The holiday seasons are a wonderful time to catch up with old friends, bond with family, and enjoy yourself – hopefully with at least a day or two of holiday vacation. If not, a professional cleaning service can always come in handy.
With the holidays comes holiday cheer, food, opening presents, sharing stories with one another, and welcoming those you care about into your home. But, with this also comes great responsibility (we hope) in preparing your home, holiday cleaning, making space for your guests, and making sure you’re ready for the “after party” cleanup. For example, it can be quite helpful to prepare special bags, extra dishes, and other items your guests might want, need, or benefit from during their visit.
The first step, start by carefully wiping down the house, freshening your linens, and making sure that it’s not only as clean as possible but will also stay that way. Buying and using cheap rugs with a little holiday cheer on them can act as great protectants to ensure salt, snow or dirt isn’t brought into your home that might make a mess – or worse damage your floors and valued rugs.
It’s always good to also give your bedrooms and bathrooms a one over to ensure they are as clean and tidy as possible, giving off a good impression to your visitors while also remaining “cozy” and welcoming. For instance, it might be useful to purchase some aspirin, acid-reflux medication, and extra Band-Aids or a medical kit just to be sure which can give your guests the luxury of good health and safety. Also, it’s advisable to temporarily remove your medications from the medicine cabinets, especially if you’re going to have children over for the sake of preventing any accidents.
When it comes to the bathroom, your sink, doorknobs, walls, and ceiling are often the first things people see, so go to down with dusting, wiping it down, and cleaning the mirror – and windows – before having your guests over. It’s also nice – if you don’t already – to add a personal, holiday season touch by putting a non-allergenic candle in your bathroom or air freshener as a courtesy to your guests, and to avoid any awkward situations. It’s the small things and attention to detail that can give you results comparable to a professional cleaning. Speaking of which, also consider putting extra soap bars and toilet paper in the bathroom where it’s easily accessible for your guests. And if your hand-towels have been sitting all year, or were stored away it’s worth the time and effort to put them through the wash, or simply purchase new – cheap holiday ones and place them in the bathroom when the time comes for guests.
As for preserving the cleanliness and freshness in preparation for your guests, invest the time in also ensuring all of your sinks work, the dishwasher, and that none of your plumbing is, or is prone to clogging without ensuring the little things to solve these problems are available. For example, extra dishwasher soap, a plunger for your bathroom toilet, and feel free to run something like Drain-O through any pipes or utilities that you think may become or already are potentially clogged.
Most importantly, it’s important you enjoy your time together with your family and friends for the holidays, so try to be prepared as possible in advance. For example, placing baking soda in the bottom of your trash cans to absorb and ward off undesirable smells, having rug and surface cleaners on ‘standby’ just in case of any spills, and placing any necessary plastic covering – ideally covered by a throw – on any furniture before your guests coming over. Even better, plan with your family members designated roles for who cleans what and takes the trash out during, and after your holiday dinner or party.
Image Credit : Ben_Kerckx