If you’re hosting this year’s Thanksgiving dinner, you’ll be far too busy basting turkey to do a detailed holiday clean the day of the meal. However, you don’t want your friends and family to think you have a messy home. What’s a host to do?
What you need to get your house ready for Thanksgiving is a holiday cleaning timeline to help you prepare for guests. Let the countdown to the biggest meal of the year begin!
Five Days Before (Saturday)
Today you’ll prepare for cleaning. Here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Walk your home to see if there are any major problem areas that need to be addressed.
- Take inventory of your cleaning supplies to make sure you have everything you need for the coming days. (Those last-minute grocery runs can really eat up your time.)
- Think about what guests will see when considering which parts of your home a holiday clean should involve. They won’t be rummaging through your closets or hanging out in your bedroom, so the places you’ll need to give attention to when preparing for guests are: mudrooms and entryways, living room and dining room, bathroom, kitchen and guest bedrooms if you have overnight visitors.
Four Days Before (Sunday):
A full kitchen cleaning takes some time, so it’s best to handle it on the weekend.
- Make sure your stovetop and oven are shining and ready for the upcoming Thanksgiving Day action.
- Wash your kitchen countertops and wipe down cupboards, backsplashes and the refrigerator door.
- Go ahead and give special dishes and flatware a holiday clean.
Three Days Before (Monday):
If you’ll be hosting out-of-towners, today’s the day you’ll need to start getting your guest rooms ready.
- Tidy up guest rooms by dusting and vacuuming.
- Check your guest linens and wash sheets and towels that need freshening up. (While you’re doing laundry, you may as well pull out your Thanksgiving tablecloth and wash and iron it, too.)
- Pull the door closed after you’ve completed your holiday clean of the guest rooms. This way the room stays neat — and free of any pet hair — until your visitors arrive.
Two Days Before (Tuesday):
Things get fun two days before Thanksgiving dinner because Tuesday is bathroom day in this holiday clean countdown. You should also set aside time to start sprucing up common areas.
- Make bathrooms sparkle with a thorough cleaning.
- Stock them with toilet paper, hand soap, tissues and clean hand towels.
- Dust any other rooms guests will see, making sure light fixtures, ceiling fans and blinds are clean.
- Check to be certain there aren’t any cobwebs dangling from corners.
One Day Before (Wednesday):
Fall is known for being blustery, so save the outdoor portion of your holiday clean for the day before Thanksgiving. You’ll also want to put the finishing touches on common rooms.
- Sweep up porches, driveways and sidewalks before making your way inside to clean the floors in mudrooms and entryways.
- Clear out some closet space for coats and purses when preparing for guests.
- Vacuum throughout the house and clean windows and glass surfaces.
Thanksgiving Morning (Thursday, of course):
You’ll be doing plenty of cooking and cleaning as you go today, so you want to keep the rest of your chores light.
- Wipe down your dining room tables and chairs.
- Make sure you don’t forget about table leaves when preparing for guests.
- Do some final spot cleaning before friends and family arrive.
Preparing for guests can be one of the most stressful aspects of the holiday. However, if you have a solid plan in place, you should be able to complete your holiday clean and welcome visitors to a tidy home.
