Prepping your home for holiday parties or overnight guests can be stressful. Eliminate day-of cleaning chaos by dividing your housecleaning tasks into small segments the week before.
Don’t procrastinate — start cleaning now. Having a plan maps out a few major tasks to accomplish daily, so all that’s left the day your guests arrive is a handful of last-minute touch-ups.
Many of these tips may not be necessary if you already have a professional cleaning service, however below I have some last minute touch-up tips that you can do 1-2 hours before to spruce up the home before guest arrive.
Day 1
- Walk through your home with a visitor’s eye, making notes of any imperfections you may be used to but guests may notice, such as houseplants with dead leaves.
- Gather family members, go over the plan, and assign chores. Remember: many hands make light work.
Day 2
- Wash windows and vacuum window screens. Maybe a little extreme but it depends on how you want the house to look. We generally recommend cleaning the sliding glass door and possibly any windows that may be exposed.
- Take a broom and dust baseboards but if still dirty you may want to wash them.
- Wash shower curtains. You can wash shower curtain in the washer by putting it and a couple of soiled towels in your washing machine. Add 1/2 cup laundry detergent and 1/2 cup baking soda to the load, and wash it in warm water on your machine’s regular cycle. Add 1 cup white vinegar to the first rinse.
- Wash bedspreads if needed.
Day 3
- Deep-clean bathrooms and medicine cabinets (yes, people will look).
- Straighten bedrooms; remove clutter and donate or store out of sight.
Day 4
- Straighten coat closet, making room for guests’ coats. Add extra hangers if needed. I like the plastic hangers as they hold heavier garments better.
- Wash throw rugs; set aside so they are nice and fluffy for party day.
Day 5
- Clean stove top, surfaces, and grates.
- Clean out the refrigerator, making room for party foods; dust top of refrigerator. You never know when a 6 foot tall man is going to inspect the top of your refrigerator.
- Wipe down all large and small appliances.
- Wipe down kitchen cabinets.
- Take recycling to recycling bins or facilities.
Day 6
- Sweep entryway, sanitize doorknobs, and decorate the entry with seasonal touches.
- Dust all surfaces, including bookshelves, photo frames, and art. Don’t forget the ceiling fans.
- Clean kitchen sink and dish drainer. Don’t forget the drain plugs, they get dirty too!!
Day 7
Time for the party! Here are a few day-of touch-ups:
- Clean trash receptacles and add fresh liners. Can you imagine what it would feel like if a guest pulled out you full trash bag to be helpful and the bottom of the container was never cleaned….YUK
- Wipe down any dirty areas in the bathroom using household cleaner and paper towels.
- Wipe down bathroom mirrors (microfiber clothes work great) and counters. Wipe down floors with a damp towel.
- Put toilet bowl cleaner in the toilets; brush.
- Hang fresh towels and put out fresh hand soap or just fill the one on counter.
- Damp-mop the kitchen floor.
- Vacuum carpets and dry-mop wood floors.
- Fluff sofa cushions and pillows.
- Decorate with special touches, such as flowers or candles.
Now you are just an hour or 2 away from guest arriving. Check off these quick to-dos for last-minute shine.
Bathrooms
- Hang fresh hand towels, and put out new hand soap or make sure it its full. Make sure there are extra rolls of toilet paper available.
- Wipe any dirty areas in the bathrooms using household cleaner and paper towels.
- Put toilet bowl cleaner in the toilets and give them a quick brushing.
- Wipe mirrors (use microfiber cloth), countertops, and bathroom floors with a damp towel.
- Take out the garbage, and line trash receptacles with clean liners.
Entryway
- Sweep front steps, and put out a welcome mat. First impressions are very important.
- Clean front door glass.
- Dust wood floors quickly using a dust mop.
Kitchen
- Damp mop the kitchen floor.
- Wipe down kitchen counters with household cleaner.
- Clean out the refrigerator, discarding leftovers or expired food. Move larger containers to the back of the refrigerator to make room for extra food or beverages.
Living Room
- Straighten stacks of magazines and books or better yet put them away somewhere out of sight.
- Straighten and fluff sofa pillows and cushions.
- Carry a laundry basket throughout the house, picking up clutter as you go. Once filled, put everything in its place or hide the basket.
- Vacuum high-traffic areas.
- Place fresh flowers and light scented candles but be careful not to have an overpowering scent. Many people are sensitive to strong odors.
If you need some extra hands and help, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’ll be happy to be your behind the scenes cleaning team to help make you and your home shine!