With Thanksgiving just a few hours away, many people are rushing around trying to get their house in tip-top shape! Here are a few tips for a quick holiday cleaning that will leave your guests with the same “wow” factor as if you spent hour’s housecleaning.
Prioritize your cleaning. Concentrate on the public areas like the family room, bathroom and dining room where your guests will be spending most of their time. Take a timer into each room with you and set it to 15 minutes. Get the “must-do’s” done first, like replenishing the toilet paper, vacuuming the carpet and wiping down the dining room table, and then if there is leftover time do the extras like scrubbing the tub or dusting each picture frame. Using this technique will allow you to get all the necessities done in a short amount of time!
Hiding clutter can be difficult, but here’s the “hail Mary pass” of housecleaning: cover up the mess when you can’t get rid of it. If you don’t have enough time to go through each room, discarding of the clutter you no longer need, neatly put it in empty laundry baskets or boxes and put those in closets or bedrooms no one will be seeing. Shut the doors to rooms and closets your guests need not see and keep your cleaning simple!
Look around and see your house the way your guests will, to make sure you haven’t overlooked anything. If most of your guests will be spending a majority of their time in the living room, sit on the couch and look around. Does the TV need dusting? Are there dust bunnies in the corner of the room? Are there stains on the carpet that need to be cleaned or covered? Seeing things from their vantage point will help you prioritize what needs to be done first. Also, take a look at your front door entrance. What will your guests see as they stand there waiting for you to open the door? Broken umbrellas? Spider webs? Junk mail? Clean it up as this is the first impression your guests will have.
The bathroom is the one room where bad housekeeping can really gross out your guests! The must do’s are relatively east to accomplish, and should be left to last minute so nobody in your family can mess it up before your guests arrive. Scrub your toilet bowl with a scrub brush and wipe down the seat and rim with disposable Clorox wipes. As for the sink and countertop, focus on making them sparkle! No one likes to see your leftover toothpaste and soap residue. Spray down the mirrors with a glass cleaner and break out a new bottle of liquid soap. Place fresh hand towels close by and replace the hanging bath towels. Last, but not least, keep extra toilet paper in an obvious place and empty the trash. A clean bathroom can make a big difference!
A few last minute things to think about: where are your guests going to hang their coats and bags? Do you want them walking to a bedroom, or would you rather put up a foldable coat rack in the foyer for easy access? Are your floors clean? Don’t drive yourself crazy trying to get them spotless before guests arrive. Vacuum the rugs and do a quick Swiffer wipe over the kitchen and wood floors, but cut it there. The floors are going to get filthy with the foot traffic of all your guests anyways, so no need to go crazy!
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