How to Handle Unexpected Guests

Unexpected guests can come in both the welcome and the unwelcome variety, but in either case, a few tips to quickly cleaning up your apartment and possibly getting the guests out of the door asap can come in handy. Here’s how you can handle guests who drop in on you, depending on whether or not you want to spend time with them or you want them out the door:

Cleaning Up In a Flash

It doesn’t matter whether or not you’re glad to see the faces of your unexpected guests, you’ll want to make sure your apartment is presentable and you’ll have virtually no time in which to do so. When you have to clean up in minutes–or worse, in minutes in front of your guests, keep the following in mind:

• Concentrate on the area where you’ll entertain. Your room may be a mess and the kitchen could use a mopping, but you only have a few minutes, so you’ll want to clean out the living room or the dining table, wherever you’ll have your guests sit. If you have time, head for the bathroom, too, as your guests may need to use it. Shut all doors to any other rooms you can.
• Grab a bag and scoop it in. You have no time to separate garbage from clutter or your stuff from your roommates or friends. Just grab a plastic, paper or canvas bag and shove everything that’s in the way into the bag-just be sure that you’ll organize it properly once the guests have left.
• Use a carpet sweeper or cleaning pad. You won’t have time to get out the vacuum or mop for a through cleaning, so keep a carpet sweeper for carpets and rugs and a cleaning pad alternative to a mop for hard floors on hand just for these occasions. Quickly run your cleaning tool over the floor in the room in which you’re entertaining to get all of the excess dirt, hair and crumbs out of site.
• Use a wet surface cleaning pad in the bathroom. If you have time, use a wet cleaning pad over the sink and on the toilet tank. Keep these wet wipes with the cleaner already in them on hand for just such occasions. Pull your shower curtain or door closed and skip cleaning the tub.

Preparing Food in a Hurry

You won’t have time to run out to the grocery store to grab snacks, but that won’t change the fact that even unexpected guests will be hungry. The best types of foods for snacks that you may have on hand include chips, crackers, baby carrots, cookies, cheese sticks and dip-anything that comes already in bite-sized portions and is easily poured into a bowl or on a platter.

Hint You Have Other Business

If your unexpected guests are also unwelcome, don’t serve food or make pretenses. You may even decline to take their coats when asked, stressing politely that they’ll need their coats soon because you were just on your way out or you were in the middle of a pressing school, work or family matter.

With both welcome and unwelcome unexpected guests, you’ll want to know how to get your apartment clean in under 5 minutes so you don’t feel embarrassed to have people see any messes you may have. From there, you may want to know how to entertain with what you have on hand or how to hint that the guests have come at an inopportune time.