canvas basket on top of the toilet and throw in stray cosmetic brushes.
  • Hang fresh guest towels. The humidity in this room makes textiles look droopy, even after a recent machine washing.
  • Mound cosmetics and hairstyling products in a container underneath the sink. In a pinch, pile them in the tub and close the shower curtain. Cross your fingers that guests don’t snoop.

Source: Real Simple

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