Pre-Party Panic
Have you ever experienced ‘pre-party panic’?  Some of you are already rolling your eyes as vivid memories of the mad dash to finish party preparations roll through your mind.   There may be a few individuals who are so innately organized that they can pull off all of the elements of a party without batting an eye.  For the rest of us, experience and a few helpful cleaning tips are necessary to keep us from answering the door with a dust pan in our hand, a few curlers hanging from the back of our hair, and the smell of smoke wafting from the kitchen. 

Get the Bulk of the Cleaning Out of the Way
It is a given that you will spend the time directly before your party preparing food and finishing your grooming.  Therefore, it is essential that you get the bulk of your cleaning done before you reach the final stretch.  Unfortunately, we live in a world where we are often pushed to the limit with responsibilities.  The night before a party we are likely to say, ‘Oh, I guess I’ll clean up in the morning before I start cooking’.  Wrong answer!  You will be so exhausted when your guests arrive that you may give them a drink and some food and go to bed, asking them to lock up when they leave. 

Prioritize and Schedule your Cleaning
The best way to get your cleaning finished is to make a schedule for your self prior to the party.  Depending on the state of your home, you may want to start a week in advance.  Set certain tasks to complete every day so that the day of the party you have only to touch up the chrome in the bathroom, sweep the front steps, and pick up any clutter that has found its way onto counters, floors, and tables.  This will free you to prepare yourself, your table, and your food.  When you make your schedule of cleaning, remember that you don’t have to worry about every little thing.  For example, do you really think a guest is going to see your underwear drawer?  I should hope not.  Instead, focus on the items that will make your house warm and inviting and save your personal jobs such as cleaning cupboards or changing the contact paper in the cabinet under your bathroom sink for a time when you are not entertaining.  Try not to get distracted and stick to your schedule. 

Get Some Tips!
With cleaning tips you will be able to receive your guests with confidence, knowing that you have a clean and inviting home.  The most important thing to remember is that your reason for cleaning and preparing is to provide a nice time for your friends and family.  Once you do as much as you can, forget the cleaning and enjoy your guests.  Chances are that you will never get every thing perfect.  As much as you want to offer a clean and pleasant environment, your relaxed smile and offer of friendship is the most important gift you can give your guests. 

Yeah, you read that right. 

Although the idea of comparing cell phones to toilet seats is downright disgusting, the cold hard facts tell us that they’re much more similar than we’d like to think.  Those little babies that we lovingly chat on day in and day out (we’re talking about the cellphone here, not the toilet seat) are actually a prime breeding ground for millions of bacteria.  And that’s the nice way of putting it.

If you want numbers then here they are:

There are tens of thousands of nasty microbes living on each square inch of your precious cell phone.  UK researches discovered that many of the phones they tested were even carrying Staphylococcus aureus.  Want to know what this bug does?  It causes everything from pimples to pneumonia.  Phones in a different study were also found to have yeast and fungus growing on the outside.

And you’re putting this thing up to your face everyday.  Nice.

Why are they so dirty?  It’s the perfect combination of your spit (nice thought), dead skin cells, and oil, blended with a warm, cozy device with lots of little cracks that never, ever gets cleaned.  It’s no wonder they’re so nasty.  At least a toilet gets bleach once in awhile.

And if you let other people talk on your cell, then it’s even worse. 

Their mojo gets mixed in with your mojo, and the bacteria has an all night rave party after that.   It just keeps getting better, right? Motorola has recently come out with a phone that is covered with an anti-microbial coating that prevents germs from breeding.  If you’re lucky enough to have one of these babies then you’re ahead of the game.For those of us still talking on our outdated Samsung’s, then we’re going to need anti-bacterial wipes.  Lots of them.  And maybe a flu shot.

Solution

Microfiber cloths, baby wipes.... well that or those little rubbing alcohol wipes and a lint free cloth.