Holiday Cleaning To-Do List

Is it your turn to host the big holiday get-together? Or are you planning on having family fly in to stay during the holidays? While it may get hectic trying to spruce up your home for guests, here are some cleaning tips that will help you have your home ready for the holidays in no time.

Living Room

A good deep cleaning of your upholstered furniture and carpet is beneficial to do this time of year, especially if you plan on having guests.

If you have hardwood floors, try soaking a cloth in tea and using it to wipe down the floors. If you have laminate floors, simply adding 2 tablespoons of baby shampoo to a gallon of water is sufficient to mop those areas with.

Bathroom

How you clean the bathroom is essential, since everyone visiting your home is likely to frequent here. Make sure all the towels here are thoroughly cleaned; since wet towels are easy carriers of mildew and bacteria, it’s important to wash them frequently while you have guests staying. Adding baking soda instead of detergent when washing them in the washing machine does the trick in helping them stay smelling fresh. Drying them on the highest setting in your dryer will eliminate any lingering bacteria.

When it comes to the toilet, a DIY non-harsh chemical method of cleaning tough stains is pouring a 20-ounce bottle of cola inside, letting it soak for 30 minutes, and then scrub with a scrubbing brush; however, bleach works just as well! Also make sure you’re really scrubbing down surfaces; don’t just wipe them down.

Kitchen

If you’re hosting dinner, then it’s likely that your kitchen should be prioritized as the area to clean first. If you have a garbage disposal, you can easily freshen up its smell and keep up its maintenance all at the same time by dropping a lemon slice into it. Adding ice will help sharpen its blades.

If you plan on using that stove this holiday season, a good baking soda and water solution is a good method for scrubbing baked-on stains in the oven and out.

Your refrigerator is probably the most important item in your kitchen that needs attention before the holidays. Make sure you throw out any old food and invest in a box of baking soda to keep inside once you’ve deeply cleaned the interior to keep it smelling fresh.