Having guests over is always a great time to reconnect and catch up on conversation and socializing. However, the toll to your house can be quite high. After the holidays, you may decide it’s time to give your home the TLC it needs to recover from all of the activity and gear up for spring cleaning. Here are some tips for recovering from the celebrations and getting your living space back to its pre-holiday shine.
Touching Up Paint Indoors
After lots of guests, including children, your walls have likely accumulated a nice assortment of dings, scratches and fingerprints. This can be especially true around light switches and in the dining area. If your walls don’t need to be repainted entirely, scrub them down, fill in any dings with putty, sand the area smooth and paint over the spots. Make sure to use several thin coats, as slapping on a thick coat can make the repair quite obvious and leave streaks.
Have the Carpeting Scrubbed
If you live in a four-season climate, the dirt and grime of salt, cinders and snow can get tracked inside and ground into your carpets on your guests’ shoes. Even if you have a strict no-shoes policy, dropped food and drink and general foot traffic can leave your rugs looking dingy. Whether you need professional rug cleaning or are up in New England, you should call around for quotes to find the best prices. If using green chemicals is important to you, be sure to inquire before you hire a specific company for the job.
Deep Scrub the Kitchen
No matter which winter holidays you celebrate, it’s likely that a lot of cooking took place. No matter how fastidious of a chef you are, it’s also likely that your oven needs scrubbed out, the cabinets are covered in fingerprints and the backsplash could use attention. Whether you decide to engage a small group of friends to help you or decide to hire a cleaning service, having your kitchen scrubbed thoroughly is essential after the demands of a busy holiday season.
The winter holidays are a time to socialize and relax with your loved ones, but they sure can take a toll on your house. These projects will help restore your home and get you ready for spring cleaning when the time arrives.
