My Trick for Ensuring a Clean House

So this is going to be short (sorry but we've got a house to clean!).

Have I mentioned before that D and I are not what you'd call neat freaks?  I want to be.  And I realize that once we have kids it is just going to get worse (which my mother reminds me about almost weekly!).  Constantly I come up with "mini to-do" chore lists.  For instance, I'll say, "sweetie, today we are putting away the laundry." And then without fail, something else will come up.  Or nothing will come up and we're both just wiped from a long work day and it won't happen. "Ok, we'll do it tomorrow." Don't think I am ruining the ending if I say, tomorrow almost never comes!

But there is one time when we do buckle down and clean: if we are having company!  My home has been less than inviting to company lately.  So we invited friends of D over and now we have to clean!  No that isn't the only reason we invited company over, but a clean home is a HUGE benefit!

What tricks/tips do you use to keep your home clean??