Cleaning Tips for The Holidays
It’s time to start thinking about these Cleaning Tips For The Holidays! The season is upon us! Time for piles of wrapping paper, snow in the front hall, dirty holiday dishes, dusty mantles, broken ornaments, and a host of other things that will require our constant tidying. During the rest of the year, it is a seemingly never-ending duty. When the holidays and guests come, it is even more so! Keep your sanity with this list of holiday cleaning tips!
Cleaning Tips For The Holidays
Make a cleaning basket– For quick but thorough cleanings keep all your cleaning supplies together in a nice handled basket or cleaning bucket. Window cleaner, paper towels, antibacterial wipes, rug deodorizer, dusting spray, and clothes. You can grab it for quick clean ups or deeper cleanings.
Designate a pickup basket– When last minute guests arrive, or the clutter has just become too much, and you don’t have the time to give it the attention it needs you can make a run around the living spaces and toss everything into a basket with a lid. Pop it in a closet until you have the time to put it all away properly.
Freshen up the air-Keep candles, plug-ins, essential oils in a diffuser, and air freshener on hand for use in living spaces and of course the bathroom. When things smell clean, they look a little cleaner. Use holiday scents like pine, cinnamon, peppermint, winterberry, etc. to freshen your home. This is one of the most efficient cleaning tips you’ll see on this list.
Assign responsibility– The rule in our house is if you make the mess you clean it up. Hold everyone else in the house responsible for cleaning up their things and areas, so you are not doing it all and burning out. Go a step further with these cleaning tips and give every family member a special holiday job- sweeping up needles, watering the tree, sweeping off the front porch, putting away non-breakable ornaments when it’s all over shoveling snow, or de-icing car windows.
Create a daily checklist– Make a list of your most important tasks for each day, whether it is your routine cleaning or special deep cleaning for a party. This will contribute to making sure nothing gets missed, and checking things off gives you a sense of pride! Better yet, rip the list in half and pass it over to someone else in the house. I also like using a dry erase board to create our to-do list and chore chart.
Spread out the work– Don’t try to do everything in one day. Spread out your work, especially the big jobs so you don’t end up frazzled and you can enjoy the season, your family, and guests.
Use items that do double duty– Like all-purpose cleaner for all kitchen and bath surfaces, vacuums that also do upholstery and drapes, wet/dry mops and other items. These save time and frustration. I’m a huge fan of the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe vacuum. It works amazingly on multiple surfaces.
Don’t sweat the small stuff– Do what you can, do the most important things and don’t worry about the rest. Your guests are there to see you, not your sparkling toilet.
These cleaning tips for the holidays are some of my favorites. They are all about making your life easier to manage when it is chock full of events, friends, family, and busyness. Use these, and your own favorite cleaning tips, to keep your home and life in order during the holiday season.
