I tried the 'GFD' basket tidying trick ahead of hosting – it was a last-minute clutter-busting savior

I love to host my friends, but I prefer to have more than an hour's warning before I do so to tidy up and make my home presentable.

The other night, however, I ended up volunteering to host our regular game night last minute – but my house was in shambles after a long day of working and tackling tiresome chores.

That is where the 'GFD' – Guests For Dinner – basket came in handy, helping me get my home guest ready in under one hour without having to grow four arms or pause time itself! Here’s how it works.

What is the ‘Guests For Dinner’ (GFD) basket

So far as decluttering tips go, the Guests For Dinner basket is one of the simplest – You throw everything you need to put away but do not have time to in a big basket, and hide your GFD basket out of sight for the duration of your event. Afterwards, you spend time putting everything away properly.

It’s simple, but there are some caveats to this system that professional organizers are keen for you to consider.

How I used the GFD basket

Rather than rushing to tidy my home when feeling overwhelmed, the Guest For Dinner basket offers a quick solution to ‘fake clean’ a house. Any items making your home less inviting to guests besides trash are eligible for the GFD basket.

For me, this meant throwing everything from work tools and chargers to place-mats and mail from my dining room table to one side, ready to welcome my friend group in for our weekly board game night.

Everything left behind is either essential for the evening, such as some blankets for coziness and the games we were going to be playing, or trash, which can then be quickly collected and thrown away.

I used my large living room basket, similar to this large woven storage basket from Walmart, for this – the one I keep my extra throw blankets inside. This way, I could keep everything together while hiding them in plain sight, covering up my mess in a way that was not disruptive.

Despite being large, the basket has handles, which made it easy to then carry it around the house with me once my guests left, putting all the items back in their correct homes, with work items returning to my home office storage, and normal dining room items being popped back in place at the table. I also took the time the table was clear to clean a dining room after hosting.

My verdict

I loved how quick and easy the GFD method was. Even though I know my friends probably wouldn’t have minded if they had come in and seen some mess, clearing it away before the doorbell rang made me feel more house-proud, while making it easier for us all to enjoy the space, snacks and have more time playing games.

The caveat

While the Guest For Dinner basket does work really well on the odd occasion a guest comes around last minute, it is not a decluttering method you should rely on regularly, warns Jennifer Q. Williams, professional organizer and owner of Saint Louis Closet Co.

She explains, ‘This concept can get people into a lot of trouble very quickly, as the quick ‘pick-up-and-hide’ routine usually turns into more mess and more clutter. While people have good intentions of returning the contents of the basket after the dinner party retires, they usually are too tired and too busy to get around to it. These baskets then get shoved into a drawer or closet, causing even more messiness. This is also not a solution for a long-term plan.’

As long as you dedicate some time after your get together to properly put away the contents of your GBD basket, there won't be a silent clutter build up. If you don't have the energy to tidy them away that evening, set aside 15 minutes for the following day instead.

Tidying essentials

The long-term aim is to improve your home organizing ideas so that mess does not accumulate in the first place. Jennifer adds, ‘When your home is organized with custom closets and cabinets, you’ll be ready for any gathering – big or small. So, let’s make sure everything has a place to call home.

‘When your family and home are organized, you’ll spend less time managing clutter and more time enjoying life, knowing your space will always be ready for company.’

Meet the expert

Jennifer Williams

Besides being a CEO, Jennifer is an organizing and home-improvement expert. She is also a member of the Association of Closet and Storage Professionals.

This quick cleaning tip I actually use as a cleaning editor is certainly a great ‘every-so-often’ task for those emergency situations, but it is better to develop some habits of highly organized homeowners for long-term tidiness.