With the holidays upon us, let’s revisit a popular theme for this time of year. Focus areas for cleaning during the holidays. Believe it or not, you can accomplish your house cleaning and organizing needs for a holiday-ready home without much effort.
If you break it down into manageable parts, your holiday cleaning doesn’t have to be overwhelming. House cleaning this way can help keep you focused and calm, allowing you to enjoy a stress-free time with your family and guests this holiday season. If you have already done a thorough job of household cleaning and organizing each quarter (like we highly recommend), you will have less housekeeping to do for the holiday season.
If your whole house is due for a house cleaning overhaul this holiday season, decide which rooms are the most important to have cleaned and start there. If you are not expecting overnight guests, the spare bedroom is probably not a priority. This will leave you with the option to simply shut the spare bedroom doors.
Common Areas
As always, the main priority is high traffic areas. Guests are likely to be in your kitchen, living room, and bathroom or sitting at your dining room table. Begin your housecleaning routine in the main common areas of your home. If you have extra time, you can focus on organizing the bedrooms or cleaning the office.
Start household cleaning with a top to bottom dusting of walls and ceilings. This cuts down on the dust level in the house throughout the coming year and is a helpful all natural house cleaning method to keeping your home dust free. Dust off and clean your tables, counters, bookshelves, entertainment centers and other surfaces before thoroughly cleaning the hidden areas and nooks. Wipe over all woodwork, doors, windowsills and baseboards. Pull out furniture that has not been cleaned behind recently and clean the surface by hand wiping or vacuuming. Clean the floors in the high traffic areas of your home last, as you want to keep this step as close to the arrival time of your guests as possible. Clean floors make a big impact.
Restrooms
Clean restrooms are a must in order to be ready for visitors. Begin by wiping down the counters and giving a good scrubbing to the toilet and shower. Place out an extra roll of toilet paper so guests won’t have to go hunting for it, refill the hand soap, and putting out fresh hand towels.
Passageways
Organize the hallways and staircases, areas that tend to gather clutter as family members drop and disperse their belongings from one room to the next. Sweep or vacuum up any debris in this area before company comes. If there are any side rooms or closets that you don’t have time to clean, walk through your clean home just prior to your guests arrival and make sure the doors to these areas are closed.
Kitchen
Enjoy your clean home and start the holidays with a clean kitchen. Guests are likely to enter your kitchen, whether to gather and help you prepare the meal or to help set the table. Clean the counters and appliances by wiping them down, then mop and clean the floors before guests arrive. Make sure you have an empty dishwasher on the day of the event so you can quickly and easily place dirty dishes away, keeping them out of sight as soon as they accumulate. With any extra time, hose down your trash can and use a pleasant scented garbage bag so the trash won’t add any unwelcome odors to the day’s festivities.
We know you can manage cleaning your home this holiday season, but if you would rather let us do it for you, call us today at 541-601-6236 for a quote or a gift certificate.
Ready For Guests!
Believe it or not, you can accomplish your house cleaning and organizing needs for a holiday-ready home without much effort.
House Cleaning Tips:
Your holiday house cleaning can be broken down into manageable parts. House cleaning this way can help keep you focused and calm, allowing you to enjoy a stress-free time with your family and guests this holiday season. If you have already done a thorough job of household cleaning and organizing back in May and the summer sand has been swept out in July, and the mildew cleaned up in September, you will have less housekeeping to do for the holiday season.
If your whole house is due for a house cleaning overhaul this holiday season, decide which rooms are the most important to have cleaned and start there. If you are not expecting overnight guests, do your final organizing and cleaning in the spare bedroom last. This will leave you with the option to simply shut the spare bedroom door, if you have last minute guests arrive for dinner. Do the same thing for cleaning the kids’ rooms, if needed, unless these rooms will be used by overnight guests.
- High traffic areas – When you invite guests for dinner, they probably won’t check your son’s bedroom closet to see if it is organized or peek in your office to see if it is clean. Guests are likely to be in your kitchen, living room, and bathroom or sitting at your dining room table. Begin your housecleaning routine in the main common areas of your home. If you have extra time, you can focus on organizing the bedrooms, cleaning the office or simply keep the doors to those rooms closed on the big day.
- Visible Spaces – Start household cleaning with a top to bottom dusting of walls and ceilings. This cuts down on the dust level in the house throughout the coming year and is a helpful all natural house cleaning method to keeping your home dust free. Dust off and clean your tables, counters, bookshelves, entertainment centers and other surfaces before thoroughly cleaning the hidden areas and nooks. Wipe over all woodwork, doors, windowsills and baseboards. Pull out furniture that has not been cleaned behind recently and clean the surface by hand wiping or vacuuming. Clean the floors in the high traffic areas of your home last, as you want to keep this step as close to the arrival time of your guests as possible. They will see a sparkling clean house when they arrive.
- Bathrooms – Take a look through your bathrooms and make sure they are clean and ready for visitors. This includes wiping down the counters and giving a good scrubbing to the toilet and shower, placing out an extra roll of toilet paper so guests won’t have to go hunting for it if they need it, refilling the hand soap and putting out fresh hand towels. Close your shower curtain to hide all those bath items inside and keep your medicine cabinet closed.
- Passageways – Organize the hallways and staircases, areas that tend to gather clutter as family members drop and disperse their belongings from one room to the next. Sweep or vacuum up any debris in this area before company comes. If there are any side rooms or closets that you don’t have time to clean, walk through your clean home just prior to your guests arrival and make sure the doors to these areas are closed.
- Kitchen – Enjoy your clean home and start the holidays with a clean kitchen. Guests are likely to enter your kitchen, whether to gather and help you prepare the meal or to help set the table. Clean the counters and appliances by wiping them down, then mop and clean the floors before guests arrive. Make sure you have an empty dishwasher on the day of the event so you can quickly and easily place dirty dishes away, keeping them out of sight as soon as they accumulate. With any extra time, hose down your trash can and use a pleasant scented garbage bag so the trash won’t add any unwelcome odors to the day’s festivities.
Focusing your intent and initiative on these house cleaning tips, will bring results and peace of mind, as well as a sense of accomplishment and a very clean home life! We are here to help you. Happy house cleaning!
