Christmas is right around the corner. For many people, it’s the best time of the year to host family reunions. Are you planning on inviting your dearests to celebrate the holiday seasons in your humble home? If you are, then you need to make sure your house is guest-worthy.
Have you started cleaning your home? What are the tasks you finished so far? What are the other things you need to do? If you’re struggling to keep tabs on your progress or if you don’t know which chores you need to prioritize, this ultimate checklist can help you. Read on and start ticking each task you already completed.
Check and designate the tasks
Walk around your home and list down all the things your guests might notice. Do you need to replace the worn out furniture in your garden? Is the tablecloth stained? Check the trash compactor if it’s clogged.
When you’re making your cleaning to-do list, look at every possible imperfection. Create a list for every room. As much as possible, you should designate the tasks so you can finish quickly. Cleaning the house should always be a team effort.
Proceed to declutter the house
It’s hard to do a cleanup when there are so many things cluttering the room. As such, you need to start your home cleanup project by getting rid of all the unwanted items such as:
- Scratch paper
- Empty food packages
- Worn containers
- Milk carton
- Severely damaged home furnishings
Make sure your utensils, cooking equipment knives, dishware, and glassware are all organized properly. Hang your coat, jacket, hats, and umbrellas. Put away the shoes and place them in their respective boxes.
If you have soiled clothes all over the bedroom, pick them up. Gather them in your laundry basket. If your living room is filled with your kids’ toys, ask them to place everything in the storage bin.
Clean the windows and screens
Grab a cleaning cloth and wipe the window glass. Make sure that they’re free from dust and animal prints. To make your own window cleaning solution, mix equal parts of water and vinegar.
You can use this solution for lightly soiled windows. For grimy window glasses, spray a mixture of water and dishwashing soap before you spray the DIY window solution.
Also, don’t forget the window screens, curtain and blinds. They might be filled with pollutant, mites, and dirt. You don’t want your guests sneezing because of your dirt-filled screens. Replace your curtains and clean your screens and blinds.
Remove kitchen cabinet gunk
Gunk and grime tend to accumulate on the surface of kitchen cabinets. Get a cloth and dip it in concentrated white vinegar.
Wipe the dirty area until it’s squeaky clean. Use a paper towel to dry the cabinet. To prevent future grime and gunk buildup, try applying a wood polish. Also, make it a habit to wipe off stains right after you cook meals.
Wipe off grease from the countertop
After cleaning your kitchen cabinets, start working on your countertop stoves and ovens. Get a clean washcloth dipped in a soap solution and begin wiping the food stains and grease. Aside from the cooking appliances, you also need to work on the kitchen backsplash.
Work on the floor
Each type of flooring requires special cleaning solutions. If you want to maintain your tiles, floor laminates or other flooring materials properly, you need to learn which cleaners you should use.
For ordinary flooring tiles, you will only need to use a rag, chamois or sponge mop, a bucket of water, and a powerful cleaner. Change the water frequently, most especially if it starts to turn cloudy while you’re cleaning.
Time to tidy up the bathroom!
Tidying up the bathroom won’t take long if you regularly clean it. If you rarely scrub the tiles or bathroom enclosures, you will most likely deal with think mildew or mold build-up. Prepare your favorite cleaner and bathroom scrubs to remove unwanted stains and discoloration. Don’t forget to clean the toilet bowl too!
Take care of your home furnishings
Make sure that you’re familiar with proper indoor and outdoor furniture care to avoid damaging your prized home furnishings. Also, prepare the necessary cleaning tools like feather dusters, brush, and cloth before you start working on each home furniture.
Declutter your refrigerator
Check the food items in your freezer and fridge. Which items do you need to throw away? Which food products do you still want to eat?
Throw away stale bread, rotten leftovers, and expired food items. You need to have enough space for the cakes, chocolates and your holiday leftovers.
What better way for you to celebrate the holidays than gathering everyone you loved in your home. What are you waiting for? Get your home ready for all your holiday guests.
Feel free to use the checklist above as your guide. More importantly, do your best to keep your house clean and well maintained all year round.