Having company over for the holidays is the perfect opportunity to show off your amazing cleaning skills. Cleaning for your dear friends and family cannot be measured in terms of time and effort; for when you do what is necessary for the people you love, no mission is too challenging or too tiresome. When we focus on the task at hand we can see that everything can be done in a nick of time, if one makes a few strategic decisions beforehand. First of all there are two time periods you should be concerned about; pre-holiday and post-holidays cleaning.
Cleaning Before the Holidays
To be successful in your endeavor, it is imperative to take every little thing into consideration, and make your plans from there. How many people are going to be with you on Christmas? Are they going to sleep over or get a room at a hotel? Are they going to stay until New Year’s Eve? And if so, where are they going to sleep? Will there be any children, pets or people with special needs? To be sure that you don’t miss anything, it is best to make a detailed list. Once you have your list, and are ready for some cleaning, it is time to get to work.
Guest Rooms and Living Room
If you have a guest room (rooms) or a room you are not using yourself, make sure that you start from there (after which feel free to move on to the living room) . Now, you do want to make a good impression. Browse the Internet for steam cleaners/dry cleaners for rent to help you get your carpets deep cleaned. If you prefer using white vinegar/baking soda that is fine too, but the results are not going to be anywhere near as ‘impressive’ as they would be using carpet deep cleaning provided by professionals. You will also use the dry cleaning machine on any upholsteries; for even if they are not covered in dirt or have stains, a nice going over with shampoo will give them a sort of ‘new’ kind of look (not to mention that they will smell nice too).
You should however leave the carpets for last. We still have a lot of work dusting and washing the windows. Any cobwebs residing in the corners of the room should be dealt with post-haste. Ceiling dusted, cobwebs removed, windows washed – all that is left to do now is to wet-wipe any wooden furniture that looks dusty/grimy. As you clean, make sure to put everything in order – magazines, little trinkets, picture frames etc. Also wet-wipe the TV, the computer and everything else that is prone to gathering dust due to static electricity.
Bathrooms and Kitchen
Oxygen bleach works wonders on contaminated tiles, grouts and toilet bowls. Chlorine bleach on the other hand can damage certain kinds of bathtubs and other ‘delicate materials’, such as enamel, acrylic textures etc. Use an all purpose detergent to clean cabinets, drawers, kitchen surfaces, the sink etc. Use baking soda paste (baking soda mixed with little water) to clean burnt grease, cooking oil etc. Or just use commercial grade cleaners if that is more to your choosing.
Cleaning After the Holidays
Now here is where it becomes interesting. Honestly the pre-holiday and post-holiday cleaning procedures are essentially the same. Follow the exact same steps to bring your home to order. Personally, I would just call professional cleaning services; seeing as it is much easier than doing it yourself.
