Hosting Thanksgiving dinner is a big job, requiring a lot of preparation and post-cleaning. While it is one of the most anticipated feasts of the year, it also comes with a lot of stress.
Here, we share 17 important tasks you shouldn’t forget with our before and after Thanksgiving cleaning checklist.
1. Give your table linens the once over
How many times have you gone to set the table when entertaining guests only to find your table linens are stained and wrinkled? Avoid this stressful situation by checking your table linens two weeks before the big day. You can decide what needs to be washed and ironed, or whether you’ll need to invest in new linens for the event.
2. Count your place settings
Count all your cutlery, plates, and glassware to ensure you have enough for your guests. Make sure everything is clean and ready for use. If not, clean the items and store them away.
You can do this as far out as you like, but give yourself at least two weeks just in case you need to run out and buy extras.
3. Inspect your serving dishes
Pull out your serving dishes and decide what you’ll need based on your menu. If you have silverware, make sure it is polished and that anything else is clean and ready for service.
4. Do some spot cleaning
About two weeks before the event, give your home a good cleaning in the areas where you’ll be entertaining. Look for opportunities to do some spot cleaning, whether it is stains on the carpet, messes on your upholstery, or an unknown crust on your dining room table.
5. Declutter
Get rid of anything you don’t need in your living room, kitchen, and hall closets. Decluttering frees up space, making it easier to keep your home clean before the feast.
You’ll also have enough space to lay out appetizers, set up a bar area for drinks, and free up all possible seating areas so everyone is comfortable.
6. Prepare your fridge
If you’ve hosted Thanksgiving dinners before, you know your fridge is never big enough for all that food. The turkey alone can take up an entire shelf. Clean your fridge about a week before you head out for your Thanksgiving shopping.
Clear out all those leftover food containers, and dump anything you can’t eat. Then, wipe down all the shelves and walls and clean out the drawers so you have a nice, empty fridge ready to keep all your Thanksgiving foods fresh and safe.
7. Make way for guests
Since the weather tends to be cooler for Thanksgiving, make way for all those extra coats and shoes a week before guests arrive. Clear out an area of your hall closet, and put a boot tray by the door to keep shoes contained in one spot.
Consider laying down an indoor/outdoor area rug to create a warm welcome while helping reduce the dirt tracked into your home.
8. Clean your oven and stove
You want your oven grease-free and ready to take on that turkey. Do a thorough cleaning of your oven and stove top no more than a week out, as you want to keep it as clean as possible before you have to roast that bird.
9. Tackle the microwave
Your microwave will likely experience a lot of traffic, especially if you’re having a potluck. Nothing is more embarrassing than forgetting that chilli explosion mess and having guests discover it when they reheat their sweet potatoes.
Place a microwave-safe bowl of water and lemon slices in your microwave, and run it for about a minute until the water boils. The steam from the bowl will make removing all that crusty mess easy. This job is best left closer to the day, so it is clean when people arrive.
10. Deep clean a week out
Deep cleaning ensures that every surface and corner of your home is sparkling. Having cleaning services in Toronto come in and conduct a deep clean a week before the event makes life easier, so all you have to do is keep things tidy until Thanksgiving.
If this isn’t in the cards, deep clean the key areas of your home, including your bathroom, kitchen, entry, dining room, and living room. It’s especially important to ensure all kitchen counters and cooking areas remain spic and span using bacterial wipes to keep your kitchen germ-free.
If you’re unable to tackle the mess, cleaning services in Toronto are your best friend. By arranging for a cleaning service ahead of time, you can ensure your home is in top shape for your guests’ arrival without being worn out from scrubbing it all yourself!
11. Consider steam cleaning
Consider steam cleaning your carpets and upholstered furniture so everything looks new and fresh. This can make a big difference and is especially welcome if you have guests who suffer from allergies.
If someone in your household is a smoker or you have pets, steam cleaning a week or two ahead of the big day makes your home smell clean so people won’t lose their appetite!
12. Set the table
Pull out your clean table linens, dinnerware, candlesticks, and décor the day before Thanksgiving to set the perfect table. If this is a sit-down meal, consider some special touches like making name cards or placing gifts like a package of chocolates at each place setting.
For buffets, lay out all the serving ware to ensure there is enough room for everything, and organize your plates, cutlery, and napkins stacked neatly at one end of the table to help create better flow when people serve themselves.
13. Stage your bathroom
On the day of the feast, go that extra mile and stage your bathroom with pretty hand towels, pumpkin spice hand soap, and maybe even some hand lotion to make guests feel welcome. Place a festive-scented, room-deodourizing spray where guests can see it, just in case.
14. Vacuum, tidy, and dust
On the morning of the event, do a final sweep of your home to look for areas that need tidying and then vacuum or sweep the floors and dust all your surfaces.
15. Clean those counters
When preparing your food, be sure to clean those counters to remove all the germs left behind from the turkey!
16. Pack leftovers away quickly
Don’t leave any leftovers sitting out once the dinner is finished. Enlist help to pack the leftovers up and place them in the fridge to make cleaning easier, while also reducing the risk of bacteria.
Trust Our Cleaning Services in Toronto for the Post-Holiday Mess
After all that hard work, you deserve a little help. Even if you had Maid4Condos give your home a deep clean before the party, chances are your home or condo will need more TLC after the fact.
Trust one of the best cleaning services in Toronto to handle the post-feast clean-up as your reward for being such a stellar host.For more information about the cleaning services that Toronto trusts, reach out to Maid4Condos. You can call us at 647-822-0601 or contact us online.
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