At Viridis Cleaning, we hope you all had a wonderful holiday and new year celebration. Now that the festivities are coming to an end, it is time to settle back in and get ready for the year to come. We have made a list of 10 tasks to help you in cleaning up after the holidays. Our tips are designed to cover all areas of your home to recover from the winter holiday season.
Cleaning up after the holidays is crucial to getting the new year off on the right foot. Making sure your home is clean will make you happier and healthier. Holidays can leave a mark on your kitchen, bathrooms and living areas. Following the 10 tips we have compiled to help you will guarantee all your bases are covered:
- Holiday Decor
- Storing Decorations
- Tables and Counters
- Rugs
- Carpet
- Fridge(s)
- Stovetop
- Oven
- Dishwasher
- Bathrooms
Taking the extra time to give your home a good cleaning on top of your basic cleaning tasks will guarantee a fresh and healthy home for the year to come.
Holiday Decor
Prior to storing your holiday decorations, take some time dusting and wiping down all of your ornaments. Wiping down glass pieces, and sometimes disinfecting items that may have gotten sticky from baking, etc are important prior to storing them and will save you time when the holiday season rolls around again and ward off discoloration or harm. Wreaths and garlands are beautiful but they can be dust magnets; be sure to wipe them down, or use a duster or even vacuum on them.
Storing Decorations
After cleaning all your decorations, you should properly pack and store all your items. Properly storing decorations will prevent damages and issues when later unpacking them. Holiday lights and garlands should be wrapped carefully to avoid tangling. No one wants to open up strings of lights the next year and be faced with a giant knotted ball! Fragile decorations should be wrapped and packed with care – newspaper or tissue paper can help with that! Wreaths and other outdoor decorations should be covered and placed in safe areas; how many Rubbermaid containers hold your decorations? Protecting your decorations will guarantee that your family can enjoy them for years to come.
Tables and Counters
Holiday cards, baked goods, and presents, oh my! We love these items but they can create clutter as the holiday season progresses. As you are putting your decorations away, it may be a good time to see if there is anything that can be donated as well. Do you have glass table tops or on doors? This is the perfect time to clean all glass surfaces with your preferred cleaning solution and wipe down other surfaces to remove any dirt or dust. It’s amazing where you find fingerprints when you are doing your post-holiday cleaning.
Rugs
Area rugs can be a hub of activity during the holidays; whether it’s from the additional traffic of visitors, those wonderful pine needles from your Christmas tree, bits and pieces of food, or particles from festive decorations. Can we say glitter everywhere? If the rug is small enough to carry outside, give it a good shake when it’s not snowing or raining. When you place it back, make sure to do a pass over with your vacuum to get those last particles. If you sprinkle some baking soda on that rug before vacuuming it, it helps to freshen up the rug.
“Baking soda is great for cleaning and deodorizing carpet, and it’s also great to clean multiple areas throughout your home.” source: Arm and Hammer
Carpets
Speaking of carpets, much like your area rugs, your carpets are in much need of attention after the holidays. Now is the perfect time to deep clean your carpets while you are cleaning your area rugs. High foot traffic, ornament glitter, and pine needles might be the only yuletide gifts left after the holidays. Don’t let them linger as the snow does outside.
Holidays can be expensive so you may choose the DIY option of renting a carpet cleaning machine instead of getting a professional carpet cleaner to come in. If you choose to clean these yourself, move all the furniture in your rooms and clean them with your rented equipment. If you choose to clean your carpets annually or seasonally; then after the holidays is the perfect time to do so in preparation for the new year.
Fridge(s)
Kitchens are a central gathering place for many holiday parties but that doesn’t mean that it’s the only place that has a fridge. When you clean after the holidays, make sure that you clean the fridge in the kitchen, the bar fridge, and the one that you may have in your garage. It should be no surprise that there are several appliances we should check off our post-holiday cleaning checklist. While the kitchen is the heart of the home; your fridge can be seen as the heart of the kitchen. From storing leftovers to keeping prepared meals ready for the parties to come, refrigerators are the focal point of the kitchen.
With the extra holiday food, sometimes leftovers get missed. Start by removing all food items and disposing of old food items. After all, food has been removed, clean all shelves, bins, and drawers with soapy water and allow them to dry. Organize and replace all food items and enjoy a fresh and clean fridge to kick off the new year.
If you are getting into that post-holiday clean mode, add the freezers to this list and treat it to the same thorough clean-up as you do the fridge.
Stovetop
Stovetops take a beating during the holiday season especially if part of your holiday baking is making caramel, candies and more! All the time preparing holiday meals can do a number on your stovetop, potato water can make such a mess. It is important to deep clean the surface to prevent any stains or hard set in grime.
Apply your favourite cleaning solution and allow the solution to break down any stains or grime. Wipe the surface with warm water, then dry to remove any excess moisture.
Tip – Never use abrasive cleaners, scrubs, or metal pads on your cooktop—these can cause serious scratching that you can only fix by replacing your cooktop.
Oven
A good time to clean your oven is after the holidays. Ovens take on a lot during holiday baking and meal preparations. Adding them to your post-holiday deep cleaning list prevents odors or stains to set in. Thankfully most ovens have a self-cleaning option, but for those that do not you should clean them similarly to your stovetop. Apply cleaning solutions and allow them to break down stains or set in food before wiping them away.
Dishwasher
Looking for an easy way to clean your dishwasher?
“Pour 2 cups (500 mL) of white vinegar into a glass measuring cup or other dishwasher-safe container and place upright in the lower rack. Run a normal cycle with the heat dry option turned off to clean the inside of your dishwasher. Do not use detergent.” source: Whirlpool
Bathrooms
Whether you were the host for a holiday party or family on an extended stay, bathrooms will have more traffic than usual during the holidays. Follow these steps to give your bathroom a post-holiday clean that it deserves:
- Clear the clutter
- Vacuum all surfaces
- Wipe down surfaces
- Clean the shower
- Clean the toilet
- Deep clean the floors
At Vidiris Cleaning Services, we serve clients in Burlington, Oakville, Milton, and Hamilton, ON. We pride ourselves on customizing our cleaning services to meet the unique needs of our clients. We offer value to homeowners through easy online booking and impeccable customer service, contact us today for your free quote!