When it comes to cleaning during the holidays, it can sometimes be a bother. If there’s lots of cooking and baking to do, cleaning during the holidays is more difficult. But what if you have guests coming around next week and you can’t turn them down? You may have found yourself furiously cleaning your stove top a day before your guests are supposed to come over. If so, this article is for you. Here we have outlined your new holiday cleaning schedule and checklist. We spread out regular cleaning tasks that you can complete over a week or even a month. With this list of cleaning tips, you’ll have enough time to complete all the tasks, regardless of what holidays you’re celebrating.
Start Holiday Cleaning
Walk through the house as if you were a guest walking in for the first time and take note of what needs some attention. Here are 5 steps to start your holiday cleaning off:
1. Declutter
Always start cleaning by placing items where they’re meant to be, it will make everything go faster. This is also the perfect time to involve the kids to quickly help you declutter.
2. Clean The Walls
Walls are overlooked during usual home cleaning, so now is the time to clean them. Pay close attention to spots close to light fixtures, in hallways, or scuffs and marks anywhere under 3 feet off the ground, for those with children.
3. Deep Clean
Don’t forget to deep clean – vacuum and sweep underneath couches, behind the fridge, and all those other areas you usually leave. Also, it’s best to spot clean your carpets to remove stains from footprints, spills, and pet accidents.
4. Wash The Windows
Your guest’s children are sure to leave handprints behind, so use a glass cleaner to clean your windows. Remove spots, dust, and any other dirt that appears on the inside or outside of the windows. If you have the chance, you may also want to spray on water repellent to prevent water spots from forming.
5. Dust
Dry and wet dust the surfaces of your home, especially for those family members who suffer from allergies; you wouldn’t want your guests or family to be sneezing for the entire visit.
Clean The Kitchen
Here are other areas of your kitchen that you may want to clean if you haven’t already. Use these 3 kitchen cleaning tips to get going:
1. Cooking Surfaces
Proper care of your surfaces reduces the possibility of stains and makes cleaning much easier. If you have granite countertops, now is the best time to seal them before messes from holidays occur. Condition your butcher block or cutting board so it’s ready for whatever comes this holiday. You’ll want to clean your stove top before holiday cooking starts.
2. Empty The Fridge
If you store condiments, ignore the vegetable drawer or kept leftovers, now is the time to get back to the essentials. Throw away the expired food items and make room for the next lot of holiday foods and leftovers.
3. Clean All Kitchen Appliances
It’s not nice to stare at dirty fingerprints in the kitchen. You can clean your stainless steel appliances with an appropriate cleaner and use a soft cloth to wipe along the grain. Then, use a cloth or towel to dry in the same direction. Read here, about how to clean stainless steel for cleaning your appliances the right way.
Clean The Living Room
These are the 3 areas of your living room that should be cleaned.
1. Spot Clean The Carpet
Check your carpets for stains that stand out in your living room. A light-coloured carpet that is deeply stained may leave a reverse, very light stain surrounded by the rest of the carpet after a spot clean. If this is the case, it may be best to have the whole thing cleaned. Clean your carpets yourself, or get in touch with SweepSouth for professional carpet cleaning.
2. Clean The Couches
Start cleaning your couches by removing pillows and then vacuuming the couches, and underneath them, to remove dust. Use a couch cleaner or a DIY cleaning mixture to treat any furniture or carpet stains. Once you have cleaned your couches, fluff the pillows before placing them back on the sofa. You may have to use a lint roller on your furniture if you have pets.
3. Surfaces
Wipe all surfaces, including the coffee table, side tables, shelves, and all furniture with a damp cloth or microfiber duster.
Clean The Dining Room
For your dining room, you’ll want to clean and polish your silver utensils. Put the table cloth in the washing machine so that it’s clean for use. Polish your dining table with a cleaner, depending on the material of the table. Ensure you have enough chairs to accommodate guests.
You can top your dining table off with fresh flowers as a centrepiece, and keep coasters on the table to avoid drink rings on the furniture.
Clean The Bathroom
Using a water-repellent spray on your shower door will keep it clean by reducing soap scum and residue. Clean the bathroom mirrors with a glass cleaner to remove watermarks. Declutter the vanity table of your personal products and items. Wipe the countertops, sink, and taps. Place fresh towels, washcloths, and hand towels in the bathroom. Clean the toilet with a brush and toilet cleaner to make it shine. Scrub the bathtub and shower.
Replenish all toiletries, and supply extra for those things your guests need but could forget. Supply tissues and hand soap or sanitiser. Check for leaks and anything that may be damaged and needs preparation. Close the shower curtain or door when you’re done in the bathroom.
Clean The Bedrooms
Make the beds, and wash the sheets and pillows of all rooms, including the guest rooms, for a welcoming stay. If necessary, clean the mattresses, wash the pillows and bedding, and neatly arrange the bedding once the mattresses are completely dry. Write down the Wifi password for guests to easily connect. Lastly, remove all personal belongings from the guest bedrooms.
Outside The House
- On the outside of your home, you’ll want to use a glass cleaner or white vinegar and water to clean the outside of the windows. Let guests know whether they will have to park on the driveway or in the street overnight. Put tools for the garden away in the shed or garage. This includes rakes, lawnmowers, and shovels.
Tips For Holiday Cleaning
Here are 7 extra holiday cleaning tips:
1. Don’t Wait For Too Long
Try not to procrastinate. If you wait until the last minute to start cleaning, everything will be a rush when you finally get to it.
2. Declutter
Declutter any lingering objects such as coats, random pieces of paper, and other misplaced items. Picking up clutter before cleaning saves you time when it comes to cleaning. If an item is in the wrong place, then put it back where it belongs.
3. Use The Right Cleaning Solutions
You may use an all-purpose cleaner for everything in your home, but be careful, as permeable surfaces, leather, wood, and stone may require a specialised cleaning product to protect the surfaces. For a DIY all-purpose cleaning solution, you can use a mixture of 1 ½ cups of baking soda, ½ cup of dish soap, 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of water.
4. Deep Clean
Deep cleaning means cleaning every nook and cranny and hard-to-reach corners that are usually overlooked. With pets and children, you never know what ends up underneath the couch until it’s too late. For your surfaces, dust them wet or dry.
5. Go Room By Room
Taking one room at a time makes cleaning less overwhelming or stressful, and you are ensured to clean everything efficiently.
6. Rooms With High Traffic
The focus here is to clean your whole home, but allow some extra effort for rooms that have high traffic and where guests are likely to gather, for instance, the dining room, kitchen, and living room. These areas should be focal points of holiday cleaning.
7. Enhance The Mood
You may want to add some candles for a pleasant scent in your home. If you have a thermostat, you could adjust the temperature, or simply open the windows in your home. Having friends and family over during the holidays will be hassle-free when your home is clean.
Conclusion
During the holiday time, try to keep procrastinating to a minimum when it comes to cleaning up. It will help if you keep an all-purpose cleaner on hand for a quick action cleaning tool. Be sure to keep it out of reach of small children though. Electrostatic dust cloths are useful when cleaning certain items in your home – they help with dusting your TV screens, frames, photos, and tabletops. You may want to get disinfectant wipes for the side of the kitchen sink and bathroom sinks for an easy way to clean up. Don’t forget to disinfect commonly touched surfaces and items like handles and light switches.
Investing in a small handheld vacuum for cleaning up crumbs from your couches and floors may also be helpful.
We hope these tips will help you keep your home tidy these holidays. However, if you do not find the time to clean throughout the holidays, book a professional holiday clean with SweepSouth so you can relax without worry. We offer a variety of home cleaning services for you so that you can enjoy a clean home, ready for holiday celebrations.
