Getting My Home Ready for Guests plus a Free Printable Cleaning Checklist - Pretty Real

Getting My Home Ready for Guests plus a Free Printable Cleaning Checklist

10:58 AM


You guys! Thanksgiving is next week. Which basically means Christmas is tomorrow. When you have guests coming, preparing your home can feel overwhelming. Suddenly the dingy baseboards that you've happily ignored make you hang your head in shame. I was chatting with my girlfriends about how they clean their home for guests and one quipped- "it depends. Is my mother-in-law coming?" #truth. One way to make it more manageable is to add just a couple of tasks to your weekly routine. Start this week or next and you're finished by Christmas! Side note: I share this as someone who struggles with housekeeping. I don't have it all together friends! But having a plan in place gives me peace and motivation to tackle my to-do list! I'm sharing my 4 week plan, a simple cleaning hack, a free printable cleaning checklist, and place setting inspiration (because that's just fun).



Today I tackled our everyday eating space- baseboards, light switch covers, and our table with all its glorious grooves. Whoever designed our table clearly did not have 3 kiddos. If I fail to use a table cloth at dinner, the seams get full of gooey crumbs. A typical dish cloth is too thick to get into the grooves so I use Viva Towels for a simple cleaning hack. This will work for any furniture that has a hard to clean seam or groove. Just wrap a butter knife in a Viva Towel and run it through the seam. Voila! And you guys- don't judge. This mess is after just one a couple of meals!


You can also see how much a difference it made wiping up other messes with Viva Towels. I like to use Viva Vantage for  tasks like baseboards because of its scrubby texture and toughness. For others, like polishing the fridge, Viva Towels are perfect because they are soft and smooth. All are strong and durable like cloth. It's also a good value since it's made for more than spills so one or two towels go a long way plus you can rinse and reuse them.
You'll notice that most of the tasks on the cleaning checklist can be tackled with Viva Towels.
cleaning your home for the holidays
Get the printable here.
After I cleaned the dining room, I wanted to give you a little inspiration for the holidays because while cleaning is riveting, it's not quite as fun as planning your tablescape! I set up a simple place setting with a rustic farmhouse feel (including a touch of glam because that's how I roll). The most fun part was adding a sprig of rosemary and chalk board place tags. It required no DIY and very little expense.

I haven't started my Christmas shopping yet (yikes!) but at least my home will be ready! How do you prepare for guests? I'd love to hear your tips and tricks!




I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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17 comments

  1. I love magic erasers when getting my home ready for guests!

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  2. This is what I am working on today and tomorrow!

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  3. Love viva towels!! I've never even thought about the knife trick!

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    1. It works so well! I use it to clean the kids' chairs too- where the chair back meets the seat. works like a charm!

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  4. I find that I do my best cleaning the day before guests arrive because it forces me to rush around and clean all the things! That's not a very good strategy, of course, because that leaves little time for much-needed prep so your 4-week plan in awesome. I could definitely see myself using it. Thanks for sharing.

    NCsquared Life

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    1. That is typically how I clean too! lol! This year I'm hoping to be able to focus on the details as Christmas draws near.

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  5. Thanks for this checklist. But I am with you I don't have it altogether in the cleaning department at all.

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    1. is it wrong that it makes me happy that I'm not alone? ha! I need all the tips and tricks I can get! ;)

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  6. It does seem so stressful to clean up for guests! Glad I read this before my holiday party Sunday now I know how to prepare!

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  7. Getting your home ready for guests can always be stressful. So much to clean and prepare. You gave some great examples.
    xo, Lee

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  8. I love Viva paper towels! They are definitely the best. Love all your tips!

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  9. Wow! Such a gorgeous table and display. The towels cleaned so well!

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  10. I love that checklist and Viva towels are fantastic! Jess at Just Jess

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  11. Love viva towels!! I've never even thought about the knife trick!

    Gclub จีคลับ
    goldenslot

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