Cold weather, changing leaves, and cozy sweaters are all synonymous with the arrival of the holidays. As the festive season approaches, there’s undeniable excitement in the air, and what better way to embrace it than by getting your home ready for family, friends, and all the holiday cheer!
In this article, we will be sharing a multitude of holiday gifts: professional house cleaning tips on how to make your home the heart of holiday celebrations while ensuring all of your guests feel happy and comfortable. Whether it’s your first time or just another year as a seasoned host, we’ve got you covered! Contact Yost Cleaning to schedule your deep cleaning service today!
As our first tip, we cannot stress enough the importance of being proactive and not procrastinating. Even if you keep up with regular house cleaning, you’ll likely come to find that preparing for holiday guests involves more than just a simple tidy-up, and the longer you wait, the more anxiety you’ll have.
That’s why we suggest that you create a list, check it twice, and get going! A little bit of work at a time is best, especially if you have other responsibilities, rather than letting it all pile up at the last second. Be sure to learn about our quick cleaning tips for when you only have 30 minutes.
All the tips that follow are far easier when you begin by decluttering. Decluttering your home includes small tasks like organizing shoes, clearing tables and surfaces, and tackling that load of laundry. All of this will help your home feel bigger and less messy, which, when your rooms are packed with guests, will be an added blessing.
Decluttering also enables you to have better access to all areas of your home. This helps to promote a faster and more efficient cleaning process as things like vacuuming and dusting are not easy with various items lying about.
With all the other happenings, it’s easy for something like cleaning to fall by the wayside. A wise way to combat this is to set a cleaning schedule and stick to it! Divide up all the tasks that need to be done in order to keep your home in top condition, then break it down into different days for a manageable plan.
Your schedule should consist of the periods leading up to guest arrival, during their stay, and afterward. Cleaning is perhaps the most important part of hosting guests, so if you feel like your cleaning schedule is too much, we recommend hiring a deep cleaning service to get your holidays started right.
As guests arrive, you can be sure that you’ll need extra space ready for all of their coats and shoes. Without that space ready, your home will get cluttered pretty much as soon as they walk in the door.
On a related note, guests staying the night or multiple nights may really appreciate some space in their room to store their clothes so they’re not living out of a suitcase. Consider clearing out the spare bedroom dresser or make a bit of room in the closet, and your guests will feel right at home.
What are the holidays without good food? Before guests arrive, take the opportunity to clean out your refrigerator and pantry of old food and leftovers to make room for all the holiday ingredients you’ll need.
It may seem obvious, but having guests means more mouths to feed! Plan accordingly on the amount of food to stock up with and if you want to go the extra mile, be sure to provide easily accessible snacks for those loved ones who need a little something to hold them over until dinner.
We all love catching up with friends and family, but let’s be honest: we already know one of the first questions they’ll ask is whether you have WiFi and what the password is. Stay ahead of them by creating a handy informational leaflet for your guests that covers some of those frequently asked questions you expect.
You can’t always entertain your guests, especially if they’re going to stay for an extended period of time. We recommend making a short list of recommendations and guides to the town including the best places to eat and visit. Your guests aren’t tourists, but that doesn’t mean you can’t treat them with plenty of inside information!
Some of your guests might forget a toothbrush or toothpaste, and a little slip-up like that is not worth a whole trip to the store once everyone is finally gathered and having a great time. Before everyone arrives, it might be worth purchasing some of these essentials along with a few other thoughtful items such as bottled water, hand lotion, makeup remover wipes, and other similar items that will help your guests feel right at home.
Guests won’t expect your home to have all the commodities of a hotel, but it’s important to have the basics any guest will need to feel comfortable. Wash sheets and comforters in the guest bedrooms, provide some fresh towels, and have extra blankets and pillows on hand.
You’ll also want to double-check that you have enough plates and utensils for any big meals you’ll be hosting. While you’re focusing on your kitchen, read up on our kitchen cleaning hacks to make your life easier!
If you’re the lucky owner of a loveable cat or dog, just remember that not all of your guests may appreciate them as you do. It’s wise to have a plan in place for what to do with your pets (and any pets that arrive as additional guests). Give your furniture a particularly thorough vacuuming, sweep up favorite pet sleeping spots, and stock up on extra pet treats to keep your furry friends on their best behavior.
As our last tip, be sure to remember what the holidays are all about - family, friends, fun, and cheer. Cleaning and preparing your home for guests is a critical part of hosting, but it should never get to the point that it takes away from your own joy.
If you have guests inbound for the holidays, there is a lot to do to make sure your home is ready. You can do it alone, but you don’t have to! Contact Yost Cleaning to schedule your deep cleaning service today.