Prepare your home before a party

The thought of having people over to your home for a party may sound enjoying or completely terrifying. After all, welcoming guests into your home requires ample cleaning and organization of different rooms to ensure both the guests and you feel comfortable.

Even the most experienced hostess may feel nervous about preparing her home for guests. Although prepping the house may seem like a burden -- especially if yours family tends to err on the messy side -- don't call in the maid service just yet. All it usually takes is straightening up a few key rooms to give guests a good impression.

* Begin where guests will enter the home. This is usually the entryway or foyer. Make room in and tidy up the coat closet so guests will have places to stow their coats. Assess the entry area and consider a floral arrangement on a table by the door to make it more inviting. Remove any clutter that congregates in the entry, including shoes, mail or dog leashes. Put them in a basket and move it to a closet or storage area. Give the floor a thorough cleaning or vacuuming. Think about placing an air freshener nearby so guests will be greeted with a pleasant fragrance.

* Focus on the room or rooms where guests will be spending the majority of their time. In most cases, this is a dining area or living space. Because these are often the places where families spend the most time, they may require some significant tidying up. First and foremost, remove any clutter, especially items that have been left around but belong in other areas of the house. Even the most spotless home can look messy or unclean if there is a lot of clutter. If you don't have the time to move everything to where it belongs, simply box it up and move it to the garage or basement for the time being.

* Dust, vacuum and/or mop the primary entertaining areas. Now is the time to do the thorough cleaning you might have been putting off. Move the furniture and clean the dust bunnies that have collected. Wipe down the windows and sliding doors that tend to collect fingerprints. Use the vacuum nozzle to clean cobwebs from corners and debris from narrow areas where it tends to accumulate. Think about using a carpet powder when vacuuming to give the home a fresh fragrance.

* Take inventory of shelves and tables in the rooms. You don't want guests inadvertently bumping into delicate items and causing breakage. If there are items that you don't want touched or potentially damaged, move them out of the way.

* Spend ample time cleaning bathrooms or powder rooms. Restrooms need to be spotless and sanitary. Devote a lot of your cleaning time to doing a thorough cleaning. Use a bleach-and-water solution to wipe down showers, toilets and sink areas. Make sure to clean any spots off of mirrors and scrub tile floors so that they are free from hairs and any sticky residue from hairstyling products. Be sure there are no rings in the toilet. Although you may feel like you can skip cleaning in the shower or bathtub -- and even hide items behind frosted doors or shower curtains -- clean it anyway. Some guests may peer behind the curtain and get an eyeful. Be sure to empty the wastebasket and set out fresh towels.

* Keep children's rooms closed if the party is for adults. Kids' rooms won't need to be cleaned if the party is strictly for adults. However, if kids will be coming, they're likely to spend time in your kids' rooms and these rooms will need to be straightened up. Older children should take responsibility for their own rooms.

* Move larger items to increase space. Moving big pieces of furniture out of rooms and setting up folding chairs and tables can accommodate more guests.

* Be prepared to react quickly to food and drink stains. Stains are likely to happen, so keep this in mind when hosting. If you have a great fear of carpeting or furniture being soiled, choose beverages and foods that are light in color. Otherwise, stock up on carpet and upholstery cleaner and hope for the best.

If you are extremely pressed for time to clean and your budget allows, you may want to hire a cleaning service to come in prior to the party and do a thorough, professional job.