The Holidays are here! And while we all love overindulging on Thanksgiving turkey and exchanging gifts at Christmas, the Holidays bring their own host of challenges – like hosting.
Whether it’s your favorite sister or your not-so-favorite inlaws, hosting overnight guests means cleaning the areas we like to forget about. From dusty comforters to stained tablecloths, you have a lot to do, and time is running out!
The team at Kean’s is taking the guesswork out of your preparations with our new Holiday Cleaning Guide. Once you work your way down this handy list, you’ll feel like a super host and ready for even the most picky of guests.
Holiday Cleaning Guide
Step 1 – Declutter and Organize
We all suffer from some degree of clutter-blindness. When it’s your house, and you see the same items every day, you stop noticing them!
Like the pile of laundry on your sofa, or the random knick knacks just shoved into a pile on the shelf.
Now it’s time to fight the instinct to ignore focus on those problem areas.
Start by identifying the clutter hotspots – like entry ways, counters, or your dining room table. Tackle one at a time, sorting through the items and stashing away things that don’t need to take up space.
For things you’d like to keep in an easily accessible location, it may be time to invest in some storage solutions.
While a pile of toys on the floor looks messy, a basket of toys says “I’m an organized super mom who’s GREAT at holiday cleaning!”
Step 2 – Guest Room Prep
Where are your overnight guests actually staying? If it’s a guest room, odds are you haven’t touched it in some time.
Take a second and make sure everything is functional – are the lamp bulbs burnt out? Can they reach an outlet for their phone charger?
Then, look for obvious eyesores. Run a vacuum or swiffer over the floor, and make sure no wads of dust are hanging off of the overhead fan.
Finally, load up the comforter, sheets, pillows, and even a spare blanket, and bring them to a local dry cleaner. These items are generally too bulky for your home machine to properly wash, and even if they look clean, built-up dust, grime, and even dust mites may be calling them home.
Professionally cleaned bedding is going to look better, smell better, and feel better for your overnight guests to sleep in.
Step 3 – Bathroom Readiness
It shouldn’t be a shock that our Holiday Cleaning Guide includes bathrooms.
Outside of the obvious areas to wipe down, look for grime that you may be blind to – such as splashes on the mirror or 12 almost-empty shampoo containers.
Make sure the essentials are easy to find, and either leave towels in your guest’s room for them to use or make it easy to find your stash of clean towels.
We always suggest bringing bath mats and towels to be professionally cleaned before the Holidays. A professional dry cleaner can remove detergent build-up on your towels, making them soft again, while also restoring their original white tone and removing stains.
Step 4 – Kitchen Prep
Look for problem areas first – does the top of your fridge have boxes of expired cereal sitting on it? Can you open your cabinets without something falling out?
The Holidays are a great time to do a kitchen and pantry purge, making the things you still want more accessible to you and your guests.
Next, pivot to the dining room – does your Christmas Table Cloth still have that weird gravy stain on it from last year?
Now’s the time to get it taken care of!
Do a kitchen linen audit – tablecloths, napkins, etc – and make sure you have everything you need, then drop them at Kean’s or your local dry cleaner to make sure they’re fresh and spot-free before the rest of your guests arrive.
Holiday Cleaning Final Touches
The problem areas have been addressed – it’s time for a final walkthrough!
Starting at the front door, walk into your house and try to see it through new eyes – have you missed anything?
Run a duster over your shelves. Fluff your pillows. Fold your throw blanket. Throw toys into a basket. Get your dirty clothes picked up by a laundry delivery service. This is the time to take care of any last pieces of cleaning that still need to be accomplished.
Then, pop the cork on a bottle of bubbles, and take a deep breath. Hosting overnight Holiday guests is hard – but you don’t have to be perfect! Remember to enjoy time spent with friends and family, and have fun. You’ve got this!
Kean’s Holiday Cleaning Guide Resources
- Have your household items cleaned at any of our Baton Rouge Kean’s locations
- Get the dirty laundry out of your house before guests with Kean’s laundry pick up and delivery service – one less thing on your to do list!
