When opening your home to strangers for show days, for all intents and purposes you are airing your dirty laundry. Your dirty laundry does not necessarily suggest that your house should actually be dirty. It is impossible to please everyone but there are a few things that you can do to ensure that your house on a show day is a touch above the rest.

Bathroom

Ensure that your bathroom is neat, tidy and clean. It is off-putting to see a shower that has soap foam, a sink that has tooth paste marks all over and a dirty toilet. Make certain that the toilet lid is down and all the bathroom carpets are lined straight and freshly brushed with a broom. Put your soaps, shower gels, toothbrushes and all toiletries in the bathroom cabinets. If you do not have cabinets put them in an orderly fashion; wipe off any foam (for example a shampoo bottle) and close the caps.

Lighting

Make sure that all your light bulbs work and if there are darker parts of the house switch on the lights to illuminate all parts of the house. Wipe down all the lights and light switches.

Kitchen

Wash all dishes, pots, pans and put them all away. Wipe down all the surfaces;  countertops, stove, microwave, etc with soapy dish cloths. To make them smell extra fresh, after wiping with a dish cloth, spray lemon water on the counter tops and wipe and it will give the room a fresh scent. Take out the rubbish and empty bottles. Again, ensure all objects that sit on the countertops are neat, dusted and facing the right way.

Bedrooms

Make certain that all the beds are made, neatly! Pick up all the clothes off the floor and place them where appropriate. Ensure that everything that is in public view is placed neatly and dusted off.

Outside

Never neglect the yard (or balcony if you live in a complex). Make certain that the lawn has been cut. If you have a flower bed or vegetable garden, see to it that it has been trimmed and weeded. The swimming pool needs to be cleaned, if possible cover it with a net. Any arbitrary objects lying around are to be picked up and placed out of public sight.

Garage

It is hard keeping the garage in immaculate condition; however an effort to sweep the garage and keep it tidy goes a long way. Try to keep sharp or potentially dangerous object on the top shelves away from reach.

Music

It is advised that you have soft music (like jazz or classical) playing in the background to create an ambiance.

The rest of the House

Ensure all doors are clean and door handles are fixed, the same applies to wardrobes, cabinets and cupboards. Furthermore, give electric sockets a good clean as they often tend to turn a light shade of brown from dust. Any marks on the wall, ensure they are wiped off. Lastly, brewing coffee or bread baking in the oven creates an enticing aroma that reminds people of home.