Blog highlights:
- When preparing the house for guests during the holidays, there are those who go overboard, while there are also some who just slack off.
- The entry way will get a lot of traffic whenever guests are around, this is why you should make sure that the front door, as well as the floors are clean.
- Your guests might not want to eat the food you prepared no matter how delicious it is if they see that you have a smelly and dirty kitchen.
- You can chop a lemon and feed it into the disposal so you can remove unwanted odors. You can also use ice cubes to sharpen the disposal’s blades.
A lot of homeowners go overboard when it comes to cleaning the house in preparation for guests during the holidays. Fortunately, there is actually a way for you to do deep cleaning without taking things to the extreme.
On the other hand, if you think that fluffing a few pillows is good enough to make your house look nice for your guests, then you should know that the New York Times recently published an article about extreme cleaners and you might want to check it out before thinking about slacking off.
By getting a few tips from the “Times” article, you can actually make your home guest-ready without overdoing it. Here’s how you can make your house clean, and tidy:
Clean your entry way. This area will have a lot of traffic as soon as the guests arrive, so it might be best if you wipe the front door, and clean or replace the doormat. You should also focus on the floors, the furniture legs, as well as the spaces beneath the furniture. These are the areas that the guests will notice right away so you might want to make sure that they are clean for a good first impression.
Keep the kitchen clean. Food is always present during the holidays, this is why you need to keep the kitchen tidy. Your guests might not like eating the food you made no matter how delicious it is if they see your kitchen in chaos. Make sure that the kitchen smells nice. Flush the sink drain with boiling water and remove the dust from the light fixtures so it won’t get into your food.
You should also make sure that the bathroom stays clean. If you want to make it look sparkly and smell nice, you brush it with scouring powder to make sure that the bathroom is free from dirt and odor.
If you smell something odd, you should try to trace where it comes from. Clean this area properly, or at least try to cover it up by brewing some coffee.
Here are a few other cost-conscious cleaning tips that can help you keep your house clean for the coming holidays:
The garbage disposal will need proper maintenance. Knowing that it will be working overtime this season, you need to make sure that it will not break down unexpectedly. To remove unwanted odors, you can chop a whole lemon and feed it down the disposal. You can also use ice cubes to sharpen the blades.
You can also buy a bottle of castile soap as it can be used as a mopping solution, shampoo, laundry detergent, and many other purposes. This can help you save time and money as you can now clean your house more efficiently.
The windows should also be cleaned properly. You can use a mixture of vinegar and water in a spray bottle so you can keep the windows streak-free. You should also use a microfiber cloth to wipe down the windows afterward.
Cooking during the holidays is a must, so you better expect that the oven and the stovetop will have a lot of grease and grime. But by using baking soda and water, you can actually make a cheap solution that can easily remove stubborn gunk.
If you want to unclog the drain and save money at the same time, you can make your own solution. Just put half a cup of baking soda, followed by half a cup of vinegar. After adding the vinegar, cover the drain for half an hour and flush it down with boiling water.
Do you have your own tips for house cleaning during the holidays? Share it with us at the comments section!
