20 Places to Clean to Make Your Home Sparkle

With the holiday season ahead of us, we’re all busy planning gifts, travel, meals, and decorating. And if you’re hosting, you have the additional task of cleaning your home. Having a clean home ensures that your guests will be comfortable and feel welcome. That’s why having a holiday cleaning list that includes all the nooks and crannies is so important. Here are 20 tasks to make sure are on your cleaning list to make your house feel extra inviting this season. 

 Each of these items only takes a little bit of time but has a big impact on the overall cleanliness of your house. So take a few minutes each week before your guests arrive and complete one of these cleaning tasks and your house will be sparkling like festive lights in no time. 

 

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Clean the baseboards 

Baseboards collect a lot of dust — and not the stuff that sucks into the vacuum, but the grimy, filmy kind that requires a rag and soapy water to remove. And if you have dogs and carpet? The dust and dirt will quickly accumulate as you take a rag and dig it out from along the carpet line. (Yuck.) Clean behind the big pieces of furniture, too.

 

Inventory the shoe & coat closet

If your shoe closet looks anything like ours, not only is it utterly disorganized, it also contains more shoes than it can reasonably hold. Then, of course, there’s the layer of gritty sand, pebbles, and leaf debris along the bottom. 

Taking a few minutes to inventory, organize, and prioritize your shoes and jackets will help clear your mind as well as space for your guests to feel welcome.

 

Organize the guest room closet

We’re all desperate for additional storage, but making sure that your guest room closet isn’t overflowing with [insert item of overflow] will make sure your guests don’t feel overwhelmed if they peek for extra pillows or blankets during their stay. 

 

Clean under the sink

Have you looked under your sink lately? We keep our trash can under our sink, so it always gets grungy with pieces of plastic, coffee grounds, and food scraps. But even if you don’t keep your trash under there, the filth can accumulate from dripping dish water, cleaning supplies, and other miscellany stored. It may seem overwhelming, but taking everything out and wiping down the bottom is a really a quick way to freshen everything up.

 

Clean the trash can

Whether it’s under the sink or not, please take a minute to clean your trash can inside and out. Give it a rinse (dump icky stuff in the toilet), spritz, and wipe it down. If it’s still a little stinky (or to keep it from becoming smelly), sprinkle a little baking soda on the bottom. 

 

Clean the silverware drawer

I know you only put clean silverware in there, but crumbs and dust always accumulate. Remove the silverware tray and give that a scrub, too. Who knows? Maybe it’ll inspire you to clean out your other utensil drawers, too. 😉

 

Scrub the kitchen floor

I’m not talking about mopping with your old sponge on a stick; I’m talking about getting on your hands and knees and scrubbing the floor with scrub brush and rag — especially if you have tile. Kitchen floors get NASTY and you’ll quickly see how grungy they are when you empty the bucket. (If you have a sizable space, freshen the water at least once.)

 

Clean the bathroom fan

A bathroom fan is so important to reducing chances of mold growth, but they can quickly become covered in dust, reducing effectiveness. If you can, pop it off and give it a rinse; if you can’t remove it, vacuum it as best you can. ‘Cause if your guests catch a glimpse of a bathroom fan caked with dust? They’re gonna be a little grossed out. 

Be safe! Don’t forget to turn off the power, if you’re close to electrical wires.

 

Bathe pets

If you have pets, do your best to make them less stinky. Give them a bath, brush them, clean their litter and litter space, clip their nails, get them groomed, if needed. And don’t forget to vacuum their fur off the furniture to remove excess dander.  They’re definitely contributing to the dust load in your house, so try to make sure it’s at least not smelly dust.

 

Dust ceiling fans

Drifts of snow sure are pretty, but when they’re drifts of dust hanging off the ceiling fan blades? Yuck. Spare your guests the allergens and give ‘em a wipe. While you’re up there, remove any glass pieces and clean the rest of the light fixture, too. 

 

Clean your windows

Our household includes kids and dogs, so smudges abound. But even if yours doesn’t, it’s a good idea to give your windows a good cleaning from time to time. We love the Norwex window cloth for chemical-free window cleaning. If you don’t know anyone that sells it, check with my friend, Rachel. She and her husband have several dogs and swear by their products. I’m sure she’ll be happy to chat about their goods with you. 

 

Clean all of your appliances!

While you’re wiping vertical surfaces, don’t forget the appliances! Finger smudges, food drips, and grease splatters are everywhere. Here’s a quick list to check off as you go!

• Wipe down the fridge, oven, microwave, and dishwasher. 
• Fill a microwave safe bowl with a couple cups of water, put in the microwave on high for about 5 minutes. After 10 minutes, carefully remove the bowl from the microwave and wipe down the inside. If applicable, remove the carousel and hand wash or put in the dishwasher.
• Remove knobs from the stovetop and wash. Wipe the stovetop, behind the knobs, and clean the backsplash. 
• Dust the top of the fridge and stove hood.
• Wipe away the grime around the seals on the dishwasher. (So gross.) Run a cycle with a cup of vinegar only. 
• Wash away lime and built up soap scum around the base of your faucet. Citric acid and a little elbow grease will do the trick for especially stubborn funk. 
• Run a cleaning cycle on your oven — also great to help heat the house!. (Don’t forget to wipe out any excess crumbs first or your house may become a little smoky!)

 

Clean walls (especially in the kitchen and bathroom)

Next time you’re brushing your teeth, look at your walls. Moisture in the bathroom causes dust to stick; dripping condensation picks up dirt and runs down your walls; toothpaste spatters. This can be a quick project with a spray bottle with a 50/50 water and white vinegar combo and a damp rag. Don’t miss the edges around the counter and shower! They accumulate a lot of grime, too. 

 

Clean inside your refrigerator 

This is never a fun task, but absolutely necessary — not just for your guests, but for overall sanitation. This is also a great time to purge any expired condiments.

Take everything off all the shelves (don’t forget the door shelves!) spritz with some cleaner or use a bleach rag and wipe clean. If you can, remove the shelves completely and just wash them in your kitchen sink. (This is one of my favorite things about having a single basin kitchen sink.) And don’t forget about the crisper! 

 

Dust your accessories

Lamp bases and shades, tops of clocks and frames, even plant leaves accumulate dust. Give ‘em a wipe to keep your space looking fresh. And while you’re at it….

 

Dust the tops of doors and door frames

Our family is full of tall people with potty training aged kids. Hanging out in doorways isn’t uncommon. Don’t risk your guests having dusty fingertips if they happen to reach up to use the door frame for a stretch or to hide a trinket from a toddler. 

 

Medicine cabinet

I don’t know about you, but between ibuprofen, allergy pills, antacids, and the sixteen different kinds of bandages, our medicine cabinet is kind of a disaster. Keep your guests from being crushed under an avalanche of falling bottles by tidying it up and disposing of anything that’s expired. 

 

Clean the laundry room

Yes, I realize that the laundry room is probably tucked away and not likely to be encountered by guests, but I guarantee that if you don’t clean it up, someone will sneak a peek or Aunt Mildred’s dog will find a pair of dirty underwear to chew on under the tree. Fortunately, cleaning a laundry room is a pretty simple task: just keep up with laundry before your guests arrive, organize what’s left, and don’t forget to wipe the accumulated dust from the lint trap off the top of your appliances. 

 

Clean around the toilet

This one gags me every time. Yes, we all clean the toilet bowl, lid, and surrounding porcelain, but the base of the toilet? I won’t go into details, but please wipe it off — all of it — and the surrounding floor.

 

Clean the kitchen sink

In case you haven’t already heard this, the kitchen sink harbors more bacteria than any other place in your house. If you don’t already, please scrub out your kitchen sink on a regular basis, including the drain area and food catch. Good guests will happily help with dishes. Don’t make them question the cleanliness of the plates they’re eating off of. 

 

Do you host any holidays? What’s your least favorite deep cleaning chore? Tell me in the comments below! 

 

—Melissa, Funky Crunchy Mama