The upcoming holiday season is surely an exciting time of the year. You must be anticipating house guests to arrive and spend time with you, so advance preparation is paramount. Are you ready to accommodate the ravaging board soon to arrive at your humble dwelling?  The guests will enjoy their stay if your home is in order and a clean haven. It is understandable if you feel overwhelmed because hosting has its share of anxieties.The good thing is that preparing your home for the holidays does not have to cost you an arm and a leg. With proper organization and advance planning, you can make merry with less stress.

How To Free Up Space and Clean Up Your Home Area 

Your guests are there to enjoy themselves, not to work cleaning up your home. These tips will ensure your home is less messy:

• Stiff up the exterior; check the outdoor lighting system to ensure it’s functioning well, polish front-door hardware, and sweep the walkways. If it’s snowing, ensure the stairway is cleared of ice.
• Prepare the washrooms; if you are expecting a lot of guest, set out extra towels, soap and toilet paper. If your toilet has a poor flushing system consider replacing the entire flush mechanism. Guests who will stay overnight will need clean sheets and towels so the bedrooms too must be in place.
• Inspect the refrigerator; the fridge will probably be opened and closed more often than during the normal days,so check for any problems. Tighten the screws on loose doors and fix loose and misaligned door gaskets. Replace burned out lights and clear blocked freezer vents.
• Child-proof your home; it can be hard to monitor energetic kids running around your home so make all child-safety preparations in advance. Cover all electrical outlets, remove delicate vessels such as lamps and vases away from table edges and block stairways to prevent hazardous falls.
• Free up more space; store away accumulated piles of shoes, toys and unused items often found at the bottom of your stairs or entryways. Clear the cupboards of outdated items. Add extra hooks to walls so guests can hang their coats in one area.
• Save water in the kitchen and bathroom; you being a host means you will use a lot of water this holiday, but you can still cut down on how much you use. Fill the dishwasher before running it and turn the taps off before when hand washing pots. Such habits will help you save water.

Do You Have a Holiday Grand Plan?

It is possible to have the holiday of your dreams if you have a grand plan. More is needed than just a gift list and good intentions. It is good to start with a weekly plan instead of just deciding to clean up in a day. Break down all the tasks needed to prepare your home and divide them into weekly assignments. Such a routine will help you reach the season calm and you will be assured of your guest’s comfort in an organized home.

Each week will be decided to declutter, clean and organize each room in the house. A planner notebook will ba handy in such a situation. There are also free printable checklists and calendars online to make it easy plan and organise your timetable. You can also collaborate with many active communities online sharing the same goal who will help you stay determined to follow your holiday plan.