Company’s Coming. Let’s Get This Joint Cleaned Up!

“Company’s coming. Let’s get this joint cleaned up!”

Your friend texts, “We’re twenty minutes away,” and then, “Don’t clean on my account.” You love her for saying that. You also know exactly which bathroom towel she’s about to meet.

It’s the one that’s been through a Tuesday, a spaghetti dinner, and somebody’s attempt to wash the dog. There’s a basket of laundry in the best seat in the house, and now you’re looking up at the ceiling fan like the two of you have unfinished business.

Friend, come down off that step stool. You’ve got time for a clean bathroom, a place to sit, and something to drink. That’s how you give the house a quick clean before guests arrive. The ceiling fan can keep its secrets.

First five minutes: Change the bathroom towels

Put out a clean hand towel. Check the soap and toilet paper, wipe the sink and toilet seat, and empty the little trash can if it needs it. Look at the floor on your way out. If it’s fine, keep walking. Don’t make eye contact with the grout.

And if you’ve got a towel you’ve been saving because it still looks nice, friend, this is what it’s for. We’ve already made the case for using the good stuff. It can handle a hand.

Next eight minutes: Give people a place to land

Clear the walk from the door to wherever you’ll sit. Move the shoes, free up a couple of seats, and make a spot for coats or bags. If the kitchen is where everybody winds up anyway, clear one end of the table and call that your gathering spot.

Put loose mail and other things you need to sort into one basket. Set it somewhere out of the way that you’ll actually remember. There’s a fine line between tidying up and spending the next three weeks wondering who took the electric bill. It was you. You took the electric bill.

Last seven minutes: Put out what you’ve got

Wipe the spot where you’ll set drinks, then put out water, iced tea, or whatever you’d happily offer on a regular afternoon. A bowl of pretzels is plenty for a casual visit. You can leave the dip in its original container. The dip has no opinion on this.

If somebody’s home to help, give them one clear job: “Could you clear the chairs while I do the bathroom?” works better than “Can everybody please do something?” The second one is how you end up with three people opening the same closet.

And if you’re the one heading to someone else’s Thanksgiving, our guide to being a thoughtful guest has a few easy ways to lend a hand once you arrive.

When the doorbell rings, you’re done

Open the door. Say you’re glad they’re here. If you catch yourself about to give a guided tour of everything you didn’t get to, offer them a drink instead. Most visits worth having start with somebody pulling up a chair and finishing a story they started three weeks ago.

And if they’re early? Clean towel, clear seat, glass of water. That’s enough to get you started. The rest of the visit is why you wanted them over in the first place.

From Michelle and the girls at Envy Stylz

The girls at Envy and I know what that “we’re twenty minutes away” text does to a woman. One minute you’re glad your friend is coming. The next you’re carrying a laundry basket down the hall and telling everybody, “If she asks, that door’s always been closed.” And when it’s our turn to show up at somebody else’s house? We’re just glad she opened the door.

That’s a little of who we are at Envy Stylz Boutique, our shop in Grand Saline, Texas. We love a graphic tee that makes you think of a friend, and there’s plenty more to poke around in: cozy crewnecks and sweatshirts for the friend who’s always cold, earrings and necklaces for the one who can dress up jeans in thirty seconds, and soft throws for when y’all move the conversation to the couch. We’ve got casual caps for errand days and cowgirl hats for when you feel like making an entrance. Either way, come on in.

If we haven’t met, come get to know me and the girls behind Envy. And if your friend shows up with pie, hand her a fork and sit down. The laundry’s already waited this long.