We all know there is a LOT of information out there on how to be ready to be the perfect host for your family and friends at Thanksgiving. There are articles about decorations, guest lists, recipes, shopping, and cooking for the big day. This does not always include getting your home ready. So how do you get the home itself ready to be filled with visitors while you are busy in the kitchen?
First, don’t strive for perfection. Making that a goal will only create more stress so strive for clean and friendly, but not perfect. Picture a happy and realistic Thanksgiving celebration in your home and focus on those details that matter the most and let the rest go. The next few steps can be done anytime in the 2 weeks before Thanksgiving, so you have less to do on the big day.
You won’t be able to clean the kitchen during meal preparation so give it a good deep clean in the week before you start. Be sure to clean out the refrigerator of any foods that are expired or will be expiring in the next week, so you have room for incoming food not just from your preparations but also from guests that just had to bring something with them whether planned or not. While the refrigerator is relatively empty, clean the shelves and drawers so they look nice and are odor free. Move on to your pantry and do the same cleaning of expired foods and wiping down shelves. From there, include counters, tables, the sink, and any other food prep areas in the kitchen. Ideally, do the food removal before the last trash pickup before Thanksgiving. This will help keep the trashcans from smelling like rotting food, especially if the cans are stored inside your home anywhere or near the walkway from where guests will be parking to your front door. Take a moment to clean or at least wipe down appliances including refrigerator doors, dishwasher, stovetop, and oven door as well as smaller appliances like coffee maker, blender, toaster, etc. If you are using them, they need to be clean. If not, wiping them down now will make them look nice for when guests hang out in the kitchen while you are cooking. Clean the oven and microwave thoroughly because they will be heavily used during the Thanksgiving celebration and the week afterwards (lots of leftovers for everyone usually). Finally, don’t forget to clean the floors.
Get the guest room ready. If you have overnight guests or not, be sure to change the bedding (sheets, blankets, pillowcases), dust the room and clean the floor. Even if you don’t have overnight guests, people like to put coats, purses, etc. in a spare room, and you never know when a guest needs to lie down somewhere for some reason. This is a better to be prepared and not need it than need it and not be prepared situation.
In the day or two before, be sure to clean the bathrooms. It is always recommended to clean the guest bath, but experience shows that if a guest really must go when the guest bath is in use, all other bathrooms are fair game. Once in there, guests naturally will look around at everything. Clean the tub/shower, sink and floors.
Cleaning the living room needs to be realistic. Start by decluttering the room including all horizontal surfaces. Dust from the top down. Don’t forget the ceiling fans and registers. Clean windows and other glass surfaces like mirrors. Then clean the furniture and flooring last. Now is not the time to rearrange the furniture other than to add seats if necessary. It is also not the time to worry about dings in the walls, redecorating the room or replacing anything. Your guests will notice if you are clean or not but will not focus on your décor as much as who is there and what you are doing.
On Thanksgiving Day, there are a few housekeeping items to do before you start preparing the meal. Thanksgiving morning is the time to clean the toilets to make sure they are clean when guests arrive. That is also a good time to hang fresh, clean towels (both bath towels and hand towels) and make sure the sink has soap (a filled liquid soap or new bar) to give the bathroom a finishing touch. Towels and soap should be refreshed in the kitchen too. Replace the sponge so it is clean and odor free when guests are in the kitchen with you.
Set the table in the morning before any guests arrive. It will make the area look nice, make you look prepared and will reduce the stress of rushing to be ready when the food is to be served. Be sure to count out settings to include everyone expected and have reserves standing by for unexpected guests. Setting the table now lets you see where to put dishes as they are ready to be served. This is also the time to put out any Thanksgiving specific decorations. Consider color themed tablecloths, placemats, and napkins over table decorations since the food will need that space. Other decorations can be staged in the areas where guests are conversing away from where the food prep and meals will be occurring.
Have someone helping you take a moment to sweep the porch and walkway to your home. At this time of year, leaves are everywhere. Cleaning them out of walkways will not only make your home look more inviting but doing so will make it safer for guests as well.
Be sure you have designated a space for coats and bags. While you may have prepared the guest room or a closet for this function, guests may not know to put stuff there when they arrive. Either communicate this ahead of time or have someone greeting guests and sharing this information so you are not stopping your other duties to direct people where to go and where to put their belongings.
Once you are ready for the big feast, stop your other household chores to enjoy the day. Your guests came to visit with you, and you invited them so you can spend time with them. Your home looks great. You are having fun with friends and family. Everything else can wait until after your guests leave.
To help reduce your stress and prep time even further, call ServiceMaster of Gwinnett or ServiceMaster 5 Points Athens to clean your floors and furniture before Thanksgiving to help you make your home look inviting and friendly. Afterwards, you can also call us to schedule a cleaning to help you get out any spills or stains, so you are ready to move on to the holiday festivities still ahead in December.
