As we get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving this month, most of us are probably planning out what we’ll be cooking and where people will be sitting. But before you start cooking and eating, take a few minutes to make sure your home is spotless and ready for the holiday’s guests.
While a good thanksgiving dinner is important, the cleanliness of your home is the best way to leave a good impression. Not only will you have a more enjoyable time, but guests that visit after the holiday are more likely to be impressed by your hosting skills. After all of that cooking, it’s important to get your home back in order before the company arrives on your doorstep.
We spoke to the experts at Scrub Buds Cleaning to learn some of the best practices of holiday home cleaning.
Remove All Clutter
The biggest thing you can do to keep your home clean for Thanksgiving is to remove every last piece of clutter from the floor in the living room, the hallway, and around your dining table. This includes bookshelves and other shelving units that hold knickknacks or figurines.
Remove Excess Textiles (Rugs, Curtains)
While it might be cold outside, it’s still important to make sure that your home is as open as possible for Thanksgiving festivities. That means removing extra household rugs or anything else that will obstruct foot traffic through busy areas like hallways and around dining room tables. Not only that, if your guests are smokers, leaving them out will make them absorb all that smoke.
Clean As You Cook
The easiest way to keep your home neat and tidy is to clean up after yourself. This means washing dirty dishes or pre-preparing ingredients in advance. If you don’t have time for this, simply stack all the used kitchen items in the dishwasher instead of leaving them out on the counter to be washed later.
Clear Out Your Refrigerator
If you know that many folks will be showing up at your home for Thanksgiving dinner, make sure to clean out your fridge beforehand. Get rid of expired, dry food and wipe down any areas where grease has collected over time before preparing your feast.
Furthermore, if it’s possible for you to do so without having to thaw anything ahead of time, take everything out of your freezer to allow it all to defrost slowly over the course of several hours while the oven is occupied with meal prep.
Ask The Guests To Take Off Their Shoes
This last tip is a good way to keep the floors clean during all of that foot traffic. If your guests are going to be coming through your home after they’ve been wearing shoes all day outside, make sure to politely ask them to take their footwear off before entering.
Make Sure The Kids Don’t Make A Mess
Kids will be kids. The easiest way to keep them from making a mess is by giving them smaller portions and smaller plates. Ideally, kids should sit at their own table that is appropriate in size for them. Another good idea is to prepare a special kids’ menu including various finger food. They will be happier to eat this instead of a traditional meal and you’ll have a lot less work cleaning up after them. Think turkey sandwiches, pumpkin pie, and similar festive foods.
Enjoy Your Thanksgiving Dinner
The only way to prevent dirty dishes after Thanksgiving is to make sure they’re washed immediately following dinner service. Once Thanksgiving dinner is cooked and eaten, take a little time after everyone goes home to clean everything up again. By then your home will be just about how you left it when you started the morning before!
Happy Thanksgiving!
