You get a phone call that a friend is coming over for dinner or there’s going to be a surprise visit from the landlord.

You look around and you see your house is a mess and you don’t know where to start.

We all know that feeling, let’s face it we’ve all been there.

Here are our quick tips to help you turn your house around just in time for your visitors to knock on the door.

You’ll have that fresh, clean look in no time.

1. Don’t panic – You can do this, stay calm.

2. Turn on some music – Trust us it will help the time you spend cleaning fly by and will help you stay focused.

3. Collect everything you need.

  • Mop
  • Microfibre cloths
  • Vacuum
  • Rubbish bags
  • Paper towel
  • Sponges
Use what you already have in the house. Don’t waste time running to the shops to collect equipment, a multipurpose cleaner can work fine for this once off occasion.

4. Clear the rubbish – Go from room to room and collect anything that needs to be thrown out. Fill up one garbage bag and start on another.

5. Put it away - While you are in each room put away stuff that is on the floors or out of place.

6. Now the dishes – Gather the dishes from around your house, your kids probably have left some cups in their room. Chuck everything you can in the dishwasher and get it running. If you don’t have a dishwasher spend 10 minutes cleaning the dishes and let them drip dry, or leave them until you can come back and dry them.

7. Clean the flat surfaces – Put everything away that is on the kitchen table and counter tops and give them a good spray and wipe. Make sure the surfaces are germ free for your guests.

8. Floordrobe – We all have one, let’s face it, but it needs to go! Put all the dirty clothes into the washing and put all the clean clothes away. Start a load of washing while you do some more cleaning.

9. Bathroom – Pour some toilet cleaner in the toilet and let it sit for a bit.

If your shower looks dirty, give it a quick clean to make it look presentable again. This doesn’t need to be a thorough clean, just the glass and tiles to make it look clean, unless your house guests are using your shower, then some extra work may be required.

Clean the mirror, counter, sink and toilet seat with disinfecting spray and wipe. Scrub the toilet, sweep and mop the floor.

10. Kitchen – By now the dishwasher should have finished. Dry and put away the dishes and wipe down the kitchen bench. Sweep and mop the floor.

11. Floor in other rooms – Go into each room and see if the floors look like they need cleaning. If they do, sweep, mop or vacuum. If they don’t need it then don’t stress, if you can’t notice ityour house guest won’t either.

12. Remove and reassess – Walk out of the house for a couple of minutes and enjoy the sunshine. Walk back in and see if something catches your eye that needs doing. If you find something, deal with it.

13. Spend a bit more time on the area your landlord or house guest is spending most of their time in. For example, if you are having people over for dinner spend more time tidying the dining room.

You’ve done it! It’s not impossible to turn your house around in a short amount of time if you focus and do everything step by step.

Now it’s time to relax!