Prepping for a Showing with No Time: A Down and Dirty Guide to a Quick Clean-Up

The summer home sale season is hot… hot… HOT! With excited, motivated buyers out scouring the streets for their next home, it can be easy for a seller to be taken by surprise when it comes time for a quick showing.

What is a seller to do when the house that they’re still living in is less than tidy and the clock is ticking down with only 30 minutes to spare until it needs to be ready to show?

First off, don’t panic! There are a few tricks that sellers can do to quickly prepare for a surprise home showing. Here are some of our favorite down and dirty tips to successful home showings:

1. Hurry to High-Traffic Areas

Don’t have time to deep clean the floors of your whole home before your next showing? Spot clean your most heavily-trafficked areas. Pay special attention to the entryway, kitchen, living room and bathrooms. Instead of scouring the floors, wipe down any very noticeable spots and move on to your next task.

2. Counter Clutter with an Easy Trick

If you’re kitchen countertops are covered with dinner’s leftovers, the daily mail or your children’s soccer fundraiser, don’t worry about properly filing those things away just yet. Place any extra dishes or cookware in the dishwasher (but, don’t start it) and conveniently stash the mail or fundraising items in the back of the pantry or a not-so-easily accessible cabinet. Complete the kitchen clean-up by wiping down your countertops and voila!

3. Deal with Dirty Laundry

In the same way that you quickly cleaned up your kitchen, erase the trace of any foul-smelling laundry with this perfect hiding place. Without taking the time to separate your delicates and your dark clothes, shove any laundry that’s laying around into your washer and/or dryer to hide it away from potential buyers. Again, don’t push start before your guests arrive and remember to take care of that dirty laundry when your showing is over.

4. Blind Buyers with the Light

Clean or not-so-clean, every home looks better when it is a little brighter! If you’re preparing for a showing and the clock is ticking down to 30 minutes or less, make sure that lighting up your home is on your short list of to-dos before your guests arrive. Do a sweep of each room to ensure that blinds are open and lights are on. If your house is on the not-as-clean side, maybe your potential buyers will be too busy noticing the awesome landscaping out the window to notice the dust bunnies under the bed.

5. Listen to Your Mama and Make the Bed!

If you’ve got 30 minutes to spare before a home showing, there are absolutely ZERO reasons why any of the beds in your home should be unkempt. In fact, we dare say that if you’re in the process of selling your home, there are zero reasons your beds should ever be unmade, unless you’re sleeping in them! Regardless, if you’re hurrying to tidy up your home, welcome buyers into each bedroom by allowing them to glance at beautiful bedspreads and not strewn-about sheets. If you’ve got a few extra minutes to spare, stash any personal knick-knacks and photos in your night stands, too.

Finally, as you’re preparing for a last-minute showing and your stress level is reaching new heights, take a moment out of that 30-minute, high-speed, vigorous cleaning routine and, simply, RELAX. Often times, we are most critical of ourselves. So, what you see as untidy may show perfectly fine. Turn your stress into excitement as every showing could mean that you are one step closer to selling your home!