BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Cleaning Holidays with guest

Considering those of us entertaining friends and family will need to "clean" house soon, what are some suggestions you may have done in the past, that helped you get through more quickly and efficiently? I always keep a clean house (neat freak...I admit) but for guests, that's an entire different story.

I'd appreciate the feedback, especially, since I have a two story house and don't really want to super, duper clean but since guest may at some point go into other parts of the house, I guess I'll have to do it (with family members of course). So, give me your plan on cleaning the entire house, for guests, by Thanksgiving.

Give each family member a list of what they need to do. When everyone is finished their part, have a special treat planned. Don't be surprised at how fast they get through their list!

Also, make it a good treat, so they'll remember it the next time cleaning needs to be done.

Thanks Chloe. I'll pass on to my other sisters too.

Hi,

Ahem. We're no masters of cleaning at our house. Our place is horribly messy. Before the child came, it was only pretty messy. And before I started working at home. But now horribly describes it pretty well, I think.;)

We do, however, usually clean when when pushed to the wall--i.e., when we have guests coming over for dinner. We do it to make them feel comfortable, give them a place to sit and put their food and make them feel they're not entering a biohazard zone if they need to attend to personal matters.

My grandma, if she were alive, would have a cow over our housecleaning style. And I, for one, do love a clean house. LOVE a clean house. But if we made our clean house a priority, I wouldn't be able to do so much other stuff.

So that's where I'm coming from when I say my vote is, if your house is already pretty comfortable to be in, AND if you have limited energy or resources, clean the points of potential embarrassment (bathrooms, kitchen, floors), but don't stress about the rest.

I'm betting your guests will not be focused on clutter and dust balls. Or at least, if they are, they'll focus MORE on you and the other guests and the food than the dust balls.

Life really is too short, IMHO. FWIW.



Karen
How to Host a Thanksgiving Dinner for Those With Dietary Restrictions
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You are so right Karen. Its about the memories we make with family and friends. I guess its just the neat freak in me. But I did come across a great tip from a magazine. When a lot of guests are expected, be sure to put clorox wipes in the bathrooms for keeping germs down. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

One way I try to keep germs down when guests are in my home is to fill baskets with those small individual soaps I have saved from hotel rooms, so each person has their own. I also have a hand sanitizer by every sink in the home.

Keeping some Clorox wipes handy is also a great idea.

With precautions like this, I can relax and enjoy my guests and share in the memories we make today and those of the past.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

If I was going to make one room really clean it would be the bathroom. Guests can get a little squeamish about an icky bathroom

Good suggestions we can all use for the next holidays coming up as well. Thanks everyone.