Do you freak out when you know visitors are coming? I know I do, or I used to anyway. I’ve gotten much more relaxed about things recently because, you know, big picture. But with the holidays and entertaining season quickly approaching, I teamed up with Lemi Shine to share some tips on how to keep your casa clean so instead of freaking out, you can “clean freak out” instead. Read on for 7 tips for prepping for house guests!

 7 Tips for Prepping for House Guests:

1) Enlist help. Hire someone to do everything. Haha. I’m only half kidding. If you are able to hire a cleaning person to come in once every few weeks or even once a month, it helps so much. It’s something we avoided for years because I felt guilty and embarrassed for a long time for not doing it myself (I did NOT grow up with a maid). But time is so valuable and the one luxury we never get back, so enlist help if you can, especially with the deep cleaning. If that’s not possible, enlist the help of your family.

2) Clean as you go. Here’s the thing. My parents are both neat freaks and my mom kept — and keeps — a super clean house. Like takes your plate away before you finish your last bite (love you Mom!). I joke that my way of rebelling was to do the opposite. But Fred Baby & I feel SO much better when things aren’t in disarray and everything’s clean and in its place. We find that if we clean as we go (i.e. do the dishes after dinner vs. the next day, toss the clothes in the hamper vs. on the floor), then our minds are much clearer. Plus, if you clean as you go, there’s no big cleaning day to dread. A little each day goes a long way.

3) Make things pretty ahead of time. When it comes to hosting and entertaining, I like to make things look pretty and Fred Baby is more of the chef. BUT I am also a horrible multitasker. Which means unless I make things pretty beforehand, I won’t be able to hold a conversation with guests while also setting a pretty table. So I make sure all dishes and pretty glassware and flatware are clean and ready to go before guests arrive. Even set the table ahead of time. I’d rather take that time to enjoy the process of making things pretty beforehand rather than feel frazzled — or completely fail at it — when guests arrive.

4) Focus on key spaces. The places that should always be clean, in my opinion, are the bathrooms and the kitchen. Always wipe down surfaces (countertops, mirrors, etc. and empty the trash cans). Then people will feel more at home and you will trick them into thinking you’re a clean freak, even if there are dust bunnies hiding under your dresser. I love the Lemi Shine Glass + Surface Cleaner. It has something in it called GunkGuard, which creates an invisible barrier shielding surfaces from dust, water spots and fingerprints.

5) Get organized.  Rather than scrambling to find your cleaning products each time you go to clean up, always keep them in one spot, preferably in a caddy along with some paper towels and sponges. The easier you make it for yourself, the more likely you are to do it.

6) Love your cleaning products. I love the bright, bubbly, colorful packaging of these Lemi Shine products, and love even more that they’re 100% non-toxic, made from citric extracts, and are effective. If you love and feel good about what you’re using, it makes a big difference. Bonus that Lemi Shine is a Texas-based company, my homestate.

7) Entertain yourself. Play music and dance as you clean or listen to a podcast or an audiobook. It makes it much more fun and the time goes much quicker!

Voila, your house is sparkling and you’ve fooled everyone into thinking you are a clean freak, even your Mom!

#CleanFreakClean

Do you have any tips for prepping for guests or keeping your casa clean?

 Lemi know (see what I did there?) in the comments!

Learn more about Lemi Shine products and see where to find Lemi Shine products here.

Plus, get a coupon to use on Lemi Shine products here to try them out yourself!

PHOTOS: FRED MOSER

p.s. This is what I always wear when I’m cleaning. You feel much more glamorous channeling a 1950s housewife. Wink, wink.

Thank you to Lemi Shine for partnering on this post!