Inside: Don't get overwhelmed during the holidays. Check out these simple tips for holiday cleaning. Keep your home clean and enjoy the holidays!
I love the holidays! From Thanksgiving to Christmas seems like one long holiday that we get to enjoy.
I enjoy spending time in the kitchen baking our favorite holiday cookies, eggnogs at night by the fire, and even a few Hallmark Christmas movies.
But the holidays can also be stressful. With lots of parties to go to and family coming into town there can be so much to do. Sometimes we have family in town and only a day or two in between before more family comes into town.
With all the things we have to do cleaning for the holidays can often get pushed to the side until the last minute. Don't stress, with a few simple tips you can keep your home clean during the holidays.
Keep your home free from dust and grime and check out these simple tips for holiday cleaning.
Simple Tips For Holiday Cleaning
You don't need a lot to do some cleaning for the holidays. Just some time and your normal cleaning supplies.
Gather up all of your favorite cleaning products and get some candles going to get you in the holiday mood. Then you can get started with these holiday cleaning tips.
Declutter Before Holiday Cleaning
Cleaning is so much easier to do when you aren't dealing with a bunch of clutter. Plus, your home will look cleaner because of less clutter.
If you want to keep your home looking clean through the holidays I recommend starting by decluttering. The time that you spend decluttering will help save you time when it comes to cleaning.
A few rooms to declutter before the holidays are:
- Living room
- Dining room
- Kitchen
- Guest bedroom (if you will be having guests)
Skip doing rooms like bedrooms and offices until after the holidays.
If you need help decluttering you can check out my 7-day decluttering challenge or see my easy tips to declutter before the holidays.
Do A Deep Clean At The Beginning
I like to do a deep clean about a week before Thanksgiving. I have found that if I start with a really clean house I tend to want to keep it clean.
Spend some time giving your kitchen some love before the holidays. Clean out the fridge, clean the oven, and scrub the cabinets.
Go through the bathrooms and scrub them from top to bottom. By deep cleaning, you will have a clean slate to work with through the holidays. It will make those day to day cleaning tasks easier.
A few rooms to deep clean are:
- Kitchen
- Bathrooms
- Living Room
- Any other rooms that will see a lot of use during the holidays
If you want to give your whole home a good cleaning you can sign up for my 7-day cleaning challenge. Each day for 7 days I will send you an email with a challenge to complete that day.
Stick To A Schedule
Once you do a deep clean of your home you can easily manage it with a day to day schedule.
Having a schedule helps me out so much! I don't feel overwhelmed when I just need to do a little each day.
For example, my schedule looks something like this:
- Monday- clean bathrooms, wash towels
- Tuesday- clean kitchen, mop the floors
You can do it however works best for you. If you prefer you can vacuum the carpet on Monday and clean out the refrigerator on Thursdays. The important part is to create a routine and stick to it.
For me, I love this weekly cleaning schedule and I try to stick to it even during the holidays.
Just spending 15-30 minutes each day should keep your home clean and organized.
Wait To Decorate
If you want some easy cleaning during the holidays I highly recommend you wait to decorate your home. Dusting and cleaning around all of the decorations take more time and energy.
Maybe it is just me, but I don't like to spend months dusting and sweeping around my Christmas tree. I put up Christmas decorations after Thanksgiving so they are only up for 3-4 weeks. Less cleaning and less time.
Even if you delay putting them up by a week or two you will save yourself some time cleaning.
If you have a real tree this is even better because your tree will only last for so long. You can see here how long a real tree will last and tips on buying one.
Plan Ahead For Meals & Holiday Cleaning
The weeks and days leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas get so busy. There are holiday parties, gatherings, and sometimes last-minute presents to buy. Why do I always forget about teacher gifts until the last night??
Planning ahead for both cleaning and meals will help save you so much time! I try to write out on Sunday what I plan to clean that week. This can be helpful because if you are really busy one day you can make sure you plan a lighter cleaning task for that day.
Also planning your meals will help save your sanity. I like to make up a bunch of freezer meals in early November that I can use on busy nights during the holidays.
Less cooking means less to clean in the kitchen. This can be a big time-saver for you during those busy nights. Plus, still eating at home instead of going out to eat or grabbing carry-out is a money saver too.
Have Everyone Pitch In On Holiday Cleaning
Don't think that holiday cleaning has to be all you. Remember to have your family help pitch in too. Have your children and spouse help out with cleaning too.
I have found it is easiest if I set expectations of chores and helping out at the beginning of holiday breaks. When my son was younger I would make him a printable of daily chores he had to do over break.
Now I usually use Cozi and make a holiday cleaning list. If you haven't used Cozi yet you can start by going here to sign up for the Cozi app for free.
Then, just build a holiday cleaning list and share it with the family members that you want to help with the list. Each family member will need a Cozi account, so you can go here to sign them each up for an account.
You can see how I build cleaning lists in Cozi here. It's really easy and you can use it for shopping lists too!
With everyone helping out it will make holiday cleaning so easy!
Holiday cleaning doesn't have to take all of your time. With these easy tips, you can clean your home for the holidays and keep it clean.
Enjoy your time with friends and family without worrying about how your home will look. These simple tips for holiday cleaning are a breeze to keep up with.
Want some more easy cleaning and decluttering tips? Check out my favorite tips on decluttering fast.
