9 Ways to Make Your Home Appear Cleaner Than It Is

How to Make Your Home Look Cleaner Than It Is!

Whether you have surprise company coming over or just don’t have time to spending tidying up your house every day, knowing how to fake a clean home is a good skill to have. Luckily, it’s pretty simple to make your home look clean without having to scrub and clean each day. These eight simple tips will instantly make your home appear cleaner than it is.

Clear the Clutter

Now that everyone is Kon-Mari’ing their stuff, I’ve become more aware that clutter STRESSES ME OUT! One surefire way to make your home look messy is to have visible clutter throughout the house. To make your home look clean, start by designating a spot for everything in your house and keeping each item in its place when it’s not in use. The key is to go through each section of the house and get rid of what you don’t need. If you don’t have space for it, there will be cluttter!

And to keep clutter at bay in a pinch, keep a couple large baskets handy so you can toss wayward items into one spot in a hurry. I have a wicker basket near my couch that I keep my new infrared heating pad in (which by the way is amazing if you want some intense heat therapy). I put my purse on top when I’m home so I always know where it is (plus it hides all the wires from the heating pad)!

Banish Odors

Making your home smell nice is another easy way to make it appear clean. Keep air and fabric refresher on hand to spray before guests arrive or have scented candles ready to burn in case you have unexpected company. We have three stinky pets, so we keep two air filters in the living room and one in the bedroom.

We also have an Art Naturals essential oil diffuser in the living room, and another Gurunanda mini-diffuser that plugs directly into the electric socket in the bathroom. My husband, Gregg, and I are huge fans of Gurunanda’s diffusers and aromatherapy essential oil blends. They are 3rd party tested and reasonably priced. You can get this set of 6 essential oil blends at Amazon or Wal-Mart for just under $20!

Keep a Clean Bathroom

If one room in your home stays clean all the time, it should be the bathroom. Take a few minutes each day to wipe down surfaces, like the toilet and vanity counter, and keep dirty laundry and towels off the floor to ensure the bathroom looks clean every day. I feel like I’m constantly fighting to keep up with the mess in the bathroom. But when company comes over, I always scrub it down! Gregg and I use Mrs. Meyers Clean Day cruelty free cleaning products.

Tackle the Dishes

Dirty dishes in the sink make the entire room feel yucky, so make sure your kitchen looks organized by always putting dirty dishes in the dishwasher or immediately washing them instead of setting them in the sink. Or if you’re like me, do the dishes about 30 minutes before guests arrive – they’ll never know your sink is normally full of dishes! I gotta say again, I keep going back to Mrs. Meyers Clean Day for cruelty free dish soap and hand soap. This post is NOT sponsored by Mrs. Meyers and they haven’t sent me any press samples. I just have to give a shout out to a brand that I love!

Dust the Living Area

Public areas of your home where guests are likely to visit should get special attention when attempting to make your home look cleaner than it is. Make sure you keep visible dust at bay on large items in your living room, like the television and coffee table. I don’t know why this is so difficult, but my house feels like it’s always dusty. I guess maybe the dog and two cats have something to do with it!

Add Fresh Flowers

Flowers always make me happy! Fresh, cut flowers, or even fake flowers can really brighten up your living area. They instantly liven up a room and draw the eye away from any clutter or mess. I got the gorgeous bouquet in the photo from Fairytale Flowers in North Hollywood.

Keep Dirt at Bay

One great way to keep dirt from coming into your home is to place door mats on the outside and inside of each door. These mats will help catch outside dirt before it even enters your home. Might as well get a cute door mat right? I love this cheeky one by Momeni Aloha.

Keep the Lights Down Low

A tried and true method for making your house appear clean, is to keep the lights down low when you’re having people over at night. You can use a dimmer switch or light scented soy candles. It’s fun to get a bunch of LED tealight candles, and put them all over for a little ambiance. This works especially well in the bathroom. Just make sure you have enough so that your guests can see!

Close the Doors

When all else fails, close those doors when company comes over! Keeping the doors to your bedrooms (and any other rooms you don’t want your guests to see) closed will allow you to easily hide messes from your guests. They’ll never know how clean or messy those rooms are if they’re not allowed to see inside!

I am ALWAYS looking for life hacks on how to make my home look more clean, or to deal with clutter. If you guys have any ideas, or know of any products I should check out, please leave me a comment below!

Want more? Also check out my article on 10 easy things to declutter from your bathroom TODAY!