Home for the Holidays: How to Clean Your House for Guests

The holidays are fast approaching and many people will host at least one family gathering this year as well as a few overnight guests. Keeping a clean house is not only inviting to others, it is important for the health of you and your houseguests.

Kitchens, bathrooms, beds, couches, doorknobs, light switches, remotes, and especially carpet, tile, and wood floors all become unsanitary through daily use; more so during the holidays. In the cold and flu season it is important that these are cleaned routinely to minimize disease and germ transmission. Something as simple as an oven temperature knob can transmit E. coli to your turkey dinner and make all of your guests sick.

Try the “Top-Down” method to thoroughly clean your home; start with fan blades and dusting bookcases and work down to the floor. Below is a cleaning checklist to assist you in the many cleaning tasks to consider:

• Dusting – Dust/disinfect ceiling vents, fan blades, blinds, light switches, doorways, doors/doorknobs, walls, and wood furniture (bookshelves, cabinets and handles, dressers, nightstands).
• Kitchen – Wipe down all kitchen surfaces and clean with disinfectant. This includes: countertops, sink, backsplashes, stovetop, oven, cabinet interiors, fridge exterior, shelves, and handles, microwave interior and exterior, and any other surfaces or appliances that are exposed to weekly use. Pay special attention to tile, grout, and porous surfaces (like granite countertops) since grime in these areas can be stubborn. For professional tile and grout cleaning call a cleaning company such as A-Team Carpet Clean.
• Bathroom – Clean and disinfect every surface in your bathroom including: walls, mirrors, shelves, shower curtains/curtain rod, sink, water faucet/knobs, toilet, towel racks, TP holder, trash cans, hamper, tile, tub, and faucet/shower head.
• Guest Rooms – Pay special attention to guest rooms that aren’t regularly used. Clean sheets and bed frames, and use Lysol or a similar product for mattresses and pillows, nightstands, and of course doorknobs. Mattresses can get especially grimy over the years. To get a deep clean on a dirty mattress, call A-Team Carpet Clean. They can have your mattress ready for sheets a few hours after cleaning.
• Furniture – Vacuum any upholstered furniture, use Lysol to disinfect upholstered furniture in your living room, and hire a professional cleaning company to deep clean and deodorize your upholstery. Clean and disinfect throw pillows, blankets, coffee tables, chairs, media areas, game systems, and lamps/lamp switches.
  

  Look at the difference professional upholstery cleaning makes.

• Other Rooms & Stuff – Clean and disinfect any other rooms, basement, appliances, and utilities in the house; washer/dryer, vacuum, humidifier, standing fan, windows, and central air intake.
• Exterior – Clean and disinfect exterior house surfaces that have daily contact, including; door handles, doorbell, mailbox, garage door controller box/opener.
• Floors – Vacuum, sweep, and mop or disinfect all floors in your house. Shampoo or steam clean carpets and rugs. Sometimes trying to tackle a stubborn stain alone just makes it worse. Hire a certified cleaning company that offers steam cleaning for your upholstery as well area rug cleaning and carpet cleaning. Contact Chris@ateamcarpetclean.com if you need your upholstery deep cleaned or just touched up. A-Team also offers advanced pet stain and pet odor removal and deodorizer.
• Prevention – Use Scotchgard to prevent stains from setting in on couches, rugs, and carpets, or call A-Team Carpet Clean to have professional grade Scotchgard or Teflon advanced carpet protector
• Water Damage & Mold – Pay special attention to water damage and mold (mold is a source for respiratory disease and other sickness). Check basements, bathroom walls and floors, and areas around sinks, washing machines, or water heaters for signs of mold or water damage. Use a mold testing kit if you think an area might be moldy, or call A-Team Carpet Clean who offers mold testing and water damage restoration. They can get deep mold out of couches, cushions, and carpets.

Most house cleaning chores are easy when done regularly. For those difficult jobs during the holiday season, make it easy on yourself and hire a professional cleaning company. Hopefully this checklist will help to break down and keep track of your cleaning efforts.

If you live in Lawton, Ft. Sill, and surrounding areas of Comanche County, OK then A-Team Carpet Clean is here for all of your cleaning needs. We offer professional steam cleaning services, carpet stretching and repair, and tile and grout cleaning. We are available for 24 hour emergency services – good for when you need water extraction after your pipes bust on Christmas Eve.

Happy Holidays friends!