5 Things You Forgot To Clean That Might Be Grossing Out Your Guests

Guests are coming and the house is a disaster! So you furiously tidy up, you vacuum, and you scrub the floor. You shout orders at your kids and husband to pick up those stinky socks. You clean the toilets and the counters! You even cleaned the windows and took that fuzzy thing and flailed wildly at the cobwebs. Then you hide all the leftovers in your bedroom!

You’re golden! Let that picky mother-in-law show up now!

Well, maybe not…5 things you forgot to clean that might be grossing out your guests - by Press Print Party!

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Especially if you have little ones or pets, you may have missed some gross spots you don’t even see anymore. It’s easy to have tunnel vision about our own house. We live with it day after day and sometimes it’s easier not to pay attention. Even if you do a spring cleaning you may miss some of those.

This is not about having a show home or that my house is super clean, I only mean this list as a guideline especially if you’re having people over you don’t know and you’d like to make a good impression. You want a home with a relaxed atmosphere but like it or not, guests will see things you don’t.

After helping host countless parties in other people’s homes here are 5 trouble spots that usually need attention even in the cleanest of homes:

(And when you are done with this article, go check out 5 MORE things you forgot to clean that might be grossing out your guests).

1 – The guest bathroom must sparkle

OK, I know, you cleaned the bowl and you wiped the counter…. but… did you clean the underside of the seat? How ’bout that area between the seat and the tank? And what about the gold mine of unmentionable goobies on the floor behind the back of the toilet?

Now, sit on the toilet, like a guest would. Look down. What do you see? Are the baseboards clean? Are the corners of the floors clean? Pick up these Clorox wipes and disinfect at the same time!

Now go wash your hands, and look up at the mirror. Really look at the mirror, Are there water or toothpaste spots?  I’ve wiped countless bathroom mirrors at other people’s homes. I always want to leave a place better than I found it….

Cleaning the guest bathroom is a must! Honestly, if your bathroom is clean and stocked a lot of other things can be overlooked. That’s why I’ve also written a very comprehensive list on how to make your bathroom totally guest-ready before your party.

2 – The doors, door handles, and light switches are often forgotten

Rarely do I go into a house with littles and find those items clean. Go right now, and look at your most-used light switch… I’ll wait.

Are you grossed out? I sure am when I wipe mine down. Same with the door handles. Go from the entry door and wipe all the door handles, on both sides of the door, and all the light switches. Don’t forget the ones in the kitchen, they’re often the worst ones.

That goes for the fridge handle too, and the kitchen cabinet doors! Those get greasy and gross. If your guests are going to be anywhere near the kitchen, get your microfiber cloth and take 10 minutes to wipe those cabinets down.

3 – Did you clean The walls?

One time my husband and I were cleaning the house to receive family and he noticed a fairly long grayish spot on the wall towards the baseboard next to the front door. “Where did that come from?”. I had to look and think. I stood there baffled for a minute. Then it came to me! That was one of my beloved dog’s favorite spots….. and she had been gone for 3 YEARS!!!!

After this incident, I started being much more aware of people’s walls. I remember going into an otherwise immaculate house one time with long, gray dog marks all over the walls! I’ve seen countless finger streaks also.

Even if you don’t have pets or little kids you probably have a wall that people grab on to while turning into a hallway. Look at it with discerning eyes and suddenly you may see all those disgusting handprints. Grab a magic eraser and make them disappear!

4 – Wipe those dining room chairs

I beg of you, wipe down the back of those chairs! Nothing will gross out a guest more than a sticky chair back.

Examine your chairs. The legs and those horizontal bars are often the targets of lots of splatters and spills and they don’t often get a lot of soapy water style love.

That’s one of my hubby’s pet peeves.. sticky. He was the sticky monitor the whole time our kids were little. He probably wiped the chairs every day.

5 – The couch can hide things you don’t want people to find

When guests come you really should vacuum the couch. And spot clean it. Don’t let poor Aunt Gladys sit in last month’s spit up or Princess’s hairball. Using a lint roller works wonders, although I wouldn’t be caught without my Dyson Animal vacuum.

I get it! I’ve had horrible, old couches that are impossible to clean. Then get inventive. Grab a clean quilt or a blanket. Heck, clean Batman sheets are better than grubby couch cushions any day.

I know, that’s technically more than 5 things, but one last piece of advice:

To clean your house for guests, you have to think like a guest.

Go outside your front door, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Now open the door and enter your house as if for the first time! Discover it. What do you see first? Move about the house, use the guest bathroom, sit in your dining room. Get a real sense of what a guest may see.

So what do you think I’ve missed? What grosses you out? Do you think I went too far?

In the end, you need to give yourself a little grace too, hopefully, you’re inviting people over who love you and will look beyond the spots you missed.

The idea is for your guests to feel welcome in your home, and a little extra thoughtful cleaning can go a long way.


BUT WAIT! There’s more! This list has been so popular and I’ve gotten so many comments on it that I wrote a follow up: 5 MORE Things You Forgot to Clean that Might be Grossing Out Your Guests! It lists some more specific areas even I forgot that you need to know about!


If you’re planning to host a birthday party don’t miss checking out my Ultimate Birthday Party Planner and workbook.

And since you don’t want your party to break the bank, you may want to look at my 5 practical money-saving tips for any party and my party on a budget food ideas that don’t look cheap.

But if you’re going to a dinner party, don’t forget the hostess! Check out my 10 thoughtful thank you gift ideas for the hostess.

Party decorations are a must in my house: check out all of my free printables and my printable shop.

Don’t forget to pin it:

How to clean your house for guests 5 things you forgot to clean that might be grossing out your guests

 


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80 thoughts on “5 Things You Forgot To Clean That Might Be Grossing Out Your Guests

  1. Jody Halvorsen says:

    Thank goodness I do clean as suggest. I sure can understand why you are giving the advise you are as I have seen many disgusting homes over the years. I don’t know I I missed reading this but also clean your window screens and wash your windows. It is amazing how dusty the screens get.

  2. Amelia says:

    I am also insane about cleanliness…. I clean even button boards on weekends. I literally enjoy while reading your article.

  3. Beth says:

    Hello Nathalie! Wonderful piece of article and by the reading of this lovely piece of article I came to know that how can we properly clean our house and do not provide any chance to my guest that they gross out us. Thanks for sharing this article with all of us. I learnt allot about cleaning purpose

  4. Aiyla says:

    Hi Nathalie!
    What a great piece of article I found today, it will be very helpful to me in the cleaning of my own home. I hope all the readers will love this article. Thanks for sharing this article to us

  5. Elmi says:

    As a house cleaner, this article helps me a lot to get new guidance. I really enjoy this great reading. Thank you for sharing this article.

  6. Nonarae says:

    When we moved into the house we live in now, we had to power wash the filter on the stove vent hood, in order to get it clean. Probably hadn’t been cleaned in the entire time the owner has had this house. It was soooooo nasty. Grease was even dripping back down onto the stove it was so saturated.

  7. Jamie says:

    Glad to read this blog. This is a great and useful article! What you had mentioned are really helpful. Thank you so much for sharing your insights about cleaning.

  8. Heather McNamara says:

    Kettles and teapots are often overlooked. A cotton bud down the spout of the teapotwill dislodge the tannin that stain.

  9. Beth says:

    I can’t stand bad smells when I walked in the house. If I can tell what type of pet you own, or what you been cooking by the smell when I walk in the front door then the smells are too strong! Clean up after your pet daily! Air purifiers arguing cheaper and cheaper. Ozone machines are good every moving scents.

  10. Hannah says:

    We stay at a relatives home and their home is pretty dirty but it is their refrigerator that grosses me out the most. Makes me gag!

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