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The holidays can be hectic. Whether it is preparing food for guests, running around to find presents, or keeping up with the other daily activities of living, there is always something going on in the winter months. With all of the moving pieces, it can be hard to keep a tidy home. Here are a few cleaning tips which will hopefully keep your house shining just as bright as the holiday lights do:

1. Remove your shoes when inside the house. And make others do it as well. Shoes tend to track dirt and other unwanted things into the house, especially during the cold and wintery holiday months. It is easy to place a shoe rack or mat near the door which will let guests know to remove their shoes.
2. Clean strategically. When cleaning, don’t just randomly clean bits and pieces, moving all around the room. Instead systematically start in one top corner and work your way around and then down. Remember, gravity is your friend here and you should utilize it properly. Dirt and dust falls down and then you just have to clean the floors.
3. The windows are the openings to your home. Keep them and the window sashes clean. It will help reduce unwanted dust and dirt from outside making its way into your lovely home.
4. Let cleaning solutions do their job. Cleaning solutions are made to get rid of dirt and grim. The chemical formulas are specifically tailored for a purpose, so let them do their job by letting them sit on whatever you are trying to clean before wiping away. This will reduce the amount of effort you need to put in in order to get that squeaky clean you desire.
5. Use a squeegee in the bath and kitchen. It will help prevent mold and soap scum. Doing this even every few showers will help prevent a much bigger mess that you will have to clean up in the future.

Home cleaning during the holidays can be a chore, but there are a number of tips and methods you can use in order to limit the buildup of dirtiness as well as to clean more efficiently. Follow the easy steps above and watch as you have a much more relaxing holiday season and a much cleaner home to boot! Good luck with keeping the house clean and have a good holiday season!

Image credit:  Klara Viskova

Preparing for the holidays needn’t be a chore. It’s supposed to be a time of joy and fun and prepping the house for holiday revelry should be so.

First of all, don’t take things too seriously. Don’t sit around fretting about whether your guests are going to find that spot on the rug or that stain on the wall. They’re more likely to be more interested in having a time with you and your family, not acting like barracks inspectors for the drill instructor.

It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t go that extra mile to make the house tidy. I fyou do expect guests of a good number and need to prep up the family room and guest rooms and such, then taking care of these areas should be easy if you’ve not neglected them for a while. Often, we’ll have that guest room or guest bath just sitting there the last time someone visited. You might not have given it a good dusting or vacuuming and you might have left some of the previous guests’ leftover belongings and tracks. Well, the first thing you do is survey the areas and predict what tools you’ll need and how much. Can you get away with a light dusting and vacuuming or will you need to go all out to get the job done.

To be on the safe side, just give the entire area or areas the once over full. Wipe down walls, cabinets, showers, toilets basins, and give the floors a good mopping as well as vacuuming any rugs. Dust will have settled on curtains, blinds and even light bulbs. A simple dusting should fix that. Test the outleets and lights to make sure they’re working and run the water for a while in the sinks and showers to flush out any backed up residue and rust.

Check for hidden treasures the pets may have hidden in small places as well as tos the kids might have left laying around. Once you’ve done all that, it’s time to hit the rest of the house and give it the once over.

Don’t do it too far in advance or the areas will just get messy again. Holidays call for lots of preparations regarding meal preps and decorations and organizing the furniture to accommodate guests. You might have to bring in more chairs or a bigger table ou’ve had sitting in the attic, basement, or the garage. If so, then you’ll have to clean them thoroughl too. Appliances like washing machines, dishwashers, stoves, and refigerators should be spotless. Toss out old food and such and make room for the holiday treats and beverages.
Keep pets in check during this time so they don’t mess up right after you’ve tidied up and the same goes for small children and clumbsy family members. If the weather outside is frightful you might have to prepare for that especially if it’s windy or wet and slushy. That outside debris and dirt will be blown in every time you open a door or window or tracked in by foot. Have a good household spray cleaner, rags and paper towels handy and place them strategically in every busy room. This way you can tackle those spills and such immediately and not let them set where the may cause permanent stains or discoloration.
Finally, get the family involved with the home cleaning and holiday cleaning. Play your favorite music, usually holiday music to brighten the atmosphere. You’ll find that such chores are fun and easier when everyone pitches in and are smiling.

Image credit: Leonid Ikan