The holidays are just around the corner. It’s the most wonderful time of the year whether you’re going to be kicking it alone or with your loved ones.
You’re surely going to have a lot of plans with your family this season since you’re making up for all the times you didn’t get to hang out with them during the rest of the year. But before you hang out with them, you need to make sure that you and your home are prepared.
However, I’m sure you’d want to be using more of your free time to enjoy the festivities instead of stressing over a mess. Let me share some tips to prevent just that from happening:
Declutter
Remember that coat you no longer use? Or that stack of magazines you swore you’d get rid of? Maybe it’s the right time to take it out and free up some space.
Getting rid of all the excess junk ensures none of your guests gets buried under an avalanche of last year’s bad decisions. You’ll feel more at ease, and a clean space is always easy on the eyes.
Make Space in the Entryway
When you have friends over or some guests, your foyer is the first place they step into. Make it as welcoming as possible.
At the entrance to your humble abode, you can make it more inviting by placing a small rug or a cute welcome mat. It’s pleasing to the eye and also protects your floors from the snow or even mud from the outside.
You can add hooks to the walls so your guests can hang their coats or hats. You would also want to add a storage bench where they can remove their boots and shoes.
Clean the Drains
When you’re using a shared kitchen or bathroom, the first thing you notice is always the drain.
If your kitchen or bathroom drain has a clog, the best thing to do is to have it cleaned before it becomes a problem. The safest bet would be to call a professional beforehand to have it inspected and cleaned so ‒ in the long run ‒ you wouldn’t encounter the same problem again.
Make Sure Your Refrigerator is Ready
Food is one of the things that brings people together. Whether you are the main cook or a family member who will be coming over, you bet that your fridge will be the most used appliance in your home.
Since you’re going to be pulling out food items and putting them back in constantly during the holiday season, you should remember to wipe away any spills that happen. Don’t wait for it to dry out as this will be harder to remove.
Also, make sure that you store your food items properly. Your food and leftovers are going to stack upon each other during the season, so make sure that they are in tightly sealed containers.
Inspect Your Heating System
It’s really cold this time of the year, and you wouldn’t want to be freezing in the middle of celebrating the holidays. Make sure that your heating system is doing its job of keeping you warm and cozy.
According to Cleaning Exec Cleaning Services NYC, you can call up a professional to have it checked beforehand and to make sure that everything’s running smoothly.
Get the Kitchen Ready
Big meals were always a thing whenever our family celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas. We would be cooking all throughout the day, pans would be flying out of old drawers, and I always got the task of cleaning the appliances we would use to cook food with.
This coming holiday, save yourself from doing all the cleaning on the exact day you would be using your kitchen. Plan and prep ahead of time.
Add a Festive Touch
Have you gotten out those decorations yet? Now is the best time to deck your halls. You wouldn’t want to wait until your guests and friends arrive to put up that Christmas tree, would you?
Decorate the exterior of your house, too, so that everyone passing by your house will get into a festive mood as well.
Speaking of getting into a festive mood, a lot of people in their adulthood find it harder to get into a holiday mood. To circumvent this, decorating is a great way for you to feel the jovial mood that comes with the upcoming holiday season.
Mind Your Outlets
All those Christmas lights and displays you’ve put up for the holidays are going to be the bomb. Make sure that it doesn’t become a literal bomb this season by inspecting if your home electric system can take it.
It’s highly recommended that you inspect all of your outlets at home, get a surge protector installed, or have an electrician install an extra circuit.
Secure Your House
If you’re going to travel, make sure that before you leave your humble abode that everything is secured.
Have a small talk with your neighbor so someone can pick up your mail and water your plants, lower down the thermostat, and unplug your appliances until you get back.
Nowadays, there are plenty of modern security details that are quite affordable that you might want to install in your home. If you plan on going on a getaway for the holidays to someplace warmer, then investing in these additional security details would be worth it so that you aren’t worried about your house.
Preparing your home for the holidays is an important step because it will allow you to fully enjoy your time with friends and family.
Since it is inevitable that the holiday season will lead to a lot of mess from parties and celebrations, you should start things off by having a clean slate. From decorating your home to cleaning things up, getting into the spirit of the holiday season will be easier if you spruce up your house for it. You’ll not only get the holiday spirit into you, but you’ll also have a better mood overall simply because of how you treat your environment.
Hopefully, the tips above will help you prepare your home for the holiday season. Don’t forget to clean up after each party too!