Tips for Keeping a Clean Home During the Holidays

  Ah, the Holiday Season! It’s festive, sparkly and exciting, but it can also get super hectic. There are countless meals to be prepared for countless parties, countless presents to be purchased and wrapped for countless nieces and nephews…. It’s easy to get behind on house cleaning when you can barely remember today’s date. Meanwhile, the in-laws are driving from the neighboring state and you want everything to sparkle and shine like Rudolph’s nose! If only you had all those Santa’s helpers! No worries, here are a few tips from our Sykesville home cleaning experts to help you tame the holiday madness and maintain the perfect dust-to-sparkle ratio in your home.

Clean Your Decorations Before Putting Them Up

Where do you keep all those festive wreaths, cornucopias, lights and statuettes? Probably in the basement or in the attic—some of the dustiest places in your home. Unless you store everything in airtight bins or wash after each use, your décor will be covered in dust from the last year. Dust can make things look dingy, so wipe it off before hanging your décor. For non-washable items like wreaths, use the compressed air can to get every last bit of cobwebs off. This extra step will help you get the most out of your decor—you paid good money for it, might as well turn up the sparkles to 10!

Put Away Fall and Summer Items

Do you still have some fall jackets and summer bags hanging on the coat hanger? Do the kids have a bin full of outdoor toys they won’t be able to play with until next spring? Take the time to go through all this stuff and sort out everything that won’t be needed during winter. This is a great way to declutter your main floor and make room for things that you actually need and use on a daily basis.

Prepare Your Kitchen

Holidays usually involve a lot of cooking. If you are used to hosting parties for Thanksgiving or Christmas, you know that counter space and fridge space can be scarce this time of year. The kitchen may actually be the one place where it makes sense to forgo the décor in favor of functionality, at least temporarily. If you choose to decorate the kitchen, opt for items that won’t get in the way or shed sparkles into your mashed potatoes. Otherwise, consider putting away counter appliances that you may not use as much in winter, such as the ice cream maker or the dehydrator. Cleaning the fridge of all expired and spoiled items will also make a big difference.

Be the Boss

During the holidays, you can’t let clutter pile up and floors get covered with pet hair. If a friend only gave you a 15 minute notice that they are stopping by to drop off a present, that’s not enough time to vacuum, wash, clean and light a candle. Your home should be mostly clean most of the time, so that only small touch-ups are needed to make it guest-ready. Don’t hesitate to involve your family members and assign them duties or specific areas to maintain. Kids can make sure their toys and shoes are always put away, and older family members can take up vacuuming or dish washing. Who knows, maybe they get so used to helping you out, you’ll be able to maintain this routine throughout the year?

Take Some Shortcuts

Let’s be honest, always doing everything yourself is neither healthy nor reasonable. Who said that all the meals have to be homemade? Would anyone notice if you hired a landscaper to get rid of the leaves and remove dead plants? Give yourself some overdue rest and relaxation by having a professional clean your home from top to bottom. Our cleaning team at Immaculate Clean is very busy during the Holiday Season doing exactly that—helping you make your home look awesome! Some homeowners just want a one-time deep cleaning to leave them with a clean slate (pun intended) to maintain. Others have us come back on a weekly basis to keep the dirt and dust at bay. Let us know what your cleaning challenges are and we’ll be happy to accommodate them! Contact us today for home cleaning services in Carroll County, Maryland.

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