Tips to Get Your Home Ready for the Holidays
Have you thought about preparing your home for the holiday season? Don’t wait until the last minute, it’s time to be proactive!
You have the basics: adding décor and lights, setting up the holidays festive items, and perhaps rearranging your furniture to accommodate guests.
But, as it feels every year, the months of November and December always go by so quickly. It’s s best to consider what you can do quickly so you can enjoy the holiday season and better prepare your home for your family and friends.
When it comes to getting your home ready for the holidays, it’s best to with decluttering. To ensure you aren’t caught off guard or scrambling at the last minute, put together a plan, working from one room to the next, removing, throwing away or donating the items you no longer need or use. Rule of thumb, if its been 6-8 months and you haven’t used it or needed it, get rid of it. Obviously there are some items that are not used regularly. Use your best judgement. Keep in mind the idea is to declutter.
Don’t forget to clear out the freezer! Make space for all of the holiday cooking and left overs. A lot of items on the family holiday menu freeze well for busy weeknight dinners.
Do a Deeper Clean and don’t forget to clean the chimney!
We all know how to vacuum, dust, and wipe down surfaces. But how thorough of a job are we doing? Look at investing in having a company come out to do a deep, top to bottom clean. Focus on the blinds, vaulted ceiling corners, ceiling fans, air ducts and your chimney.
If you uave carpet or large area rugs, have a relaliable carpet cleaning company to not just clean but disinfect your carpet. Carpet and rugs are prone to holding in dust, dander and other respretory irritants.
Focus on what guests see first
Whether your guests use a front, side or back door, focus on what catches the eye.
Are your door frames caulked? Are the trim, soffit and facia areas in need of a fresh coat of paint?
What about the entry way? Do you have discolored grout around the tile, are there cracks in the walls and ceilings?
Think about the type of statement you want your home to give when guests enter. What needs to take place to make your home feel warm.and inviting?
Don’ neglect the outside of your home either
Curb appeal is very important. If you have trees that surround the home, be sure to remove low hanging limbs and limbs that hit the roof or gutters of your home. You may need to clean out your gutters. Especially if its been over 6-8 months since the last clean out. If you don’t have a heavy treed yard you may can get by with cleaning out your gutters every spring.
Keep your bathroom looking fresh.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again. A fresh bead of caulk can really change the way a room looks. Caulk around your bathtub, showers, and baseboards. Fresh caulk will help the bathroom feel clean. It created smooth clean lines and will ensure your bathroom tile is protected from all the extra splash due to heavy traffic. You may also want to do a bit of paint touch-ups around the baseboards and door trim.
Check the Essentials
Have your HVAC system serviced and check to make sure your major appliances are in good and working order. You would hate to have a oven or stove go out in the middle of holiday cooking. Trust me, I speak from experience! Also, a house that is too hot or not keeping warm is miserable when your alone but it ia definitely stressful when you have uncomfortable guests. Getting a tune-up can also help prevent poor air quality and save on your energy bill.
Be sure to reach out if you need assistance in making sure your home is ready for the holidays!
