Holiday Hosting Checklist

With the holiday season approaching, it’s time to prepare your home for dinner parties, overnight guests, and all the activities that bring people together during this time of year. You may be gearing up to decorate your house for the season. But before you begin that big project, make sure your home is tidy and clean. You’ll want a fresh, clean slate on which to begin your holiday season decorating.

It's the Holiday Season! Is Your Home Ready?

Once the decorations are up, it’s time to start planning for holiday entertaining. Getting your home prepared for holiday visitors who are ready to deck the halls and trim the tree is fun and exciting. However, it can also be overwhelming and stressful if you feel like you’re unprepared to host such holiday festivities. We’ve compiled a holiday hosting checklist to guide you through getting each room of your home holiday-ready so you can relax, entertain, and enjoy the holidays. Let’s dive right in!

Start by decluttering: To make your holiday cleaning more efficient and thorough, get rid of those odds and ends cluttering your rooms. Now is the time to pick it up, throw it away, or organize any items that don’t have a permanent home. Removing items from the floor and furniture and organizing them will help create an easier environment to clean.

Clean from the top down: If you want more than your Christmas lights to sparkle this holiday season start with the high areas in each room and work your way down. Clean ceiling fans, high light fixtures, and furniture before moving to lower areas in the room. Once you’ve cleaned all the high spots, move to the floors and countertops to make them shine.. Pay special attention to baseboards, window sills, and the glass in your windows.

Create cozy spaces: The holiday season can be cold, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, so stock your couch and chairs up with soft blankets, comfy pillows, and lots of candles to create inviting spaces for guests to relax and be comfortable.

Stock up on holiday essentials: Make sure you have all of the necessary holiday hosting items stocked up, like snacks, and beverages. If you’re hosting overnight guests, make sure things like toiletries, bedding, and fresh towels are clean, well-stocked, and readily available.

Tips to Get Your Home Ready for Holiday Guests

As you prepare your home for holiday guests, remember to always prioritize cleaning areas. For example, your entryway is the first area your guests see upon arrival. Make sure it’s tidy, dusted, and organized. Adding a poinsettia is also a nice way to greet guests and get them into the holiday spirit.

Here are some additional tips to help you get specific areas of your home ready for holiday guests:

Entryways

• Pick up and store any shoes, umbrellas, coats, and clutter.
• Designate a space in the closet or other area for guests' coats, boots, and shoes.
• Wipe down walls and baseboards to remove any scuffs and marks.
• Clean windows and doors.
• If necessary, clear walkways and entryways to ensure the safety of your guests.

Living Room

• Pick up the clutter, organize items neatly, and donate any items you haven’t used in the last 6-8 months.
• Vacuum carpets (clean stains) and clean wood and tile floors.
• Dust and polish furniture.
• Vacuum furniture fabric, wash pillowcases and blankets, and fluff sofa cushions.
• Neatly fold throw blankets (after you wash them).

Kitchen

• Declutter and clean and disinfect countertops.
• Clean cooktop (soak stove grates and knobs in sink to remove cooking residue).
• Replace kitchen hand towels (have plenty of paper towels available).
• Make room in the refrigerator for your guests favorite snacks and leftovers.

Bathroom

Clean and declutter any bathrooms your guests will use. For overnight guests, stock the bathroom with extra towels and toiletries. Here are some more tips to get your bathrooms guest-ready:

• Clear personal products from the vanity and cabinets.
• Supply fresh bath and hand towels.
• Refill the soap dispenser and set out extra toiletries.
• Make sure toilet tissue is well-stocked.
• Provide overnight guests with a blowdryer (or access to one).
• Place a nightlight in the bathroom.
• Clean the cabinets and countertops.

Start the New Year Off Fresh

After hosting holiday parties and entertaining family and friends, you may need a break and a little help keeping your home or business in order. Since the holiday season also marks the end of the calendar year, it’s also a perfect time to start fresh by having your home, office, or business professionally cleaned. Hiring professional cleaners will give you a break and ensure you start the year off right with a thorough cleaning of your living and work spaces.

When You Do Need Help

Regardless of how well you prepare, the holidays are often a hectic time of year. If you’ve reached your limit or simply run out of time, your local Molly Maid® offers holiday home cleaning services that will take cleaning off of your holiday to-do list. Our team of experienced pros will give your home a thorough clean to ensure your home sparkles this holiday season. From top to bottom and everything in between (even those often overlooked areas) your home will shine brighter this holiday season. Need high-quality, reliable holiday cleaning services? Look no further than your local Molly Maid. We can help lessen the stress of hosting holiday gatherings and entertaining holiday guests. Our service can also give you more time to enjoy holiday pleasures, like baking cookies, shopping for holiday gifts, and creating a festive holiday mood.

Molly Maid is a proud member of the Neighborly® family of home service providers, which means all of our work is backed by the Neighborly Done Right Promise™. This ensures your satisfaction with every clean service we provide.

Since 1984, Molly Maid has been providing home and business owners with exceptional cleaning services that fit both their budget and schedule.. Whether you’d like a one-time cleaning or a weekly recurring cleaning plan, our custom cleaning services are designed to work for you. To learn more or to get started, request a free estimate today!