As Christmas and New Year’s draw nearer, most of us may be busy preparing for lunches, dinners, luncheons, you name it!
With an already busy schedule filled with work, family obligations, and household chores, is it any wonder that cleaning up for the holidays is such a daunting and overwhelming task?
Worry no more! At My To Do List, we’ve collected the best holiday hacks that can save you time, energy, and precious headspace to take care of all your other tasks.
Here are some of our holiday to-do list tips::
Before you get started:
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Prepare a kit of supplies and equipment you might need. These include, but aren’t limited to:
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Multi Purpose Spray (we like Earthwise)
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Cleaning cloths – One wet and one to dry polish. Microfibre works best!
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Jif and a scrubby brush for showers and tiles
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Bathroom & Shower spray (yes, Earthwise is our fav!)
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Always wear gloves to protect your hands.
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Wear a mask to protect yourself from airborne irritants such as dust and dander.
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Keep yourself hydrated! Summer is coming soon, so it’s best to drink water regularly.
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Make sure you have enough stock of rubbish bags, hand soap, and tissues for the kitchen and bathroom.
Outside the home/garden area
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Prune any houseplants for dead leaves.
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Sweep away any fallen leaves or branches.
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Mow your lawn, as needed.
Living room
Focus on specific areas that guests can easily see. Now’s the time to do the following:
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Wash windows and vacuum window screens.
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Damp-mop baseboards.
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Launder and press window curtains and bedspreads.
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Wash or spot-clean rugs and carpets.
Toilet and bath
Tidy up any bedrooms and bathrooms your guests will use, especially if they’ll be staying over.
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Deep-clean bathrooms and medicine cabinets. Throw out any expired medicines, ointments, and the like.
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Stock up on clean hand towels and tissues for common bath areas.
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Add tissues and hand sanitizer.
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Declutter bedrooms. If you’re strapped for time, store excess items out of sight, and set time after the holiday to donate them.
Kitchen
Deep-clean your kitchen in preparation for holiday cooking.
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Clean range or stovetop, surfaces, and grates.
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Clean out the refrigerator, making room for party foods. Dust the top of the refrigerator. Discard anything that has expired or is not likely to be eaten again.
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Wipe down all large and small appliances.
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Wipe down kitchen cabinets.
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Sort your recycling into your bins.
A word on dusting and sweeping
Dust and sweep at least a day before your guests arrive. It’s likely that your surfaces will get dirty again before the festivities.
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Sweep entryways and decorate with seasonal touches.
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Dust all surfaces, including bookshelves, photo frames, and art. Don’t forget the ceiling fans.
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Clean the kitchen sink and grind up a sliced lemon in your insinkerator to freshen it up!
What happens when your parties are over? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Here’s a basic list of what you can do once all your guests have left:
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Clean rubbish bins and add fresh liners.
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Wipe down any dirty areas in the bathroom using household cleaner and paper towels.
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Polish bathroom mirrors with a clean 100% dry microfibre cloth.
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After cleaning the toilet, let the toilet cleaner sit in the bowl to keep it fresh.
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Hang fresh towels and put out fresh hand soap and/or sanitizer.
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Damp-mop the kitchen floor.
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Vacuum carpets and dry-mop wood floors.
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Fluff sofa cushions and pillows.
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Sanitize everything.
How we can help you
We have a variety of services: weekly maintenance Helping Hand cleans for your home or office, move-in and move-out cleans, and valet unpacking services. Please let us know if you’d like to avail of these services, don’t hesitate to give us a tingle.
