The holiday season has a way of arriving faster than expected. One minute you’re enjoying fall, and the next you’re planning meals, shopping for gifts, decorating, and figuring out where everyone is going to sit. With so much happening at once, cleaning can easily become another stressful item on an already long list. Preparing your home ahead of time can make the weeks leading up to the holidays much more manageable and help you actually enjoy the season.
Here are a few ways to get your home holiday-ready without trying to tackle everything at once.
Start by Clearing the Clutter
Before you begin deep cleaning, take some time to declutter the areas of your home that guests are most likely to see.
Entryways, living rooms, kitchens, dining areas, and guest bathrooms tend to collect everyday clutter. Shoes, mail, toys, jackets, and other items can quickly make a clean room feel messy.
Put away what belongs elsewhere, donate items you no longer need, and create a designated place for the things your family uses every day. Starting with less clutter makes the actual cleaning process much easier.
Give the Kitchen Extra Attention
During the holidays, the kitchen often becomes the busiest room in the house. Between baking, cooking, entertaining, and storing extra food, you’ll appreciate having a clean space before the holiday rush begins.
Wipe down cabinet fronts, clean countertops and backsplashes, remove expired food from the refrigerator, and give frequently used appliances some attention.
Don’t forget the areas that aren’t always part of your regular cleaning routine, including the top of the refrigerator, cabinet edges, baseboards, and the spaces underneath small appliances.
Get Guest Bathrooms Ready
If you’re hosting family or friends, your bathrooms will see more traffic than usual.
A thorough bathroom cleaning before the holidays can make ongoing upkeep much easier. Focus on sinks, faucets, mirrors, toilets, showers, tubs, floors, and other high-touch surfaces.
This is also a good time to make sure you have plenty of clean hand towels, soap, toilet paper, and other essentials available for guests.
Focus on the Rooms Where Everyone Will Gather
You don’t necessarily need to deep clean every room in your home before the holidays. Start with the spaces where people will actually spend their time.
Vacuum carpets and rugs, mop hard floors, dust furniture and surfaces, wipe down baseboards, and remove fingerprints from doors and windows.
If you’re decorating for the holidays, cleaning these spaces first also gives you a fresh starting point. It’s much easier to decorate a clean room than to work around decorations later.
Don’t Forget the Entryway
Your entryway is one of the first things guests see when they arrive.
Sweep or vacuum the floors, clean the front door, wipe down nearby surfaces, and make room for coats, shoes, and bags.
Indiana’s late fall and winter weather can also mean more dirt, moisture, and debris being tracked inside, so having clean mats near entrances can help protect your floors throughout the season.
Take Care of the Cleaning Before Your Calendar Gets Busy
One of the biggest advantages of preparing early is simply having one less thing to worry about.
As Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other holiday gatherings get closer, calendars fill up quickly. Shopping, school activities, work events, travel, cooking, and family plans can leave very little time for deep cleaning.
Taking care of the bigger cleaning tasks ahead of time allows you to focus on quick touch-ups closer to your gathering instead of trying to clean the entire house the night before.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far in advance should I schedule holiday house cleaning?
The earlier, the better. Holiday schedules can fill quickly, especially as Thanksgiving and Christmas get closer. Scheduling ahead gives you more flexibility and takes one task off your list before the busiest weeks of the season.
What areas should I prioritize when cleaning before holiday guests arrive?
Focus on the spaces your guests will use most, including the kitchen, bathrooms, living room, dining area, and entryway. If you’re having overnight guests, don’t forget the guest bedroom and any additional bathrooms they’ll be using.
Should I clean before or after putting up holiday decorations?
Whenever possible, tackle your deeper cleaning before decorating. Dusting, vacuuming, mopping, and cleaning surfaces are much easier when you aren’t working around a Christmas tree, garland, decorations, and other seasonal items.
Can I schedule a one-time cleaning before a holiday gathering?
Yes. Plan: B Cleaning offers one-time deep cleaning as well as recurring cleaning options, so you can get professional help preparing your home without committing to an ongoing schedule.
What if I don’t have time to clean my entire house before the holidays?
Prioritize the rooms where your family and guests will spend the most time. Professional cleaning can also help take the larger cleaning tasks off your plate so you can focus on decorating, cooking, shopping, and enjoying the season.
Make Holiday Preparation Easier With Plan: B Cleaning
The holidays should be about spending time with the people you care about, not spending hours scrubbing floors and bathrooms before they arrive.
Plan: B Cleaning can help you get your home clean, comfortable, and ready for the season. Whether you’re hosting a holiday gathering, welcoming overnight guests, or simply want a fresh home before the busiest weeks of the year, professional cleaning can take one major task off your list.
Ready to get your home holiday-ready? Contact Plan: B Cleaning today to schedule your cleaning before the holiday rush begins.
