HOME CLEANING CHECKLIST BEFORE HOLIDAY SEASON

Holiday season means opening your home to all your friends and family. But before you do that, make sure it’s squeaky clean! Here is your checklist to help you get everything right as you undertake the task of home cleaning right before holiday season! But before we get to that, here are a few things to get you started.

Make a list!

You read that right! The first step to getting anything done is making a list of everything that needs to get done. There are more than one benefits to this. You have a ready reference in case you forget anything, plus when you sit down and start writing everything down, you end up remembering many things you would have otherwise forgotten about until the very last minute. Include everything from shopping to decorations and also the following cleaning checklist!

Prioritize the tasks

Now that you have your lists ready, it’s time to prioritize all the tasks by their levels of importance and urgency. This one is simple – pick out the five most important tasks, then list them in order of urgency, starting with the urgent-most task first. Keep doing this until you have covered all the tasks on your list, and you’re all set!

Plan some downtime

We all love the holiday spirit and tend to get excited to get everything done as soon as possible. And while there is nothing wrong with that, it is also important to plan some time to rest, relax, and rejuvenate. After all, the holidays are supposed to be a fun and relaxing time for you, too! So, throw in a visit to your favorite spa, a yoga class, or perhaps just some time to curl up with your favorite book or movie between all the other tasks.

Have fun!

The most important part of holidays is having fun. So, if you start stressing over all the tasks you’re doing, just take a break and remind yourself that you’re doing this to have fun, not just to get things done. Psst! A quick dance around the kitchen while you clean it can perk you up in a jiffy!

Now that we have everything set, here’s your cleaning checklist – we did say we’re taking that one off your hands!

The cleaning list

Like you made a checklist for all the tasks you want to get done, it’s now time to make a list of everything you want to clean up. You have all that memorized, but writing it down on paper will make it less stressful. Read the list once you’ve written everything. You might find things that simply don’t need to be done right now, like cleaning out your closet which can be done later. When you find unnecessary items, remove them from the list. Now start tackling your house one room at a time. Here’s your checklist of things you will need for each room.

The kitchen

You will spend a lot of time here on account of the food and drinks. Make sure you have these items handy for cleaning it:

·      Dishwasher detergent

·      Garbage and compost bags

·      Table linen, dish towels, washcloths (and ensure they’re all washed and clean)

Here’s what you need to clean in the kitchen:

·      Countertops

·      Cabinets

·      Oven and other appliances

·      Cutlery and glasses (if you’re using glass; or stock up on plastic cups and dishes)

The living room

The living room is going to be arguably the busiest part of your house in the holiday season. Here are the supplies you will need for cleaning it:

·      Dusters

·      Vacuum cleaner

·      Floor cleaner

·      Mop

Here’s everything you need to clean your living room (you might want to use the vacuum cleaner for most of them):

·      Tables and shelves

·      Mantel

·      Sofas/couches (and their pillows and throws)

·      Remove clutter like boxes or books piled into a corner

·      Launder the rugs/carpets (or get it done professionally)

·      Vacuum and mop the floor

The entryway

The entryway will be the first thing your guests see and pass through. You will need these supplies to clean it:

·      Broom or shovel for the porch

·      Glass cleaner for your doors/windows

Get your entryway ready like this:

·      Sweep/shovel the porch

·      Clean doors, windows, mirrors

·      Wash the doormat

·      Remove any junk lying around

·      Make space for extra shoes

·      Bring out your spare hangers for your guests’ coats

The bathroom

You will need these supplies for bathroom cleaning:

·      Bathroom cleaner/detergent

·      Glass cleaner (for the mirror)

Do these things for your baths:

·      Clean the toilets and sinks (and faucets)

·      Clean the mirror

·      Refill the handwash

·      Empty the trashcans

·      Stock up on toilet paper

·      Keep clean towels

·      Clean the drains

·      Add a nice fragrance

Finally, if you get stressed or bored while cleaning the house, just put on some interesting music or podcast and enjoy!