Holiday Cleanup Time

If you’re having guests over for Christmas this Friday, you have just enough time to get your house clean—that is, if you’ve already got your shopping done, your groceries bought, and the rest of your list checked off. If not, you may be out of luck! Really, if you zip through the major areas indicated below, you may even still have enough time to get those cookies baked for the office party. (Those pictures with Santa, now, may be a higher order to fill…)

Before you get started, make a quick list of what you really need to get done and stick to it. I know that when I start to really clean my house, I can get easily distracted by a single junk drawer or bookshelf and spend time making it perfect when I really need to be getting the whole picture taken care of! If you really want to tackle that cleaning closet, add it to your post-holiday to-do list. It’s waited this long; it can wait another week!

Only include items on your list that you know your guests are going to see. Your kids’ rooms are probably not that high of a priority—unless they’re the kind that grabs every guest’s hand and say, “Come see my big girl bed!” Then, you might want to at least tidy up a little! Laundry rooms, bedrooms, and basements are probably off the agenda as well, unless you plan on putting coats in one of them.

That leaves just three main areas for most people—the kitchen, bathroom, and living room. Some may also have a hallway, foyer, den, etc. to tackle, but these three main rooms are probably where most of the company will be mingling.

Hit all the big things, paying special attention to where guests will be hanging out. Get your floors clean (sweeping or vacuuming—mopping if you really need it), do a quick dusting (yes, it’s permissible to feather dust around objects without lifting them unless your MIL is going to do a white glove check!), and check entryways for stray toys, cobwebs and the like. Make sure you’ve got a clean place for coats, too.

If it’s frosted outside, don’t even worry about the windows—but if it’s not, and they’re super smudged, get them taken care of, too. (You totally have permission to skip the ones that look fine!) Make sure your bathroom is in order with an emptied trash can, clean towels, and a clean sink and toilet.

For a festive look—as if you haven’t already decorated!—hang a couple of Christmas towels in the kitchen and bathroom. Add some apple cinnamon potpourri on the stove and you’re ready for some yuletide cheer!