Welcome to the glorious chaos of the holidays! The countdown begins to get all our shopping done and house decked out with lights and decorations. We put our Christmas tree up this past weekend. I have to finish up my shopping and start prepping for holiday parties and guests. In all the madness, let’s not forget one very important task on the never-ending to-do list: a clean home. Getting your home prepped for the holiday can seem like a daunting task. With time so limited, it can seem overwhelming. The good news is that with a little strategic planning you can get your home in tip-top shape and impress your holiday guests. They’ll wonder where you found all the time to get everything in order!
A couple weeks ago, I shared a Merry Maids “Season’s Cleanings” tip on how to get your home clean in 15 minutes. It’s not a deep clean by no means, but it will do in a pinch for those times you get a last-minute call from a friend or family member saying they will be stopping by for a visit. Today I want to share another Merry Maids “Season’s Cleanings” tip for holiday party prep: how to get your home holiday ready in seven days. Yes, it can be done!
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Merry Maids “Season’s Cleanings” Tip: Holiday Party Prep
Debra Johnson is a home cleaning expert for Merry Maids, the largest home cleaning franchise network in the USA. Her Merry Maids “Season’s Cleanings” tip is to create a plan of attack one week in advance to your holiday party or out-of-town guests arrival and take on one room or chore every day. Ditch the mindset that you don’t have time to clean. Break it into smaller tasks and before you know it, your home will be spic and span and you have one less thing to worry about! She recommends starting with the room that is least likely to be distrubed like a guest bedroom. Then each day clean the rooms that are used more frequently towards the end of the seven days.
Using Debra’s tip as inspiration, I developed my own plan of attack and checklist of tasks to be done to get my own home ready for Christmas. My sister and her family will be staying here a few nights so I’m motivated to show off my new home (and cleaning skills) to her. She’s a neat freak herself and is known to go looking in places she doesn’t need to. She’s a nosy girl that one!
Day One
Guest Bedroom
- Dust dresser, night stand and any other furniture. Clean the mirror.
- Wash the bedding and put on fresh sheets and pillow cases.
- Clean the floor. Vacuum if you have carpet or sweep and wash if you have other types of flooring.
- Wash the windows and clean the curtains if they need it.
- Wipe down the baseboards to get rid of dust and dirt.
- Wipe down the light fixture. If you have a ceiling fan, give it a good dusting.
- Empty the wastebasket.
Day Two
Kids’ Bedrooms
- Dust dresser, night stand and any other furniture. Clean the mirror.
- Wash the bedding and put on fresh sheets and pillow cases.
- Clean the floor. Vacuum if you have carpet or sweep and wash if you have other types of flooring.
- Wash the windows and make sure curtains aren’t dusty.
- Wipe down the baseboards to get rid of dust and dirt.
- Wipe down the light fixture. If you have a ceiling fan, give it a good dusting.
- Put toys and books away to leave room for a play area.
- Empty the waste basket.
Day Three
Living Room/Dining Room
- Dust all surfaces including light fixtures, electronics, etc.
- Clean the floor. Vacuum if you have carpet or sweep and wash if you have other types of flooring.
- Wash the windows and make sure curtains are clean.
- Wipe down the baseboards to get rid of dirt and dust.
- Check your throw pillows to make sure they are clean. If not, give them a wash, if applicable.
- Remove couch cushions and vacuum the couch.
- Wash your china if you plan to use it for your holiday dinner.
- Polish silverware and make sure your table lines are clean.
Day Four
Family Room
- Dust all surfaces including light fixtures, electronics, etc.
- Clean the floor. Vacuum if you have carpet or sweep and wash if you have other types of flooring.
- Wash the windows and make sure curtains are clean.
- Wipe down the baseboards to get rid of dirt and dust.
- Check your throw pillows to make sure they are clean. If not, give them a wash, if applicable.
- Remove couch cushions and vacuum the couch.
- Put away/organize your DVDs and Blu-rays, Christmas music, etc.
Day Five
Bathroom
- Clean the toilet.
- Clean the sink and mirror.
- Clean the bathtub. Change your shower curtain liner on the guest bathroom if needed.
- Wash your bathroom mat.
- Stock up the linen closet with fresh towels and wash cloths.
- Stock up the bathroom with extra toilet paper and toiletries for your guests.
- Sweep and wash the bathroom floor.
- Wipe down the baseboards to get rid of dust and dirt.
- Empty the waste basket.
Day Six
Kitchen
- Clean the fridge and throw away anything expired to make room for more food and leftovers. Don’t forget to clean the top of the fridge.
- Clean the stove top.
- Clean the oven.
- Clean the microwave. Use my tip to clean it with just lemon, vinegar and water.
- Clean the kitchen sink so it shines.
- Empty the garbage and food compost bin.
- Clean the counters and put away anything that doesn’t belong or that you don’t use regularly.
- Wipe down the table and chairs.
- Sweep and wash the floors.
- Wipe down the baseboards to get rid of dust and dirt.
- Clean the light fixtures and windows.
Day Seven
Entrance way
- Put away all footwear and coats that aren’t being used to make room for your guests outerwear.
- Wipe down the baseboard to get rid of dust and dirt.
- Clean the doors and windows.
- Sweep and wash the floor.
- Vacuum mats.
- Clean light fixtures and windows.
When you break up your cleaning into smaller, manageable tasks, you don’t have to spend the entire day (and night sometimes) before your guests arrive cleaning the house. The key is start early and do a little each day. Then when you’re done, you can breathe a sigh of relief and be proud of how great your home looks. With all the chores out of the way, you can relax and spend time with your guests and enjoy this special time of year.
When do you start cleaning your home for the holidays?
Jenn says
These are great tips. I definitely need to break up my tasks into smaller tasks or else it gets so overwhelming!
kathy downey says
I love all these tips,thanks for sharing
Carol Oddy says
I start cleaning for the holidays two weeks before, have MS and Arthritis, so have to take it slow.
Rebecca H says
love these tips! will follow list to a T and see if it makes my cleaning easier! Thanks!
kathy downey says
In Nov.I do an all over cleaning so I bake in Dec and shop then on the Dec,20th I put up the tree and decorate a bit.Then I relax and enjoy the holiday,,,,stress free
Dream24 says
This why we don’t host 😛 too much cleaning required. But good tip!
kathy downey says
Thanks you can never have too many tips
kathy downey says
I passed to my daughter and she thought they were so helpful
kathy downey says
Soon be time for Spring cleaning,thanks for the tips