Holiday House Cleaning Tips

How to Clean Your Whole House in One Day

Even though it doesn’t look like Spring outside, at least not in Northeast Ohio, that shouldn’t deter you from doing a little Spring cleaning. So why would you want to Spring clean in November? Because you’re most likely going to re-decorate your house for the holiday season, and who wants to put out holiday decorations over dirt and clutter? Nope, not me. Start the holidays off right, with a one-day deep cleaning.

As I was discussing our holiday decorating plans amongst my co-workers, it came to my attention that we have many similarities when it comes to how we decorate. One thing I learned is that a few of us actually take all of our old pictures, photos, and tchotchke items down for the season. When you remove a picture that has been hanging on a wall for two years, it’s likely you will see dirt left on the wall around the frame, not to mention the inch-thick dust on the top of the picture. This is a clear sign that maybe, just maybe, you need to do some deeper cleaning.

As if decorating for the holidays wasn’t bad enough, now you have to clean! Ugh. But do not fear, cleaning can be fun and certainly give you a sense of accomplishment! I am going to give you my step-by-step holiday cleaning tips to help you get the job done so you can feel good about getting those decorations up!

To start, I have created a room by room checklist for you. You might have seen this from me before in the Thanksgiving Day Meal Prep blog I did earlier. If you followed my Thanksgiving Day Checklist and have already had your carpets cleaned, congratulations, you can skip that task!

Below is my step-by-step checklist for your pre-decorating cleaning. The amount of time it takes to clean your house will depend on how large your house is and how many family members you can solicit to help you, but I promise you can get it all done in a day!

Preparing for cleaning:

• Schedule to have your carpets cleaned if you have not already done so
• Get your cleaning supplies in order and buy what you need if something is missing. For your convenience I have included a link to a list of must-have cleaning products, courtesy of Molly Maid
• Have a ladder available for those hard to reach surfaces
• Cue up your favorite upbeat music on Alexa for motivation

Step 1: Get the insides first

• Strip all the beds and remove all the towels, hand towels and washcloths from the bathrooms, then wash them
• Clean out cupboards and pantry – toss anything old or not used. Put everything back neatly organized
• Clean out the freezer and refrigerator - Put everything back neatly organized

Step 2: Clear the surfaces

• Remove pictures from the walls and wipe both the pictures and walls down
• Be sure to use a dusting mop and dust the walls, baseboards and windowsills
• Remove knickknacks and wipe them down. Either set them aside if you are returning them to where they were, or put them away wiped off

Step 3: Go Room by Room:

• If you live in a multi-level home start upstairs with the bathroom(s).
• Wash tubs and showers, then sinks, then toilets
• Next, clean the bedrooms:
  Pick up anything on the floor or lying on dressers and put it away where it belongs. (Remember, if it doesn’t bring you joy or comfort, toss it!)
  Dust all surfaces (don’t forget to dust the light fixtures)
  Clean mirrors
• Head downstairs to clean the bathroom(s), and bedroom(s) same as upstairs
• Pick up everything in the Living Room/Family Room and put things where they belong

Step 4 – Cleaning the Kitchen

• Since you already wiped out and purged unwanted items from cupboards, pantry and fridge, you are pretty close to wrapping this room up
• Wipe down toaster, stove, the outside of the refrigerator, microwave and any other small appliance. Be sure to clean out the toaster crumbs
• Wash dirty pots and pans and/or run the dishwasher
• Remove everything from the counters and sinks and scrub them down with a disinfectant
• Don’t forget to thoroughly clean the garbage disposal (see how below)
  Sprinkle half a cup of baking soda into the drain, then gently pour a cup of white vinegar on top. The mixture will fizzle and bubble. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, then rinse it down with very hot or boiling water, with the garbage disposal running

Step 5 – Clean the floors

• First, check the bag in your vacuum. Now is a good time to replace it with a fresh, clean one, then sweep and vacuum your floors
• Mop all wood, laminate, vinyl, or tile floors with the appropriate cleaning solution

Step 6 – Put everything back where it belongs

• Put all cleaning supplies away
• Neatly replace and organize all the knickknacks you once removed, if applicable
• Put bedding back on beds
• Throw out all garbage
• Take throw blankets and pillows outside and shake them off, then fluff them up and return them to where they belong

Lastly, enjoy your newly cleaned space!

Now you are already to hang that garland, don the tree, and hang up those stockings before your guests arrive!

Happy House Cleaning!

Joyce Colovas is a content writer at mDesign
and an avid lover of all things fun and fabulous!

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