Before-guests cleaning checklist
What to get done before guests arrive: priorities instead of a full clean — smell, bathroom, hallway, clear surfaces and lighting. The list adapts to how much time you have.

[ ] Open the windows and air the place out
    Smell is noticed before mess. Ventilation goes first because it works on its own while you do everything else.
[ ] Clear the sink: wash the dishes or load them
    An empty sink affects the impression more than clean floors. Start the dishwasher now so it finishes before people arrive.
[ ] Walk round with a basket and collect what is out of place
    Gather stray items from the routes people use into one basket and put it out of sight. Putting things away properly comes later; right now what matters is clear surfaces.
[ ] Sort out the bathroom
    Basin, tap, mirror, toilet and the floor around it — ten minutes. Put personal items out of sight and set out soap you do not mind sharing.
[ ] Hang a fresh towel for guests
    A separate clean towel removes an awkwardness nobody will mention. Check the paper and soap while you are there.
[ ] Clear the hallway: shoes, hooks, mat
    Put spare shoes away and free up hooks or rail space. A guest needs somewhere for shoes and a coat within the first thirty seconds.
[ ] Make space for bags and coats
    Free up a chair, a shelf or part of the rail. Otherwise bags end up on the floor and on the kitchen table.
[ ] Take out the rubbish and wash the bin
    The bin is the most common source of a smell the people who live there have stopped noticing. Emptying and wiping it is faster than masking it.
[ ] Clear and wipe the table and coffee table
    An empty surface reads as tidy even when the shelves are full. Wipe it after you clear it, not before.
[ ] Wipe the worktop, hob and sink
    Guests see as much of the kitchen as you walk through. The working area is enough; shelves and cupboard doors can wait for a normal clean.
[ ] Check you have clean glasses and plates for guests
    Hold the glasses and cups up to the light: dishwasher marks show there first. Get out the number you need in advance.
[ ] Vacuum or mop the routes people use
    Hallway, corridor and the room people will sit in. Nobody is interested in the floor under the bed today.
[ ] Wipe switches, handles and the tap
    These are the things a guest will definitely touch. A minute of work with a noticeable effect.
[ ] Turn on the lamps and straighten the textiles
    Warm, diffused light and straightened cushions do more for the impression than another twenty minutes of cleaning.
[ ] Mop the floors throughout the flat
    With more than an hour, do all the floors rather than just the walkways.
[ ] Give the bathroom a full pass
    Splash-zone tiles, the bath joint, the shower glass, the floor behind the toilet. That is a proper clean rather than preparation.
[ ] Empty the drying rack and clear the kitchen surfaces
    A kitchen with nothing standing on the surfaces looks completely different. Worth it if that is where people will sit.
[ ] Stop cleaning and set the table
    Beyond this point you are cleaning for cleaning's sake. The rest can wait for an ordinary day: people are coming to see you, not your shelves.

Checklist from Unload: https://unloads.me/c/before-guests-cleaning