How to Prepare Your Home for Holiday Guests
As we enter the holiday season many homeowners take responsibility of hosting Halloween parties, Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas. Prepare your home for the holidays by following these quick and simple tips.
Declutter the Kitchen
With all the food you are bound to have you will need as much extra space as possible. Store any extra pots, pans, and containers in cupboards and move spices and other baking ingredients into a pantry.
Quick Clean Your Kitchen
Microwave: Since your microwave will get a lot of use during the holidays clean it and make sure the air vents are clear of dust and grease to ensure it works properly for all your holiday food preparations.
Oven: Clean the top burners, but remember it is best not to run the self-clean cycle on an oven right before guests come over. It is so stressful on the oven that it can cause it to fail right before your big day of cooking.
Refrigerator: Replace any burned out lights, fix loose or misaligned door gaskets, clear freezer vents and clear cold air vents.
Dishwasher: Run your dishwasher a time or two to ensure it is working properly. Also, make sure you have enough dishwasher detergent to get you through each holiday party. There is nothing worse than having to hand wash all the dirty dishes, pots, and pans!
Garbage disposal: Try and scrape the inside of the disposal and pipes to remove any buildup. Run cold water down the drain for 30 seconds before and after each use to flush out the food.
Vacuum and Clean the Toilets
Vacuum all common areas guests are likely to sit in including dining rooms, living rooms, dens and basements. Clean your toilet and make sure the toilet is flushing properly. Set a plunger nearby in case of a guest emergency and make sure your hand towels are clean.
Stock Up on the Basics
Think of all the basic things you have and then make sure you are fully stocked on them. Garbage bags, plastic bags, plastic wrap, aluminum foil, containers for leftovers and coffee filters are all good items to have on hand.
Home Maintenance
Do you need an exterminator? What about new gutter guards? Is your furnace working properly? This is the perfect time to keep up-to-date with quick home maintenance.
Cook Ahead
Prepare ingredients for salads, soups and any other dishes that you can ahead of time. This will make day-of baking quicker and easier. Pre-line dishes with aluminum foil or parchment paper to make transferring food into the dishes easier, as well as clean up.
Holiday Aroma
Stock up on fun scented candles to bring the holidays to life in your home. Check out Yankee Candle or your local grocery store for a holiday-scented candle. You can even spruce up your dining table with potpourri.
Have a Playlist Ready
A fun gathering is not complete without music. Use the free service, Spotify, to make a playlist of your favorite holiday songs or browse their pre-made lists for some great holiday tunes.
