If you’re like me, the busy holiday season can take your already lengthy to-do list to a whole new level. Between holiday gatherings, family visits and festive events, getting your home guest-ready can be overwhelming.
Thankfully, Melissa Dittmann Tracey of Houselogic.com offers some great insights on how your personal hosting style can guide your cleaning routine.
Your hosting style shapes how you do your home cleaning for holiday entertaining, as well as the challenges you might have along the way. Whether your approach is perfectionist, relaxed or balanced, you can use related cleaning tips to focus on what’s most natural and productive for you.
So, which style is most like you?
Style 1: Everything has to be sparkling clean and in place
Cleaning personality: Strives for perfection and wants the home dressed to impress. If there was an award for the most effort and the highest standards in home cleaning for a holiday gathering, this personality would win hands down. These hosts pay attention to every detail in every area, from intensive house-wide cleaning and extensive color-coordinated decorating to anticipating everyone’s preferences. Imagine running a five-star boutique hotel with no housekeeping staff.
Watch out for this: “Being a perfectionist can be frustrating because you never feel finished or satisfied, even after all of the fabulous cleaning you’ve done,” says Debbie Sardone, owner of SpeedCleaning.com and former owner of Buckets & Bows Maid Service in Dallas.
Tips for a less-stressed holiday:
Set a timer for 20 minutes and focus on one room at a time. “When the timer goes off, be OK with how much you did in that room and move on,” Sardone says. “This can be important for a perfectionist because it sets boundaries and forces them to not lose time by, say, dusting the knobs off a blender. When you’re on a timer, you’ll be more productive rather than obsessive. Perfectionists need to give themselves permission to move forward and say, ‘Good enough.’”
Cleaning as you go is another great tactic for sticklers. As guests arrive, a perfectionist might get sidetracked cleaning instead of enjoying themselves. Prep beforehand as much as you can and embrace a clean-as-you-go approach, Sardone suggests. For example, if you made a giant pot of spaghetti, scrub out the pot, dry it and then put it away before sitting down for dinner. Don’t clean when it’s time to be visiting or entertaining.
Also, limit yourself to a few extra touches. To be happy, perfectionists need to first soothe that inner desire to impress. Add a few special touches but don’t go overboard. For overnight guests, have a tray or basketful of toiletries, such as hand soaps, shampoos and toothbrushes. They’ll appreciate the extra thought but it’s not a heavy lift for you. Or try an origami tissue design on the edges of tissues or the dinner napkins. “This is a great hack that will set you apart from other perfectly clean homes,” says Obi Ukwu, founder of Nashville-based Maidattendants. Plus, once you master the technique, it won’t zap your time.
Style 2: Focus on the key areas but don’t go overboard
Cleaning personality: Aims for balance in home prep and seeks shortcuts. The hard part of balance is maintaining it. It’s easy to lean too far in either direction – cleaning too much or too little or being distracted by things that aren’t important. And before these hosts know it, a shortcut or miscalculation results in something like a fridge with a funky odor. They overlooked it, but their guests searching for milk for their morning coffee got a noseful.
Watch out for this: “Because people with this style aren’t obsessed with every detail, they tend to do surface cleaning only,” Sardone says. “They might have tidied up their home and put items away, but the floors might still be dirty and tables dusty.”
Tips for a less-stressed holiday:
Try a one-a-day approach to deep cleaning. Leading up to the holidays, “plan on tackling something dirtier than you normally would,” Sardone says. “By the time the holidays arrive, you’ll be ready.” One day, you might focus on wiping down all the kitchen cabinet fronts; the next day, concentrate on cleaning the baseboards. That way, besides just tidying up, you’ll be squeezing in deeper cleaning chores.
Also, prioritize. Identify where and what needs most of your attention. Often, it’s only about three rooms. “When you have guests over, zero in on the rooms your guests are sure to use, like the entryways, living areas, bathrooms and – for overnight guests – bedrooms,” says Alicia Sokolowski, president and co-CEO of AspenClean, a chemical-free cleaning service based in Canada. Don’t get bogged down cleaning areas like the laundry room, which they’ll never see.
In addition, get creative. If pressed for time, try squeezing in cleaning while waiting on everyday tasks – like for your morning coffee to brew. “Use those five minutes to unload the dishwasher from the night before or to tidy up the living room,” Sardone says.
Finally, find help and take a shortcut or two. Enlist other family members to pitch in and assign everyone a chore. Be specific – like “vacuum the living room” – to maximize participation, Sardone recommends. Look for other shortcuts, like adding a cleaning disc inside the toilet tank to help it self-clean day to day, suggests Johnny Pallares, owner of De La Rosa House Cleaning in Phoenix. Or call in the pros to prepare your dinner table. Companies are popping up that allow you to rent picture-perfect table settings for a dinner party, from the linens to the dishware and glasses. Bonus: You don’t have to store the items later.
Style 3: A relaxed vibe is perfect for making everyone feel at home
Cleaning personality: Seeks to do the bare minimum and embraces casual hosting. Making your guests feel at home is great. These hosts are relaxed and casual, which can put everyone at ease. But an extreme hands-off approach can also spell trouble. Super-laid-backed hosts might not do enough activities like decluttering – and that can invite stress. Now that’s a holiday guest you don’t want.
Watch out for this: Relaxed hosts might not have the cleanest houses but they aren’t about being pretentious. “Work smart, not hard” is their motto, Sokolowski says. They want guests to feel welcome and right at home, even if a little clutter comes with the territory.
Tips for a less-stressed holiday:
Preclean! Arm yourself with an empty laundry basket and collect all loose items throughout the house. “This isn’t cleaning; it’s precleaning,” Sardone says. “This is pick up, tidy and organize.” Put everything (dirty towels, shoes, toys, clothes on the floor) in the basket. Sort directly from it, returning each item to its rightful place. Better yet, if others live with you, give them each a laundry basket of their items to put away. “It’s amazing how a space can look like an absolute disaster. Then you start this process and, within 10 minutes, it doesn’t look as bad. All you did was pick up and tidy,” she adds.
Also, address the eyesores. Identify the key areas that need to be deep-cleaned – usually the bathroom and kitchen – several days before guests arrive, Sardone says. Wipe down the countertops and appliances and run a vacuum or mop to remove dirt and crumbs. Ask family members to help.
Additionally, ask for pro help. If cleaning isn’t your thing, it’s OK to call in the pros. A housekeeping service can deep-clean your house so you can focus on entertaining your guests. A professional cleaning company might charge between $200 and $400 for a deep clean, according to Fixr. You don’t have to commit to weekly service, either, but book in advance because they tend to fill up fast before the holidays.
In the end, make your holiday cleaning style work for you. Once you know your problem areas and plan some workarounds, you’ll accomplish more with your home cleaning time and be happier with the results – and the holidays. #ThatsWhoWeR
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