The holidays are a time for family, friends, and celebrations, but they can also bring a lot of extra mess. With guests coming over and festive activities filling up your schedule, keeping your home clean can feel like an overwhelming task. These 10 holiday cleaning hacks will help you maintain a tidy space with minimal effort, so you can focus on enjoying the season.

1. Pre-clean High-Traffic Areas

Start by focusing on areas that will see the most activity. This includes your kitchen, living room, and bathrooms. Declutter surfaces, wipe down counters, and vacuum high-traffic zones. Keeping these areas fresh will make touch-ups easier throughout the season.

Hack: Use microfiber cloths—they’re super effective for dusting and wiping surfaces and don’t leave lint behind.

2. Set Up a Cleaning Station

Create a designated cleaning station with all your essentials in one place—disinfectant wipes, a handheld vacuum, microfiber cloths, and all-purpose cleaner. When a mess arises, you can tackle it quickly without hunting for supplies.

Hack: Keep your cleaning station portable by using a small caddy or basket that you can carry from room to room.

3. Clean As You Cook

This is a must, holiday cooking can leave a huge mess in the kitchen. Save yourself time and stress by cleaning up as you go. Wash pots, pans, and utensils immediately after use, and wipe down countertops between cooking steps.

Hack: Keep a bowl of hot, soapy water in the sink to soak items you’re finished with, making clean-up easier later.

4. Use Baking Soda for Stubborn Stains

Baking soda is your best friend for tough stains and odors. Sprinkle it on carpets, upholstery, or countertops and let it sit for 15-20 minutes before vacuuming or wiping away. It will help lift stains and eliminate odors, leaving your space smelling fresh.

Hack: Add a few drops of essential oils to your baking soda mix for a pleasant holiday scent.

5. Double-Duty Decor

Let your holiday decor do more than just look pretty! For example, you can use festive baskets and decorative boxes to store clutter or hide away items you don’t need out during the holiday season.

Hack: Incorporate storage solutions into your decor—like using a pretty tray for corralling loose items on your coffee table.

6. Speed-Clean Before Guests Arrive

Don’t stress over making everything perfect before guests arrive. Focus on tidying the most visible spaces and areas they’ll use. Clear entryways, fluff pillows, and give the bathroom a quick wipe-down.

Hack: Close doors to any rooms guests won’t be using—it’s a fast and effective way to keep clutter out of sight!

7. Protect Your Floors

With more foot traffic during the holidays, your floors can take a beating. Place mats at each entrance to catch dirt and moisture, and ask guests to remove their shoes when they come in. If you have pets, trim their nails to reduce scratching.

Hack: Keep a basket of slippers near the entrance for guests to use—an extra cozy touch for the season!

8. Tidy Up with a 15-Minute Timer

To stay on top of daily messes, set a 15-minute timer each day and clean as much as you can within that time frame. You’ll be surprised at how much you can accomplish, and it keeps cleaning from becoming overwhelming.

Hack: Focus on one area per day—such as the living room on Monday, kitchen on Tuesday—to keep things manageable.

9. Freshen Up the Air

After a day of cooking, entertaining, and decorating, your home might not smell as fresh as it once did. To keep things smelling festive, simmer a pot of water with cinnamon sticks, cloves, and orange peels.

Hack: Skip artificial air fresheners and opt for essential oil diffusers with holiday scents like peppermint or pine.

10. Don’t Forget Post-Holiday Clean-Up

Once the festivities are over, plan a post-holiday clean-up session. Take down decorations, vacuum any stray pine needles or glitter, and launder any table linens. Start the new year with a clean and organized home.

Hack: Recycle wrapping paper and gift boxes, and donate any items you no longer need or use after the holidays.

With these holiday cleaning hacks, you’ll spend less time stressing about the mess and more time enjoying the season with your loved ones. Happy holidays!

Now go take a bite out of grime! ✨

Sincerely,

Robin Crockett

Founder & CEO, Heaven Scent Home Cleaning & Virtual Bid™