Many homeowners need extra help returning their houses to order after hosting holiday celebrations. Photo: Elite Pro Home Cleaning ©2018
Hosting a big holiday get-together can be great. Surrounded by family members, friends and neighbors (and maybe their kids and pets, too), you can create a sense of comradery and memories that last a lifetime. But once the sofa bed is folded away and the last load of pots and pans runs through the dishwasher, reality sets in. Hosting for the holidays has turned your house completely upside-down.
Now it’s time to clean up, recover and get your home back to normal. Let’s look at some ways to restore order after hosting for the holidays.
Cleaning Hardwood Floors
During your holiday celebration, your hardwood floors probably endured much more foot traffic than usual. In fact, a cursory inspection may lead to the discovery of new scuff marks and scratches.
If your floors are looking less than their best, start by cleaning the area to remove any lingering dirt. This will also allow you to better assess the extent of the damage. To repair minor scuffs and scratches, try applying a solution of equal parts apple cider vinegar and olive oil. In cases where the wood is discolored, you can try filling in the area with a blending pencil that matches the original hardwood color.
You may discover that your hardwood floors need a greater level of attention. Depending on your hardwood’s makeup, you might decide to hire a flooring specialist to sand and resurface your floors if there’s significant scratching and scuffing across the surfaces. A company specializing in hardwood floor care can also repair areas with deeper damage, such as gouges, by applying wood filler or replacing a section of floorboards.
Cleaning Carpeting
Big family get-togethers are rarely kind to carpeting. In addition to the inevitable food and drink stains, dirty shoes, kids and pets can also leave their marks. As with hardwoods, there are tried DIY solutions for various carpet stains. For most simple food stains, a combination of dish soap and water will lift most of the dirt. For coffee, wine or chocolate stains, try a solution of ammonia and water. Rodrigo Bejar of Heavenly Touch, a Diamond Certified carpet cleaning company, shows his technique for cleaning carpet stains in this video.
This might also be the right time to hire a professional carpet cleaning service. After evaluating your carpeting, the technician will first apply a spray to break down grime in heavily trafficked areas and then address any deep-set stains. Then, they’ll use a powerful steam vacuum to rinse the rugs and pull out all the dirt. Your carpeting will be dry and ready to enjoy within a few hours. Ecologically friendly options are generally available for homeowners who are concerned about the presence of harsh chemicals.
Upholstery Stains
Spills on the couch are an inevitable part of hosting a big holiday event. Many of the same DIY solutions for carpet cleaning can also work on upholstery stains. Keep in mind that upholstery fabrics are generally more delicate than those found in carpeting. Some upholsteries can withstand dish soap or vinegar, but others should only be cleaned with water. That being said, water should be used sparingly on upholstery, as it can leave permanent marks on some fabrics. A professional upholstery cleaning service can also bring your furniture back to its best condition.
Time to Deep Clean Your Home
Once you’re done with all the commotion of a holiday celebration, you may look around your home and realize that cleaning up will require more than just a little elbow grease. This is a situation where you need a deep cleaning service.
Entailing more than maintenance cleaning, a deep clean is a one-time service that reaches areas of your home that aren’t generally addressed. The precise scope of the job will depend upon your arrangement with the service, but it may include sweeping behind appliances, removing buildup from window and door frames, dusting blinds and curtains, and more.
Some house cleaners even offer special “after-party cleaning” packages. Similar to deep cleaning, this type of service will focus on the kinds of messes that come with hosting an event in your home. The cleaners will thoroughly sanitize bathrooms; vacuum floors and furniture; wipe away fingerprints from walls, doors and appliances; and handle all trash disposal.