Oh the Holidays! It surely is one of my favorite times of the year. However with it comes not only more fun but also more work. You may be in my same boat and will be entertaining company at any time during this period. How do you manage getting your house (and keeping it) ready for guests without overextending yourself? Here are my tips for maintaining a guest ready house at all times:
1) Break down cleaning your home into smaller chores. Personally, what I do is take on one cleaning chore per day. I take advantage of nap times and clean the bathrooms one day, the next day I clean the hardwood floors, another day I dust, etc. Personally I like to start with the chore I dislike the most just to get it out of the way. But perhaps starting with the easiest task is what may work for you.
2) Set a time each day to do a quick cleaning session. I like to call this the “once over cleaning” and I often use Clorox Disinfecting wipes to quickly clean and disinfect toilet surfaces, and also kitchen counters and tables. This is a great way to keep daily grime from building up and making it harder to get rid of it.
3) Narrow down the number of cleaners you use. My nose is very sensitive to smells so I like to narrow down the number of scented cleaners I use in the home. I use an all purpose cleaner such as Pine Sol to clean floors and also surfaces. That way there will only be one smell throughout the home and not a overbearing mix of scents.
4) Get those beds ready for guests. Make sure all linens are freshened up. Choose the laundry detergent of your choice and don’t forget to use fabric softener. You don’t need to go out and buy new linens, you can revive old linens with a stain fighter and color booster detergent.
5) Don’t try to do it all! Listen it’s enough work to cook food for all of your guests to also have to afterwards clean all of the dishes. Sometimes it is OK to use disposable tableware, particularly when you have a lot of guests coming over. Don’t be afraid to run the dishwasher more often than normal as well.
Disclosure: I am an official Walmart Mom. Walmart has provided me with compensation in return for my time and effort spent creating this post. My participation in this program is voluntary and my opinions are always my own.
