How to Fake a Clean House

The Home Office

• Stash stray office supplies, like pencils and pens, in decorative stationery boxes or filing containers on your desk.
• Take down calendars and notes from bulletin boards and file them in folders. Or align them so that the tops are all in horizontal lines.
• Rearrange crooked books so that all spines are facing the same direction and the titles all read from top to bottom.
• Stow the keyboard and the mouse in a drawer so only the computer monitor tops the desk.
• Temporarily hide wayward Post-it notes and to-do lists underneath the keyboard.
   

The Kids' Rooms

• Stash scattered puzzle pieces in a drawer; stack the boards on a shelf.
• Stow pajamas under the pillow. This way, they’re off the floor and ready for later.
• Put blocks in a handled shopping bag and hang it on a hanger or a doorknob inside the closet.
• Put homeless stuffed animals in extra pillowcases. Or prop them up behind shams.
• If your kids have a play tent, hide toys and clothes inside it.
• Pile books neatly on the floor, largest to smallest, next to a chair or a desk.
• Spritz a deodorizer spray around the diaper pail to eliminate odors.
   

The Laundry Room

• Fold clean towels neatly on the drying rack. Rope lingerie items on hangers, then place them in the bedroom closet, away from prying eyes.
• Drape a scorched ironing board with a clean white sheet, tuck in the edges to fashion a make-shift cover, and place the board in the far corner of the room or behind the door.
• Pile any laundry that needs to be folded in baskets or storage containers and lay them on the washing machine to be sorted through later.
• As for dirty clothes awaiting washing, simply toss them in the washer.
   

 

Quick Cleaning Solutions for Every Room