OVER WHEN THE HOLIDAYS ARE
A
IT’S TIME TO CLEAN UP! by Debbie Sardone
fter all the excitement of the holidays — spending quality time with family and friends, enjoying
delicious food and drink, and giving and
receiving presents — your happy glow can
•
and you have to deal with the cleanup.
Hopefully, you’ve been cleaning as you
go, so that this tip isn’t a surprise for you.
received replacements for.
•
a trip and get rid of old items that you
When you take down a string of lights,
Hire a professional service to clean your
or a piece of cardboard to keep them
Let’s face it — all the spills in the kitchen and
wrap them around a paper towel tube
December.
can be challenging, but these tips will help
Clean as you go
time you spend decorating next year.
untangled and easy to unravel next
Getting your home back into tip-top shape
you’re left behind with the mess.
Goodwill with unwanted gifts, save yourself
phone. The images will cut down the
quickly disappear when guests are gone
when your guests and gifts are gone, and
save the pictures to an album on your
Label your holiday bins with the specific room or area where you use those
decorations and lights. Pack and unpack them accordingly.
home
increased traffic through the bathrooms
left your home a mess. Instead of bravely
facing the task of cleaning this by yourself, hire a cleaning company like Bucket & Bows Maid Service to deep clean your house.
Let the professionals tackle cleaning kitchen cabinets, stove, oven, countertops, floors,
Deal with holiday cards
dusting and vacuuming the living areas,
pots, utensils, dishes, and cutting boards
Collect all the holiday cards that arrived
house back in shape. What a great way to
or glasses on the counter, put them in the
received cards from. You can use this as a
As you prepare the holiday meal, wash the as you go. Instead of stacking dirty dishes dishwasher immediately.
in the mail and make a list of who you
starting point for next year’s holiday card list.
Take down the holiday lights
Then toss those cards in the recycling bin,
Make next year easier on yourself when you
and counters from the festive clutter.
and decorations
clean up this year’s decorations. •
Take pictures of your lights and
decorations. Then print them out
and put them in your holiday bins, or
immediately clearing your mantle Get rid of unwanted gifts
Don’t feel guilty if you received a gift
that you don’t want. Return it, donate it, or
re-gift it. And since you’re already headed to
cleaning toilets and sinks, and getting your usher in the new year! Smile ... and Relax
Remember how great it feels when the
holidays are over and the cleanup is done? When you aren’t sidestepping twinkling
Santas in the foyer, and you realize how big
your rooms really are? Get the whole family involved. Order in some pizzas or subs and
dance to some happy music. Happy holidays, and don’t sweat the cleanup!
Debbie Sardone is the president and owner of Buckets & Bows Maid Service and a popular national speaker on all things cleaning. 30 | LAKE CITIES LIVING | DECEMBER 2021
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