Holiday Cleaning.-HELP

[Disney Ontario]

Hi. Ok I am not to good of a cleaner and I have my family coming on the 21 for a pre christmas party. I need everyones best cleaning tips ever that yous SWEAR by.Most important -THE DREADED BATHROOM. We are a family that don't invite many people over because I judge my house and I guess hate it.

 

[JessicaR]

FlyLady can help you! She has a great site filled with excellent tips for cleaning and organizing. Good luck getting it done!

http://www.flylady.net/

 

[LadyZolt]

OK, first think "minimalist." Don't keep stuff out if you don't need it. That means any stuff on the counters or shelves in the bathroom or kitchen, just box it all up and bring it out again after the New Year.

For the bathroom: Get Lime Away or another cleaner like that to remove soap scum. Use Windex on windows and shiny bathroom fixtures. I also use it on counters because it'll make 'em shine. If the tub needs it, get a pumice scouring stone and use that with some elbow grease. For the toilet, once you get it cleaned well, put in one of those products that releases cleaners each flush. Also, keep a container of flushable cleaning wipes (Scrubbing Bubbles ones, or Lysol, whatever) in a cabinet or something for easy touch-ups when you have guests. Get out some pretty hand towels and fresh soaps to make the room inviting for your guests, too, and maybe put in a plug-in air freshener so it smells nice.

Kitchen: Clear off the counters so all that is on them is stuff that must be, like a toaster and loaf of bread. Sweep and mop the floor at the last possible moment so it's as fresh as possible for your guests. Tell everyone who usually lives with you to not put anything in the sink -- keep the sink clutter free and it makes the kitchen seem neater. When done with dishes, either wash them and put them away or put them in the dishwasher if you have one. If the oven has a self-cleaning feature, use it a few days before your guests arrive. If not, get one of those Easy Off Oven cleaner cans and use it so that the oven is at its best. Stock up on fresh fruit and put it in a bowl so it's inviting. Put out clean, bright kitchen towels.

Rest of house: Box up clutter, vacuum, dust (Swiffer dusters work great!), use Febreeze on furniture and curtains, and then use a plug in air freshener. Make beds. Put out pretty throw pillows and/or throw blankets on couches and chairs.

I hope some of this helps! Have a wonderful holiday!

-Dorothy (LadyZolt)

 

[Judy Judy Judy]

This is how I special clean my house in times of company : First let me say you still have plenty of time so relax and get ready to work.

You say you have family coming in on the 21st well that gives you 8 good days to clean. What I do is take one room a day in my house and clean it from top to bottom, dust, polish, throw away crap, what ever it needs, clean light fixtures, wipe walls down etc.

Start with the rooms you know you want to look their best and clean there first. If you have more than 8 rooms you may have to pick a day and do two rooms etc....this way you can really clean an area good without getting side tracked.

I use awesome on my tubs, it's from the dollar store and it really does the trick for cleaning up my tubs, give it a shot. I pour bleach into the back of my toliets and let them sit for about an hour and flush and it seems to really help the cleaning of my toliets.

If you stick with things Saturday you will just have to go back and spot clean and you'll have time to go get groceries etc...and time to get yourself all ready for Sunday without any stress.

This plan always seems to work for me as I like my house to really look it's best whenever I have company, it doesn't matter how old my house is at least it's clean !

GOOD LUCK !

 

[ksumn1]

I think the most important thing to do is declutter. Less stuff to clean=effort. We have a small house and it's a battle to keep it neat. Everything has a place and it you don't put it up.......I will and it might be awhile before you get it back.

Bathrooms....I use greased lightning to really deep clean. Use rubber gloves, it's horribel on your hands and make sure the room is well ventilated. Spray and then wipe down ASAP so you don't get splotches. For counters, toilet lids etc, I use Lysol wipes. Well, actually my 5 year old is in charge of wiping down counters and cleaning toilets (she looves it for some strange reason). I sprinkle Comet in the toilet and let it sit. She cleans counters and toilets and my 10 year old cleans the mirrors and sweeps the flor while the rugs and guest towels are in the washer. I sweep and mop the floors last minute. Put one of those toilet bowl thingies in that helps clean and color the water with each flush. It really helps and it does provide a decent odor killer. Also, I put the gel twisty things on back of the toilet. Nice scent, not too strong.

I use glass cleaner on most surfaces and I reclean countertops and stove with Lysol or Clorox wipes.

Let your family help, that's a BIG piece of advice. Give everyone one or two jobs they do well and you don't have to run yourself ragged trying to do it alone. Deep clean now and then the day before do a final runthrough: dust, bathrooms, sweep, mop, vacuume, take out trashwipe down counters, put away dishes. And then really last minute..light some candles so the house smells nice and looks festive. And pop a batch or ready to cook cookies in the oven. Nice snack and your home will smell great too.

 

[DisneyMomOK]

All the previous posts have been great! I find that making a list by room of the things I know I need to do and, then, marking them off as I complete tasks, gives a psychological boost (in addition to the great feeling a clean room gives one). I start every room with a quick pick up: a laundry basket or two which I can empty later, for all the out of place "stuff". If I don't have time (although I think your schedule should be fine) to put everything away, I put the "stuff" out of sight (I have even put them in my car when I only have a short period of time to clean the house before company). I live in an old (80 years) house, so I understand not being totally happy with your home; especially when it seems like everyone else has a brand new home with all the bells and whistles!

 

[Cool-Beans]

I'm confused. Do you not know how to clean your house or are you asking for tips to make it sparkle?

If you don't know how to clean, it's easy. You pick stuff up and put it back where it belongs. Then you use some sort of cleaning solvent and water to wipe the dirt off. If there is a lot of dirt, you scrub.

I clean the inside of the toilet with bleach, then the whole thing with scrubbing bubbles and then I spray it with Windex and it is very shiny. Bleach tablets in the tank help keep it clean between washings.

There is no trick to cleaning. You just do it.

 

[MontanaZoo]

FlyLady can help you! She has a great site filled with excellent tips for cleaning and organizing. Good luck getting it done!

http://www.flylady.net/

Second flylady - look up crisis cleaning.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Cleaning a house for company does seem like an overwhelming job if you look at it in one big chunk. Instead, take it one room at a time. Gather everything you'll need for that room. Go in there and just do it until it's done. After that, tackle another room. If I can make the downstairs look really nice for company, I don't feel badly if the upstairs is still a mess.

Once I had my entire department over for a holiday lunch and gift exchange (2 preschool classrooms - about 8 people). I spent several days afterschool cleaning the downstairs and it looked really nice. There was this one teacher who was known for having no tact. She comes in, looks around and says, "You don't mind if I see what's upstairs, do you?" Everyone looked shocked that she would even ask. I just said, "I didn't plan on having visitors upstairs." She dropped it. Why the heck would she want to see our bedrooms? She has since retired.

 

[Amy&Dan]

The Fly Lady will get you organized! Its free and I am telling you, it works.

You have gotten good advice. Clutter is the biggest culprit in a house that isn't clean and organized.

 

[marypoppinswannabe]

I agree with the pp who said to make a list by room. I do that ALL of the time and I actually get a little more detailed, so that I have a feeling of accomplishment by marking the items off. It also helps me remember what has already been done in a specific area so as to not repeat a task if I had to stop in the middle of what I was doing. For ex: Bathroom - Clean Vanity and Mirror, scrub toilet, clean tub & shower,take out trash, sweep and mop floor.

Also, if you have clutter lying around and you just cannot bear to part with it, then buy a couple of rubber maid containers and put the clutter in there. Even if you don't have the closet space for them, they would still look neater than the clutter.

And if you have children old enough to help clean, assign each child a different room and the two of you clean it together. It will give you an opportunity to spend time with that child while giving them an opportunity to hone their cleaning skills.


And if all else fails, look in the mirror and give yourself a peptalk to get moving.

 

[EthansMom]

I agree with the previous posters. You've got plenty of time.

A few hints: Be realistic. You aren't going to work miracles in 8 days, but you can have most of the clutter picked up and the house clean enough for visitors. Get out a calendar and make a reasonable list of what you want to accomplish each day. For the next 4 or 5 days, work on decluttering 1-2 rooms a day. Don't just shift the stuff into a closet. Put it away in the correct place the first time. Be brutal... if it will eventually go into the garbage, put the stuff there now. Work in short increments of time (10-15 minutes, set a timer) and work quickly during that time. Work on the most noticeable items first... don't spend any time agonizing over what to do... just do whatever you see. Don't pull out more stuff than you can quickly put away... this is not the time to overhaul all of your closets or cupboards. Concentrate on public areas... kitchen, livingroom, bathroom, etc... I usually lock my bedroom when I have family over so I don't even worry about that room.

About 3-4 days before the get-together, switch over from decluttering to maintenance and cleansing. Keep up the decluttered level you've achieved but get the necessary cleansing done. Make a list for each day... again, stick to the stuff that is most noticeable and be realistic.

Leave the day before the get-together for food preparation, decorating, quick cleanup, and other last minute stuff.

Don't forget to enlist your family to help. My DH isn't the greatest at helping clean on a weekly basis, but is pretty willing to help when we've got a big group of people coming. Also, the kids should be cleaning up their own toys and their bedrooms, as much as possible. This is an excellent time (with Christmas coming up) to have the kids weed through their toys/stuff and throw some stuff out. At our house, we call it, "making room for Christmas toys."

One thing I like to use when decluttering is a laundry basket. I go in a room and throw everything that shouldn't be there into the laundry basket. Then I go through the laundry basket and put the stuff where it should go.

Here's a sample schedule of what my preparations might look like:

Day 1: Declutter Livingroom and Public-use Bathroom (in 15 min. increments)
Day 2: Declutter Kitchen and Masterbedroom/Bathroom
Day 3: Declutter Office and Kids' Bedrooms (wash laundry while decluttering bedrooms)
Day 4: Declutter any Remaining Rooms, Set Kitchen Oven to Self-Cleaning, Declutter and Clean out Refrigerator
Day 5: Scrub Public-Use Bathroom, Scrub Kitchen
Day 6: Wash Windows as needed,
Day 7: Grocery run, Vacuum, Mop all Rooms
Day 8: Cook, Clean Up as I Go, Wipe down Bathroom Counters, Mirrors, and Clean Toilet in Public-use Bathroom
Day 9: Relax and Enjoy Your Holiday!

I hope this helps!

 

[Claire L]

I find malt vinegar very good at cleaning on tiles and grout etc, it really gets any little bit of grime associated with moisture.

Claire

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

HI! I too have a houseful of company coming for Christmas and can't wait until they are here!!!

I use a microfibre cloth and vinegar, or vinegar and water as my general cleaning equipment.

Picking up and putting away only works if you have a place to put what it is you are picking up!!! If you don't, can you toss it? I get really dangerous when cleaning in a rush. Lots of things become unimportant and go in the trash!

Remember though? They are coming to see you. As long as your house isn't reeking of a nasty odor, or have mold growing from the walls...you'll be fine.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

I buy a lot of cleaning supplies and a vacuum.

Then I bring them home, stack them on the counter, and wait for them to make the house magically clean .

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

I LOVE your method!!!

Uh, does it work?

 

[earthfaries]

The biggest tip I can pass on is diaper wipes! I buy the big box of 720, Huggies Natural Care because they are unscented and really thick and damp. They work super and make cleaning a breeze on tabletops, countertops, floors, bathrooms, etc. I just spray the bathroom with lysol and wipe down.

Good luck!

 

[Lynn CC]

I go through my house thoroughly each season and a big clean out once a year.
Take it one room at a time. The bathroom, get a soft scrub brush and a toothbrush for small spaces. Get cleaning products you like the smell of. I use Lemon Lysol,citrus Windex, and Fantastic they all smell good and clean to me.
Make sure you vacuum before you scrub or you'll be swirling around the dirt. start from the top (up high) and work your way down to baseboards and carpet or floor. If you have carpet get some carpet cleaner get on your hands and knees and spot clean first and then use the machine for the whole area. Or floors vacuum, then wash and shine with a dry puffy mop.

There are also other specialty products such as Glisten for the dishwasher(you run it through a cycle, no scrubbing!) Granite Cleaner and polisher, stainless steel cleaner for you sinks and appliances. I like Endust furniture polish.
I agree with others put things away that don't need to be out and if you don't go looking for them after your company leaves you really don't need them put them in a yard sale bin and make some money in the springtime. I have had so many yard sales and then donate the rest. My attic and cellar only have minimal essentials stored in containers or on a few shelves and labeled....sounds crazy but you'll feel so organized and it really is much easier to keep clean after your organized.
Try not to get overwhelmed! I wish I lived close to you I love organizing and cleaning I really do.
I should add I use environmentally friendly products on a day to day cleaning, but for the heavy cleanings I use products mentioned because I love the clean smell afterward and they tend not to be as much money as EF products.

 

[Cool-Beans]

I go through my house thoroughly each season and a big clean out once a year.
Take it one room at a time. The bathroom, get a soft scrub brush and a toothbrush for small spaces. Get cleaning products you like the smell of. I use Lemon Lysol,citrus Windex, and Fantastic they all smell good and clean to me.

That's so funny. I do this, too. I was using the lemon lysol squirty bottle stuff for everyday cleaning kitchen counters and stuff, but now they changed it. Why, oh why, do they have to "new and improve" things?

Don't like the smell of Brand III as much as I liked Brand II.

I use the yellow lysol stuff for floors, too. And lemon Scrubbing Bubbles and Orange Pledge. Maybe it's my way of bringing a little citrus into my cold Ohio home.

OP, you'll be fine. Turn on some upbeat music that you like (I like peppy girl songs best) and once you start, it'll be easy to keep going. And remember that nobody really cares about your house - it's you they come to see.