How To Prepare Your Home for the Holidays
As the holidays get closer none of us want to be stuck frantically cleaning before guests come over or dealing with clutter as we try to decorate. If you’re like most people, you probably have some areas in your home that seem to attract clutter and those piles continue to get bigger.
Take the time to declutter and clean your home now and put a plan in place to maintain it through the holiday season.
Declutter
Start by taking an inventory of the areas to be decluttered in your home. Try not to get overwhelmed, we’re going to break this down and make it as simple as possible.
Now that you know what rooms or areas need to be cleaned, prioritize them in order of importance. Hopefully, you will have enough time to get everything done but if that’s not possible then block off time in your planner to tackle the most important areas in your home and let the rest go.
There are a few tools you will need to gather before starting your decluttering project. Don’t worry, they won’t cost you a dime, they’re simply a trash can, a recycling bin, and a donation box. Once you have those three items in a place you can start decluttering!
Deep cleaning
Now that you have decluttered the important areas of your home the next step is to deep clean those same areas that will be used by your guests. Spend extra time in the bathrooms, kitchen, and dining room.
Maintaining
The key to maintaining a clean home is to literally clean up every night after dinner. Put things back where they belong, wipe down counters, and vacuum or mop any areas that need it. By doing this nightly and getting your family to help, it will be a relatively painless task that you can continue into the new year. Plus, you get to wake up to a clean home every morning!
Preparing for guests
If you’ll be having guests stay with you this holiday season you will want to be completely prepared. If you have a guest room great, if not, you'll need to make sure they have enough privacy, especially in the mornings and evenings.
Hopefully, you will be able to put them in a private area of the house, but if that's not possible, consider using a privacy screen to separate their sleeping area from the rest of the home.
Be sure to give them enough space to unpack and store their clothing. If possible add nightlights in the hallways and keep a lamp next to the bed so they won’t be stumbling around in the dark.
Roughly plan out your meals for the duration of their stay and be sure to ask if anyone has any special dietary needs so you can be prepared.
Be extra aware of the bathroom your guests will be using. Put away any personal items and be sure that extra toilet paper and a plunger can be found easily. There’s nothing more embarrassing than needing either of those in someone else’s home and not being able to find them.
The extra touches
Keep extra pillows and blankets near your guest’s sleeping area so they can easily help themselves and stay comfortable. You might also want to add a fan in case they like it cooler than your home’s temperature.
Have plenty of towels and washcloths in an easy-to-find place in the bathroom. You can also display a small basket with extra toiletries like toothbrushes and travel-sized items such as toothpaste, mouthwash, and deodorant.
Provide them with a written password for your WiFi when they arrive so they can access the internet during their stay.
LET ME HELP YOU HAVE A STRESS-FREE CHRISTMAS!
Your Complete Holiday Planning Workbook is filled to the brim with everything you need to organize and simplify the holidays so you can enjoy quality time with your friends and family. Plus, it’s undated so you can use it year after year to help you plan your holidays!
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