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Cleaning Apt for Outdoor BBQ
We're throwing a BBQ party to celebrate friends who will have just gotten married. The party will take place in the courtyard area of our apartment complex, where there are picnic tables and grills. The weather forecast for the party looks great, so we do not anticipate having to move the party inside due to the weather.
That said, our 1 bedroom apt contains the only available bathroom for the guests to use. The bathroom is neat and clean, however, the living room area that you have to walk through in order to get to the bathroom is cluttered - we have boxes of our own wedding gifts that we're organizing and trying to find space for in this too-tiny apartment and we have a houseguest who's been staying over in our living room for the past month and who will be here for the party has well, so his stuff is all over the living room too. We may be able to move some things to our bedroom, but definitely not everything, especially because our houseguest will still be staying here.
How much clutter is acceptable for guests to see en route to the bathroom? Any low-effort, high-impact cleaning/organizing tasks I can do to make the apartment appear more presentable? Do I not need to worry if guests are only entering the apartment to use the bathroom? Or would I be better off finding an alternate location for this party?
Re: Cleaning Apt for Outdoor BBQ
Well, how much is appropriate really depends on your comfort level. Your apartment is a reflection of you.
When I first started entertaining, I would get caught up in having my home actually organized. It doesn't need to be. It just needs to appear organized
Before a party now, I throw crap in closets, drawers, the laundry room, my bedroom - anywhere out of sight of the area where guests will congregate.
It sounds like these are boxes of things like pots and appliances and dishes - things with busy manufacturers' labels, not plain cardboard moving boxes? It's hard to make a house feel serene with those laying around, even if they're nicely stacked. So I'd chuck them all in the master bedroom and close and maybe lock the door (provided the bathroom isn't in there.)
And whoever living on your couch needs to have everything out of the LR IMO. He can put it in your room or his car.
If straightening up can't be a reality and you're uncomfortable with your home's appearance, you may want to think about finding another location.
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