As the weather gets cooler, I think we all want to treat our homes to a good cleaning from being cooped up from the summer heat. I love to make a batch of homemade three-ingredient stovetop simmering potpourri to fill the home with the smell of clean.
Slice one lemon, add three rosemary sprigs, one teaspoon of vanilla, and enough water to cover. I let it sit on the stove at a low simmer.* It fills the house with the smell of the soaps you purchase at Williams-Sonoma. I usually have all the ingredients on-hand, especially the rosemary from the garden. You could also use oranges or cloves.
And here’s a time-saver from PureWow for the upcoming holidays regarding cleaning — fake a clean home! “A deep clean would be lovely, but you’ve got 45 minutes, woman. The most important thing you can do: Clear every counter and tabletop of clutter and hide the mess away, you can deal with that stack of mail in the hamper later. Then give each surface a spritz of all-purpose cleaner for a little extra shine. No one will be scrutinizing the corners of your baseboards anyway.” Try this set of Holiday scent counter sprays for your countertops — people will be so obsessed over how yummy your house smells they won’t even notice the cobwebs!
That’s a tip I need to tattoo on my arm — why do we clean before company comes when the mess is after they leave? I am raising my hand guilty on all counts on this because I get so overwhelmed with cleaning before a party that it makes me crazy.
Hospitality is in my DNA. I founded Home with a Twist, a daughter’s twist on her mother’s traditions, in memory of my mother to celebrate her life and the gifts she shared with me. Mother loved to celebrate life’s occasions – big and small.
