For those of us in Canada Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and if you’re hosting a large meal for family and friends the laundry list of things to do before your guests arrive might seem overwhelming.

Luckily even if you haven’t had the chance to do a deep clean before guests start arriving, there are a few key things that you can do to instantly make your home feel cleaner and more inviting.

Below are our favourite ten ways to get your house ready for Thanksgiving:

• Clean the bathroom. Most guests will overlook dust on the TV, or lint on the couch, but dealing with a dirty bathroom is an unpleasant experience that your guests shouldn’t have to deal with during their visit. Wipe down the toilet and sink, spray and wipe down the bathroom mirror, empty the trash, make sure the toilet paper is stocked up, light a candle or incense, and put out fresh towels.
• Dust and tidy. Remove clutter from surfaces and give them a wipe before your guests come over. Some areas to focus on are coffee and side tables, electronics (which are usually dark and show dust easily) and low shelves.
• Fluff your pillows. Having fluffy, fresh-looking pillows instantly makes a room look more inviting. Plus, if you had a nap earlier your guests will be none the wiser!
• Wipe kitchen countertops. No doubt you’ve been busily preparing food for your guests, but wiping down your counters is an easy way to make your kitchen look (and feel!) less hectic than it’s likely been over the past few hours.
• Sweep the kitchen floor. Once you’ve wiped off the countertops, sweep the debris away and wipe up any drips or food splatters on the floor.
• Vacuum. Ran the vacuum in rooms where your guests will be spending most of their time: the front hallway, living room, dining room bathrooms, and any guest bedrooms for overnight visitors.
• Do the dishes. Wash, dry and put away any dishes you can before your guests arrive. If you’ve got a dishwasher, running a cycle in-between when your food is finished (or nearly finished) and after dinner can make a huge difference in the time that it takes to clean up.
• Create inviting lighting. Turning off the overhead lights and using lamps not only creates a cozy, more intimate feel for your guests, but it also helps draw attention away from areas which might not have been cleaned as thoroughly.
• Make room for coats and bags. Make space in your front closet or coat rack for your guests jackets, or choose a room like your bedroom or a guest bedroom with space for guests’ bags and jackets.
• Put on some music. Music instantly makes your home feel more inviting, and fills any pauses in conversation, which help guests feel more comfortable and relaxed.

Want to know how we can help ease the workload the next time you’re hosting an event or get-together? Request an estimate and see how easy hosting a get-together can be with a little extra cleaning help!

At Take Time Home Cleaning & Lifestyle Services, we want you to take time to live well even during the busiest time of year! With the holiday season just six weeks away we have given some thought about how we can assist you with being prepared for all the expected and unexpected company that will come through your home.

Time Management is Key

Proper time management goes a long way in regards to maintaining a clean home. The first thing we recommend you do is survey your entertaining spaces. How are the chesterfields looking, any stains? Pet hair? How are your carpets holding up? Could you use the help of a professional house cleaning company? Take a note pad with you when you are walking around and note any preexisting stains or dirtier areas. After you do this mark down what type of cleaning service you think you need.

Rooms To Think About While Home Cleaning

Are you the type of person who leaves doors open or closed to different bedrooms when company is over? If you like them open then please survey all rooms roughly six weeks before so you have time and can tackle any task with care and you don’t become overwhelmed.

How is your kitchen? If you have tile in the kitchen, how is the grout doing?  Is it time for a tile and grout cleaning? Is it supposed to be white but it is now black because of the heavy traffic that impacts your kitchen floor on a daily basis?

Do you have that one room in the home that the door always remains shut because it is used for storage? Take time and rummage through it. See what you can purge. Wouldn’t it be nice to show off a new space this year? What about your mattresses in your home, have you turned them over lately? Have your mattresses been properly cleaned and inspected?

Now for the busiest room in your house, the bathroom. Have you had it professionally cleaned in a while? With the company and perhaps some house guests, it is good practice to have the germs zapped before company arrives.

Why Take Time?

The nice thing about bringing Take Time on board as your partner to manage your home’s cleanliness is that we can do this all for you! It just takes one phone call and we even provide you with a free estimate. We would like to give you $30.00 off your first clean to make the decision even more enticing for you. Contact us today.  From all of us at Take Time, we wish the very best for you and your loved ones during this busy and special time of year.

Autumn is rapidly approaching and the leaves will soon begin to fall. Summer has come and gone in a flash and next week marks the first day of September which means back to school and back to cooler weather.

While fall marks one of the most beautiful seasons of the year, and many look forward to the changing colors, what we don’t often care for is the cleanups required for our yards and our homes. Summer is a time for fun and frolicking. We let the shoes track mud in the house, we don’t spend as much time vacuuming or dusting, and the dirt literally piles up. Come fall we spend more time inside and quickly realize that the house needs a good clean.

At Take Time we’re well known for our home cleaning services, but most people don’t realize that we also offer a range of add on services that can be grouped together or bought individually. Some of these services are perfect for fall clean up and include window cleaning, deep home cleaning, yard cleanup and maintenance, and upholstery cleaning to get those tough stains out of furniture and carpets.

Call us today to discuss how we can help ease you into autumn and maintain your home throughout the Christmas season.