Cleaning Hacks to Get Your Home Holiday Ready

Trying to get your home ready for visitors this Christmas? Try these five cleaning hacks to have your home ready for the holidays in no time!

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.

I adore the holidays: the dried grass my children track all over the house, the pine needles dropping from the tree, the flocking falling from the banister garland, the flour in every single nook and cranny of my kitchen, the icing fingerprints on the dining room chairs, the piles of dirty sheets and towels from visitors, and the tiny pieces of tape that my children constantly stick onto everything any time I get out the wrapping supplies.

I jest. Sort of. I truly do adore the holidays (and I could list many more wonderful things about them!), but they tend to come ruthlessly with a slew of extra chores. Add in the extra commitments, visitors, and pressure of hosting, and it’s a wonder any of us make it to January. So this year, I’ve been working hard to simplify routines in my home to help me clean it quickly so I have more time for the truly fun stuff.

And, truth be told, those efforts are worth it year round! Keeping up with housework efficiently allows more time for the things that really matter. So without further ado, here are five cleaning hacks (and the best cleaning products) that I’ve been using to simplify my chores and keep my home holiday ready:

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Cleaning Tricks for a Simple, Clean Home:

1. Find an all-purpose cleaner you love.

A good, natural, all-purpose cleaner (this one is my favorite) has been so helpful to my housekeeping system. I use the same cleaner on glass and counters and cabinets and just about any hard surface… I have one in the cleaning caddy (alongside toilet bowl cleaner, etc.) and another within reach under the kitchen sink at all times.

Whatever comes our way – cookie crumbs, maple syrup, or a multitude of less sweet concoctions – it does the trick. Everyone in the house knows where it is and how to work it!

2. Go cordless.

I recently purchased my first piece of the Hoover ONEPWR set – a Blade Cordless Stick vacuum cleaner – and I love it. Until now, I was sweeping my wood and tile floors 99% of the time, especially on the stairs, rather than lug the big vacuum all over the house.

But this is so much more effective! It has also been the perfect quick option for under the kitchen table after every meal. And the upholstery attachment and handheld option have made keeping the sofas (and underneath them) clean so much easier.

3. Vacuum and mop in one easy step.

Time saving tips that actually get my home cleaner? Yes, please! The Hoover Professional Series ONEPWR FloorMate JET Hard Floor Cleaner, sold exclusively at the Home Depot, has changed the way I clean most of my floors because it can vacuum while washing.

Our downstairs wood floors, which have an oil finish, are not actually sealed to work with the Hoover Floormate Jet, but all our tile and our upstairs wood floors can be vacuumed and mopped in one step. Mind. Blown. Refreshing area rugs is also easy with this one-step clean. This cleaning hack starts with some simple water and cleaning solution.

A little spray jet wets the floor, and the brush roll washes and scrubs to loosen debris while you vacuum. All cord free and it uses the same battery as the Blade mentioned above as well as all other ONEPWR products. So easy!

Since we have a toddler, I may or may not have vacuumed pee out of the rug the other day. Ewwwww…. I did start by hitting that spot with a little urine remover spray, but then a little mist/vacuum, and we were done. So much less worry about drying when most of the moisture has been vacuumed out.

And cleaning the machine is so easy (and important after vacuuming up some of the things I’ve vacuumed 😉 ). The dirty water reservoir is separate and easy to empty. And the brush roll and casing is cleaned right in the storage tray.

4. Be Prepared for Tough Stains.

Tips 1-3 are really about simplifying your day-to-day house cleaning routine. But what about those tougher stains and accidents? If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen the dry-erase marker debacle. Or the red-wine-in-the-carpet disaster. Or the greasy hands on the fabric sofa. Or the… you get the point.

Four kids (and a few adults 😉 ) can make a mound of messes. I discovered Folex at the suggestion of readers when I was trying to clean dry-erase art out of the sectional, and quickly added it to my cleaning supplies. It has worked wonders on upholstery stains like grease, red wine, and general dirt and grime.

5. Make your kids help.

If there’s anything I’ve learned with four kids, it’s that I simply cannot do it all.  But I also don’t like to be a taskmaster. So I try to turn on some tunes and make it fun. We all pitch in to clean the kitchen after meals. Dish soap and cleaning spray are within easy reach so that everyone can help, even the youngest.

And the older ones love to use the cordless vacuums, too. Keeping things simple makes it easy for the kids to take on their own cleaning responsibilities. We even have a laundry system, which helps us through the holidays as well as other busy times of the year.

It takes extra front-end work, of course, to teach kids how to do these chores, but it helps our home run much more smoothly, and it really can be just a fun time to knock things out together.

A Simple Cleaning System for Your Home

I think the most helpful step towards keeping a clean home during this busy holiday season is to simplify the process – both for yourself and to allow others to help. A simple system allows you to clean more quickly and efficiently on a daily basis.

It also means that when the Thanksgiving meal is done or the Christmas dinner is eaten, everyone can pitch in with the holiday cleaning if they’re willing. And take this from a very imperfect, obsessive do-it-herself-er who is still learning… it’s a good thing to accept help. 😉

Have a very happy holidays, and don’t forget to pin this for later!