The holiday season is fast approaching. For some people, this includes hosting parties, out of town guests, and decorating your home. This also means that you need to have time to get your home ready before these events and keep up with it while you have guests in town, shop for gifts, and host your parties.
This is your ultimate guide to preparing your home for the holidays, including tips from JTS Management Company about how to handle emergency cleaning tasks and last-minute preparations.
Christmas Cleaning Made Easy
Towards the end of November, families get together to decorate the home in preparation for Christmas. This means hanging decorations, lights, and putting up your Christmas tree. This also means more to clean up and clean around.
Christmas cleaning can be made easy with the right planning, tools, and supplies.
Make a List, Check it Twice
The same way that Old Saint Nick makes a list and checks it twice, you should do the same with your holiday cleaning. You need to create a list of what rooms will be used the most or where people tend to gather, such as the living room or the kitchen. If you plan on entertaining guests through the holidays, you need to make a to-do list for those spare rooms as well.
Once a week you should go over the list and check to make sure that you are keeping up with the tasks. To make it easier save the smaller cleaning tasks when it gets closer to Christmas.
Countdown to Christmas
As Christmas gets closer you want to pull out your list and address any cleaning tasks that are still outstanding. Make a 12-day countdown checklist to get your home ready.
12 Days of Cleaning
First Day
The spare bedroom/guest bedroom. If you don’t use your spare room frequently, you need to wipe the surfaces in the room and do some dusting. Make sure to clean out the closets and underneath the bed. You should also open windows and clean the bedding. Place a small Ziploc bag with baking soda in the room for a few days to freshen the room up. After about 5 days swap the baking soda baggie for one filled with potpourri.
Second Day
Tackle the kid’s rooms. Depending on the ages of your kids, you will need to get in there and do a thorough cleaning of their room. This includes picking up clutter and making the room presentable. If your kids are old enough, have them help with small tasks.
Third Day
Get the laundry room organized. If you are going to have out of town guests, there’s a good chance that they will need to use the laundry room. Make sure to clean the washer hoses and dryer vents. Clean the floors and double-check that you are stocked up with laundry supplies.
Fourth Day
Deep clean the kitchen. The kitchen is frequently used as a gathering area when you have company. Deep clean your kitchen, focusing on the appliances, walls, baseboards, and floors.
Fifth Day
Prep the living room. The living room is another common gathering area for guests. Place a wicker basket in the corner of the room that has small plastic bags and clean rags to clean as you go. Make sure things are put away and the room has been dusted.
Sixth Day
Make sure the dining room is set up. The dining area should be cleaned thoroughly and decorated accordingly. Pull out the holiday table cloth, table settings, and placemats, and place them in a small wicker basket in the dining room. Make sure that you have everything you need for your holiday feast so you’re not running out at the last minute.
Seventh Day
Handle the hallways. Hallways have a tendency to be overlooked, yet they are high traffic areas. Sweep, mop, and wipe the walls in the hallways on days 7 and 12 to make sure it is ready for your guests.
Eighth Day
Master bedroom and bathroom. Some people skip over the master bedroom and bathroom, with the thought that no one will venture into those areas. However, you never know who may wander in there so it’s better to be prepared.
Ninth Day
Main/coat closet. If you have a coat closet near the front door, make sure that it is organized. Make sure that there is enough room for guests to hang their coats.
Tenth Day
The exterior of the home. In warmer climates, families will congregate outside, in areas such as the lanai or the backyard. Make sure that the outside of your home reflects the inside of your home as far as cleanliness.
Eleventh Day
Bathroom cleaning. The main bathroom that will be used by guests should have clean towels and be stocked with toilet paper and toiletries. You also want to make sure that you clean the floors, the shower, and the toilet. Place potpourri in a decorative basket as a final touch.
Twelfth Day
Spot check and organize. On the final day of cleaning, go around the house with your list to make sure everything on your list has been addressed. Organize areas where people will gather and do last-minute vacuuming and mopping of these areas.
Cleaning Tips
- Use wicker baskets to pick up clutter in each room.
- Wait until Christmas Eve before placing presents under the tree if you exchange gifts.
- Clean around the tree daily. If you put up a real tree you will have pine needles fall off at the bottom, clean them up each night so it doesn’t pile up.
- Place potpourri in small Ziploc bags and poke a few pin-sized holes around the bag. Place the little baggies in various areas throughout the home, to add a holiday scent around your home.
- Try to do most of your cleaning either in the morning before everyone wakes up or in the evening when everyone goes to bed.
- Keep club soda and small cleaning rags in a wicker basket in common areas to address emergency cleanup tasks, such as spills.
Final Thought
This guide was designed to help you with your holiday house preparations. With a little planning and a checklist, getting your house ready for the holidays and tackling your Christmas cleaning can be done with ease.