Get Ready for the Guests: The Ultimate Holiday Cleaning Checklist

Festivities, family, and food. It’s the most wonderful time of the year. For those organizing the festivities, hosting the family, and cooking the food, it can also be the most stressful time of the year. Between preparing meals, receiving party-goers, and getting ready for overnight guests, the holiday season can be full of anxiety. To take some of the stress off, it’s a good idea to get your cleaning schedule ready ahead of time. Charlie’s Soap is here to give you the best cleaning tips—and products—to help you handle holiday cleaning like a pro.

Overwhelmed with prep? Break it down into manageable steps with this checklist to get a squeaky-clean home for the holidays.

Living Room and Dining Room 

If you’re hosting this year, your living room and dining room will probably be the centerpiece of the party. It’s a good idea to start there and make sure it’s spick and span for your visitors.

Walls

It’s easy to forget, but, over time, your walls collect grime and scuffs just like your floors. Luckily, it’s an easy fix. With some warm water and a rag, you should be able to get your walls back in mint condition.

Floors

Carpet 

For a really deep clean, you might consider doing a complete shampoo on your carpets or rugs. Don’t have the time? You can easily spot-clean instead! The oxygen bleach from Charlie’s Soap is safe to use on carpets (and much more). In a spray bottle of cool water, simply mix one-half of a tablespoon of our oxygen bleach. Spray the spot with the mixture, then gently scrub the area with a cloth. After blotting away the remaining liquid with a paper towel or dry cloth, simply allow the area to dry. Just like that—clean carpets and rugs.

Hard surface floors 

Whether you have tile, laminate, or hardwood floors, Charlie’s Indoor and Outdoor surface cleaner is the product for you. It’s a multi-purpose powerful floor cleaner that shines up your hard surface floors. Just mix the cleaner with water—as little as one ounce of cleaner in a gallon of water will do the trick—and mop floors as normal. It also works great for cleaning your baseboards.

That’s it! Shiny clean floors. No rinsing required.

Tidy Up

Finish by decluttering the area. Fluff pillows, fold throw blankets, and make sure your holiday decorations are good to go for your soon-to-be-impressed guests.

Guest Bedrooms 

If your guests are coming for an extended stay, it’s a good idea to freshen up the guest room. Here’s what to focus on.

Laundry

For that freshly-laundered feel, wash the linens and bedsheets in your guest rooms. Our hypoallergenic natural liquid laundry detergent is a great choice for any guests that may have sensitive skin. If you’re tight on time, try our convenient detergent packets. 

Details

These finishing touches are simple, but they can leave a big impression on your guests. Make sure the guest bedroom and bathroom are stocked with necessary toiletries, check the lightbulbs, and remove any leftover clutter. Since guest bedrooms tend to go undisturbed for long periods of time, it’s a great idea to pass over the furniture with a microfiber duster.

Bathrooms

Bathroom cleaning usually involves several products for scouring, disinfecting, and polishing the various bathroom surfaces. Try our multi-purpose kitchen and bath household cleaner to streamline the process. It packs a punch for stubborn stains, and you can use it for basically everything in your bathroom, including:

• Toilet
• Faucet and Sink
• Shower
• Mirrors

It’s also ultra-easy to use. Just spray the area with the household cleaner and scrub or wash away. For tough messes, simply give the product some extra time to sit. This will allow the cleaner to break through the grime and work its magic.

Toiletries  

It’s in the details. To improve your holiday game, make sure to restock on standard toiletries. A safe supply of toilet paper, full soap dispensers, and clean hand towels are classic signs of the hosting expert. Lastly, draw the shower curtains to make your bathrooms look as tidy as possible.

Outdoor 

In the midst of winter weather, preparing the outside of your house can seem like a huge ordeal. Don’t stress—just a little bit can go a long way towards welcoming your guests.

Winter Weather

If you live in an area with severe winter weather, you may want to plan on saving some time to shovel and salt sidewalks to prevent slipping.

Cleaning

That indoor and outdoor cleaner you can use on your floors? It’s also perfect for patio furniture, driveways, home siding, and more! It’s even a glass cleaner for windows, inside and out. Sprucing up the outdoors is a great place to start if you’re looking to step up your game. Though guests won’t be spending much time outside, they’re sure to appreciate the effort.

Charlie’s Soap: Here For All Your Holiday Cleaning

Pro tip: while you figure out which cleaning tasks to add to your schedule, make sure you have the products you need. Charlie’s Soap is the brand for you, from multi-purpose cleaners to hypoallergenic detergents. We’ve got your back—even during the most stressful time of the year. Shop Charlie’s Soap.