I know it’s hard to believe, but there are only a few Fridays left until Christmas and even fewer before school ends for the year and our up-country families begin to descend en masse for the summer holidays. While you’re frantically planning sleeping arrangements and shipping in vast amounts of food (the teenagers alone could eat you out of house and home), somewhere in all that frenzied preparation you’ll have to make time to clean – a challenge at the best of times, never mind when you suddenly have additional house guests. So, in an effort to put our best foot forward this Christmas (because you know the state of your home is going to be the topic of conversation at the next family braai) and to make hygiene cleaning as organised and painless as possible, we’ve put together a cleaning strategy:
Entrance: First impressions count so begin with your walk way, give it and the front porch a good sweep, give the door a good wipe down and invest in a new doormat – nothing says ‘welcome to our clean home’ better than a bright new doormat.
Carpets: Next tackle the carpets, if they require more than a thorough vacuuming, call in the specialists for carpet cleaning, because it doesn’t matter how lovely the surrounds are if all you see when you look down are stains and marks on the floor. And dry carpet cleaning is the best, because not only does it clean better, but it leaves your carpets instantly dry and ready to use – perfect if you’re running behind schedule.
Windows: Clean windows and wash curtains. If you’re strapped for time, wash only those in the communal areas and in the guest rooms. Cleaning the curtains might seem like overkill, but very little beats the smell of freshly laundered curtains as it permeates through your home.
Kitchen: Next, focus on the heart of the home, the kitchen. Be sure to give it a good hygiene cleaning from top to bottom, but pay special attention to the countertops, fridge and oven. The dishwasher is going to work overtime so give it a deep clean in preparation too. And clearly label your recycling and other bins making it easy for guests to know what to discard where.
Bathroom: Moving on to the room that harbours the most bacteria if not kept in check, the bathroom. Thorough hygiene cleaning will involve scrubbing the toilets, sinks, showers and baths until they shine. If the countertops are cluttered, put away as much as possible and keep only the essentials out – this will make it easier to maintain cleanliness while your guests are with you.
And then last, but not least, you might want to walk through your house pretending to be a guest – when you look at things with fresh eyes you’ll often see odds and ends that need doing or touching up, or clutter that should be packed away. But if the thought of all this hygiene cleaning leaves you exhausted before you’ve even begun, consider using QClean – cleaning specialists who take on far more challenging projects on a regular basis, from pre occupation cleaning to post renovation cleaning. They’ll have your home ready for guests in no time so that you too can enjoy the holiday season – after all, isn’t that what this time of year should be about …
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