We love Christmas for being one of the most heart-warming holidays of the year. We all know that it’s the company that makes it so special. We hope this year will be kinder to us and let us finally welcome our friends and family and spend some great time together. To ward off the infection risks, we need to reconsider how we prepare our homes for holidays. We asked cleaning professionals from White Glove Cleaner to share their best holiday cleaning tips to help you stay on the safe and merry side during this amazing festive time.
Christmas home cleaning must be different this year. This is why
We always fret over pre-holiday cleaning. And for good reason, because we want special people we invite to be specially treated. There are a couple of reasons why it’s a good idea to unfold the home cleaning raid well in advance before the holiday. Firstly, a perfectly clean and organized house is easier to decorate. And secondly, getting your home cleaned before the Christmas rush begins helps boost your confidence, keep the focus on the real meaning of this holiday, and enjoy having people around.
However, this year, not shine and sparkle, but safety should be our number one priority. Instead of worrying about how to impress your friends and family with a chic home interior, we should be more concerned about inadvertently hosting the guests we never invited. Viruses. So before welcoming our dearest people for holidays, we should take our cleaning skills to the next level – disinfecting.
How to disinfect your home before holidays?
Disinfecting is especially important if you live in an area with high rates of COVID cases or invite older relatives who can be more vulnerable to coronavirus infection.
The difference between basic home cleaning and disinfecting is tremendous. When we clean, we usually focus on what we can objectively see. When we talk about disinfecting, we mean using cleaning products with disinfecting properties (for example, a bleach solution or alcohol-based cleaning supplies). They kill germs we cannot see and stop their spread. We recommend that you use cleaning chemicals that are EPA-approved for COVID-19 disinfection. You can find the entire list of these products here.
Here are some other disinfecting tips from the pros to help you keep your home safe:
First clean. Then disinfect
Inspect your nooks and crannies and wash the surfaces with water and soap to remove all debris, dirt, and chunks of food. Now that the surfaces are clean, put your disinfectant to work to kill viruses and bacteria.
Degerm high-touch areas as often as possible
Look around your house and make a list of surfaces you and your guests will often touch during the visit. Think of tables, countertops, light switches, doorknobs, appliances, TV remotes, railings, phones, faucets, etc. Disinfect them right before your guests arrive and then, if they are going to stay at your home for a longer time, re-use this list to disinfect these items as often as needed.
Stock hand sanitizers all around the house
Washing hands with soap and running water is great, but you cannot control how often your guests do it. Having hand sanitizers all around the house, including the guest room, will inspire them to think about cleaning their hands. Also, replace hand towels as often as possible or better provide disposable ones.
Let the fresh air in
In closed airtight spaces, coronavirus easily spreads from person to person via tiny respiratory droplets. You can prevent the infection from accumulating in your house by opening doors and windows as often as possible to welcome fresh outdoor air. Ceiling fans and portable air cleaner devices also help to significantly improve the air quality.
How does deep cleaning helps you enjoy a healthier Christmas?
We all have fantastic plans for this Christmas, and cleaning isn’t a part of them for sure. The only wise solution is to clean in advance but to do it much thoroughly than usual. Such a deep cleaning will have a long-lasting effect, keeping your home tidy longer. This will let you focus on your favorite Christmas activities instead of cleaning here and cleaning there all the time.
For example, if you plan to cook festive meals by yourself, then deep clean your kitchen in advance. This can include:
- scrubbing your sink,
- washing and disinfecting your cabinets, countertops, and a dustbin,
- cleaning your fridge, glass top stove, oven racks, and the appliances your guests will use (like coffee machine, microwave, etc.).
Cooking in a clean kitchen makes the process more aesthetic and enjoyable because no mess distracts or upsets you.
However, the main benefit of deep cleaning before Christmas is safety. Since your surfaces are already clean, it will be much easier to disinfect them as frequently as you need.
It takes only a few seconds to wipe them with a cloth and disinfectant, and you can get back to enjoying a healthy time with your dearest people. Just don’t let the grinch called coronavirus steal this merry Christmas.