|
|
Preparing for Holiday Home
Entertaining
From The Maids Home
Services
The holiday season may be one of the busiest travel times of the year,
but a growing number of people are choosing to skip the family road trip
in favor of home-cooked meals and family nights by the fireplace.
According to Marketing to Women and The New York Times, since the events
of 2001, people feel safer and more comfortable at home, making a night
at home the new form of "hip entertaining."
If you're one of those who crave a cozy family get-together but worry
about the mess and anxiety that comes with planning such an affair, The
Maids Home Services, a residential cleaning company, offers the
following tips to help your holiday plans go off without a hitch:
Empty all trash containers. Clean and disinfect inside and out with
warm, soapy water and a neutral disinfectant. Drop several extra trash
liners inside each container before relining for a quick and easy way to
remove future trash when it really starts to pile up.
Clean the tops of ceiling fan blades and inside ceiling lamp globes.
Nobody wants to wake up to a plummeting dust bunny!
Vacuum home from top to bottom, paying attention to areas such as the
dining room, living room and kitchen, where people will congregate the
most. Don't forget about your upholstery and hard-surface floors. They
collect dust and dirt too!
Dust all surfaces, including areas such as baseboards and windowsills.
Pay attention to collectibles and picture frames -- items you'll want to
"show off" to your holiday guests.
Empty coat closets of extra outerwear like spring jackets and
sweatshirts to make room for your guests' outerwear. Consider donating
any outgrown apparel to a local charity organization.
Launder and press bed dressings for any overnight guests. Leave clean
towels in each guest bedroom and top with a holiday candy piece or two
to make your guests feel pampered.
Clean out your refrigerator to make room for leftovers. Make sure you
have adequate storage containers and space for the extra food before the
meals begin. Leave an open box of baking soda inside to absorb any odors
your holiday goodies might leave behind.
Clean the inside of the oven and the top of the stove. You don't want
the smell of roast turkey, ham or chicken mixed with the smell of last
Thursday's "meatloaf surprise."
Have a huge family? Move furniture such as small end tables and large
potted plants, to an extra room to make space for extra chairs. Be sure
to dust and vacuum the new furniture -- especially if it hasn't been
used in a while.
Savor smells of the season -- welcome your guests with an inviting home
aroma. Simmer hot tap water, apple cider and cinnamon in a saucepan for
20 minutes. The enticing smell will put everyone in the holiday spirit.
The Maids Home Services is one of the oldest and largest residential
cleaning companies, serving more than 500 locations through the United
States and Canada. For more information, including tips on handling
unexpected holiday guests, visit their Web site at
http://www.maids.com.
|
|
