Published on December 27th, 2017 | by Christopher Porteus

How to Get Your Home Ready and Safe for the Holidays

The holidays are here. Though you feel a tad late, it doesn’t matter! You can still get everything in order right now! Plus, this won’t be the last holiday you’ll need to prepare for. And, even better is that you don’t need to deliver your performance review template to anyone. So, without getting into the ‘whys and why nots,’ let’s take a look at the things you should be doing:

1. Clean and purge

Decorating is fun, cleaning, and purging, not so much. But, cleaning and going through that long purge process is the most important step you should take before decorating. If there is anything that you need to get rid of, purge it. Then, go through all those stacks of paper in the drawers and shelves and clean them out.

The outdoors will need cleaning as well. You can clean every part of your home easily by involving your kids (if there are any), friends and family.

Note that cleaning isn’t complete until you have cleaned the microwave, the oven, and the refrigerator. Don’t forget to inspect the fridge for food may go bad if you haven’t serviced your fridge for some time. You also have to inspect the dishwasher and the oven. Clean the drip coffee maker and keep the vacuum cleaners ready. There will be a lot going on in the kitchen so, you should make sure that you are ready for lots of cooking, eating and cleaning.

Don’t forget about the floors – leave the glossy and free of specks. You also need to clean the drains, the toilets, and the garbage disposal. Wash the windows, glasses, touch up the paint on the walls, and have your carpets cleaned by a professional.

The good thing about this is that you will have a lot of work cut out for you after the holidays.

2. Spruce up main space

Now that you have cleaned up every nook and cranny, it’s time to add glitter and shine to all the parts of the house your guests will see. Ladies and gentlemen, guests, see everything so, don’t ignore that old torn cheap cloth table runners!

Get the bathrooms, entryway, front porch, kitchen, and the living room areas ready and perfectly spruced up for the holidays. Do laundry and keep away the laundry baskets.

3. Do you have your seasonal scents?

Seasonal scents may be this big thing that completes the holiday spirit for you. Also, it may not. Either way, having that seasonal scent tells your guests that you put time and effort into hosting them. The scents will make your home homely.

4. Is the table set?

The table arrangement says a lot about you. Since you sent out invites for your friends to come to your home to make merry, make it count. So, go for an elaborate table set up, and yes, you can finally bring out all your fancy dishes. The holidays are also a good time to bring out those cute printable place-cards, seasonal blooms, and the color-coordinated dinnerware.

5. Get the guestroom ready

Holidays represent the time when you willfully let people invade your home. The only way to ensure that your guests have a good time and you don’t regret sending out the invites is by having a separate guestroom set up.

Make your guest (s) feel welcomed by cleaning up the guest room and the bathroom. Also, clean sheets set up as well as blankets, toiletries, towels, and pillows.

6. Baby proof the house

Even if you don’t have kids, you should remember that one of your guests will come with a baby. So, you should be prepared for babies. Keep delicate and unsafe items out of the way and have a box or a kitchen drawer with baby stuff.

7. Get Firewood

A holiday home must be cozy, and nothing spells coziness better than a crackling fire as you entertain your guests. Besides the fire, have some cozy blankets for the guys seated far from the fireplace.

8. Check the smoke alarms

Anything can happen, check the smoke alarm, replace the batteries, and ensure that they are all properly installed. Your home should have smoke alarms in all rooms and outside all the sleeping quarters.

9. Check electric lines for safety

You have to get a professional for this. Your electric wiring should regularly be inspected by a professional and a reliable company. You also need to avoid overloading electrical sockets with multiple cords.

You should also inspect the holiday lights before putting them up. Pinched, frayed, and light strands should be thrown out. For energy savings, consider getting the low-energy LED Christmas lights.

10. Air quality

This is probably the last thing on your mind. But, you need to ensure that the air you will breathe with your guests doesn’t put you at risk of getting sick. You should also consider having some indoor plants to clean up the air in and around your home.

Final Thoughts

As you declutter ruthlessly, clean up everything in your home, and have the kitchen ready, don’t forget to stock up on your kitchen essentials. You should also perfect that delightful recipe you’ve been dreaming of whipping up for your guests!

It is also worth mentioning that you should work a little less with the holidays approaching. Take time to relax and rejuvenate. Finally, get gifts.

Tags: holiday, seasonal scent

About the Author

Christopher Porteus Chris Porteous is a veteran in the tech space, founding Framestr and writing about his experiences scaling startups. When he's not working, he's writing about the latest tech products and providing insights on how to utilize technology to improve your life.