Your holiday party has been planned for a few weeks, but it seems like the house is just as messy as ever. Before everyone arrives for your special event, you can follow a few tips and tricks to get your house as clean as possible in a short time. When you’re cleaning, recruit your family to help so that you get the job done faster, leaving time to decorate, make food, and enjoy the party. These tips can also be used to get your home clean so that you can enjoy the holiday season with your family and friends if you’re not hosting a party.
Dishes And Glasses
Start by cleaning the glassware, silverware, and dishes that you’re going to use for the holidays if you don’t plan on using paper plates or plastic items. Try to get as many spots removed as possible so that everyone has something clean to drink from and eat off of instead of dishes that aren’t pristine.
Clean The Floors
Spend a few days before everyone will be at your home cleaning your floors. People will sometimes track dirt or mud inside the home without realizing it, and kids will usually be in and out of the house more often when they are out of school for the holidays. You don’t have to wax your hardwood floors or get carpets professionally cleaned, but you should sweep and mop so that hard surfaces are spotless and make sure carpets don’t have stains and are vacuumed before guests arrive. You can use a small amount of baby shampoo to get carpets clean or a small amount of lemon juice for a citrus scent when you’re mopping hard surfaces.
Linens
If your guests are spending the night for the holidays, you want to make sure all of the linens are washed. Put fresh sheets on the beds and clean towels in the cabinets for them to use. You could get a few new towels and washcloths to put on the bed your guests will sleep in so that they feel like they are at a bed and breakfast instead of staying in your home. Get towels and washcloths cleaner by adding about half a cup of baking soda to your washing machine when it’s filling with water. This will help to remove stains and odors that have lingered on the linens.
Appliances
The refrigerator, freezer, stove, and coffee maker are the appliances in the kitchen that will probably be used the most during the holidays. Run half a cup of vinegar and lemon juice through your coffee maker when you’re cleaning it to remove coffee stains and to make it look like a new appliance. Clean all of the empty containers from the refrigerator and freezer, and put a box of baking soda or oatmeal inside to get rid of odors. Use lemon juice and a small amount of vinegar to remove stains on the inside and outside of the refrigerator. You can put a dish of water and baking soda inside the stove to clean it by turning the oven on low so that the water gently steams. The baking soda inside will begin to disperse, lingering on the sides of the oven so that it’s easier to clean with a damp sponge or cloth.
Treating The Windows
Before you begin hanging lights on the windows or decorating them, you need to clean away the dust and dirt as well as the fingerprints and other marks on the glass. Balled newspaper and vinegar will clean the glass a bit better than other cleaners. Dish detergent works as well. When the windows are dry, begin decorating your windows for the holiday season.
