Holiday Cleaning Tips

It’s the holiday season, and with that comes family, laughter, gifts, cookies, and lots of messes!  From wrapping gifts to baking cookies, to hosting gatherings—and then the aftermath of all that fun—the holidays bring plenty of opportunities for extra cleaning.  We at PetalSweet Cleaning would love to help you ease the stress, but there are things you can do throughout this time to help avoid extra holiday hassle.

• If you have a live Christmas tree, be careful not to vacuum up pine needles that fall on the floor! Sweep them up first—a couple missed needles here and there should be okay, but large quantities will damage your vacuum cleaner.

• In our family, we like to bake A LOT of cookies! It helps to do all or the majority of the baking in one dedicated day, with as many helpers as possible, cleaning as you go.

• Hosting family and friends fills our hearts with joy, most of the time! Don’t worry about a deep clean BEFORE they come because they are really going to just mess it all up for you.  A general clean  will make everyone feel at home without causing you excess stress as the host.  If anyone offers to help you clean up after a meal, say YES! Take all the help you can get!

• Prepare for the gift haul.  It helps to make room for the new toys if you take a half day to clear out the old and broken and unused toys in your children’s rooms.  If they are in good condition, donate them–this will teach your children a valuable lesson about giving.  It feels great knowing you gave a family a happier holiday when you bring in all the new gifts.

• The aftermath…..boxes, wrapping paper, more boxes, everywhere! Do your best to throw away the wrapping paper as you go–have a couple garbage bags ready. Make it a game for the little ones.  Kids can be great helpers, especially with the incentive of gifts to lure them!

• Glitter, Ornaments, and boughs of holly! Decorations can be so beautiful, but also messy.  PetalSweet Cleaning often comes in AFTER our clients put up all their decorations for worry-free decorating.