I need house cleaning help.?

Question

ok i have been with my boyfriend for 2 years and i have been to his house countless times but he has only been to my house 2 times but never inside of it. i have an old house and it was deigned by someone with bad taste, my parents refuse to fix it up cause we are having family problems of who realy gets to have the house ( its a long story) anywho he has this beatiful home and i am ashamed of my house i need help and advice of how to fix it up you know make the yard pretty and the inside and stuff and i dont want to get stuff like you shouldnt worry about what your house looks like cause hes not with you for your home or whatever i kno that he told me but i just dont want him to think im slobby or whatever so please help i need house and yard cleaning tips FAST!! please and thank you

Answer 1

First of all, start with the outside which is what will be seen first.
Rake up any yard debris.
Plant some flowers, you can get things like marigolds or petunias or something that will come up ever year like tulips or daffodils. If you don't have anywhere to plant them, get some pots and use them ... you can move them around so they look good where you want them and even put them away when the winter comes.
Sweep the drive and the front porch, sidewalks, anything that you can sweep to get rid of debris.
Wash the windows, inside and out - you will be amazed at the difference it will make!
If your house has vinyl siding, you can buy a cleaner (pretty cheap) that you hook to your hose and spray on and it will wash away the dirt.
Trim shrubs or wayward tree branches. You could probably borrow hedge clippers or a pruner from a neighbor.
For the inside, vacuum.
Dust all the surfaces.
Put away all clutter and organize bookshelves. An uncluttered room will look amazing and it costs nothing.
Wash your curtains, it will eliminate the dust and general dirt that has built up over time.
If you have the money, a fresh coat of paint will look nice, but if you don't have the money and you have marks on the walls, buy one of those "magic eraser" sponges for a buck or two and clean up the spots.
Hang pictures on the walls over particularly bad spots, or just to liven up a room.
Wash or wipe down all kitchen and bathroom areas. Especially focus on the stove, inside the fridge, and the tub and toilets (sinks, too).
You can wash your blankets and bedding to give it a fresh feel and smell, even when someone just walks in the room.
Then, light some scented candles or the like to give it a fresh inviting smell.
Even if it is an old house, if it is clean and fresh-smelling a lot of people won't notice that it is old and time-worn, they WILL notice that the person who lives there is taking care of it.

Answer 2

First, get rid of clutter! Too many collectibles will make a house look dirty or run down. Then get some pretty pillows for the sofa, a nice rug to throw down and some nice green plants. Make sure to clean floors and windows. For your yard, plant some inexpensive pansies along the walkway and them if you have a porch or steps, line them with more plants, makes for a good first impression. Make sure your house smells like it's just been cleaned and you'll be ok. Clean bathrooms are very important. Paint is not expensive and a little will go a long way so touch up those dingy walls, world of difference.

Answer 3

OUTSIDE: Clutter is bad. Throw out anything that looks crappy like old flower pots, branches, anything (especially leaves) that looks sloppy. Sparse is OK, a clean yard with nothing much in it looks better than a sloppy yard. From there, maybe get a flat or two of flowers that are hardy, like snapdragons or marigolds, and plant them alongside the main walkway. A few made-up potted arrangements are good too, but don't forget to water them regularly.

INSIDE: Start watching HGTV at once. You will be amazed how many tips you will learn. Paint is one thing that makes everything look a lot better. Consider going to the Salvation Army, Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity (don't laugh, I find furniture there that I buy for a few dollars, fix, and sell for hundreds and hundreds of dollars on ebay). You do NOT have to spend a lot of money to class up your house. In fact, I guarantee that if you spend ONE DAY watching HGTV, you will have enough good ideas to get the job done--or at least started.

Answer 4

He's been with you two years and been there twice .... He hasn't mentioned it so I doubt he cares about you PARENTS HOUSE. You have to realize this is YOUR PARENTS home. Their bad taste and poor house management does not reflect poorly on you. With that said here are a few things you can
It doesn't cost anything to be clean.
*Start by going out in the yard and picking up any trash or left about objects.
* Use broom on the your stoop/step area.
The tips below are FOR AFTER THE FINAL FROST IN YOUR AREA!
* Do you have any old garden pots? If not get two matching cheap ones at Walmart. Get some soil and a few annuals ( garden section) Marigolds, Impatients, etc. Should be about for 6 pack of plants. Put about 6 plants per pot . Place a pot on each side of the stoop.
* While your in the Walmart garden section pick up a couple of packs of flower seeds. They have 10 cent packs. Find a garden hoe at home and make a little flower bed in sunny spot in the front yard. Plant some Zinna seed in the back row, Cosmo seeds next row, Finish the front row with NASTURTIUMS seeds or Marigold seeds, Water a little and in a few weeks you wil have a easy great flower garden. A few pretty flowers can make ta humble home/ yard charmimg
* Whilst in the Garden section pick up a bag of Grass seeds. Cheap if fine. Rake and Hoe and bald spots in your yard. Then seed those areas with the Grass seed. Don't for get to water.Within days your lawn will be nicer.
For Inside of your home:
Since this is YOUR PARENTS HOME thread lightly. Where you see bad taste and clutter they may seem charm. I would gently ask them if you may "improve " the living areas of your home? Think of the day when you have your own place. Then you can freely apply you vision of a perfect home
* Clean any obvious filth. Remove any obvious clutter. If you can't toss the items move them to a room your boyfriend won't see.
* Dusting is important, Vacume too.
*Open the windows to expell stale funky air.
* Remove the trash from the kitchen.Make sure there are no dirty dishes about.
* To update a funky colored couch cover it NEATLY with some Clean white sheets. Use toss pillows for color.
* For a lovely cheap display fill a glass bowl with Granny smith apples or some lemons !
* Go to the library and get a book on "Decorating with Flea Market finds" or " Cottage Style Decorating"You can use the ideas in a books like to use the items you have already in your home. It will let you see your stuff in new ways.
* If your parents have mirrors in the rooms clean those too.
* If your parents have tons of weird knick knacks about ... group them by color in differrent places about the room.
* If your carpet is old and ratty Try this: Place a cheap area rug ( or one from another room) in the center of the room and then place the coffee table on that. This trick makes your old carpet the border and less noticable.


Lastly, remember this not your house, and not how you would have it if it were yours. You have to respect your parents things and choices. You are part them so don't ever be ashamed of them OK . Good luck
In any case this is not your home and it's not how YOU would live. You have to make do till you move into your own place.

Answer 5

The cheapest and easiest way to make the inside look better is to PAINT. The get some cheap accessories,if you don't have any,and a good place to get them is at a Dollar Tree or Thrift Store. You can make curtains,if you need any,from plain bed sheets. You can either get plain ones or ones with patterns and mix and match too. I have taken the pillow cases and covered old pillows and NOBODY knew they weren't store bought. As for the outside,now is the time to get bedding plants. Go to your local WalMart Super Center and get some plants that are already in bloom(providing you live where it isn't still snowing) and some CHEAPER potting soil. Also a few hanging baskets if you have a porch or you can get some cheap window boxes and use them or cheap pots. Also sometimes you can find really neat pots at Thrift Stores. Here's a hint for a good website to try to find in your area too for getting stuff for FREE. www.freecycle.org. It is a site that people post things they no longer want for FREE for others who are in need of such items. It is a really great place to pass things on to others that you no longer need,or in your case,where people who are looking for things can get for their own use. Hope these ideas,etc have helped and good luck. One more thing,if the guy truly likes YOU,he won't care what the house looks like,ok? Good Luck :-)

Answer 6

I could love a blank, tidy condominium, however with two infants it kind of feels virtually inconceivable. They can empty out a cabinet within the time it takes me to show round and become aware of what they are doing. I maintain the kitchen blank every day (no longer constantly tidy despite the fact that), and check out to do a load of washing every day. The rest room will get a blank approximately as soon as every week. The flooring rather want a sweep or vacuum each and every moment day, however that ordinarily does not get performed. I have a enormous load of ironing that demands doing, however that may wait till I take a seat down to observe television. I rather hate home tasks, and am severely because quitting!

Answer 7

Hi , its your parents home so you need them to approve anything you do .

If you have your own room , start there , make sure its clean , and make sure any stuff is neatly put away . You can make nice storage boxes by gluing wrapping paper to a cardboard box .

The yard you can do by just cutting and raking the grass, sweep up leaves , maybe trim back some of the plants . Pick up any junk outside and either get rid of it or put it in one place .