Chris Warnes
Cleaning your home after the holidays needn’t be a drag.
If you’re coming off the back of a fabulous long weekend holiday, filled with family, friends and food – you may look around your home and despair of ever getting things back in shape.
Fear not! Follow our checklist to turn things around so all you’re left with is happy memories and a few chocolate eggs to snack on.
1. Make a list
Rather than sinking into overwhelm, create a list of things to tackle so you’ll have the satisfaction of ticking them off one-by-one as you restore your home to order. This will also help you set priorities and spread tasks across a few days if needs be.
2. Start with your sanctuary
If your bedroom is littered with half-unpacked suitcases, over-flowing washing baskets and travel toothpaste, start here. Swiftly unpack luggage and toiletries to restore order and allow your daily routines to take place. Banish holiday clothes and swimming costumes to the washing basket and pop your holiday book in the “read” pile, to savour. Lastly, change your sheets for a fresh bed to fall into at the end of a busy day.
3. Pack away holiday gear and seasonal decorations
Much as we’d love to extend Easter and associated festivities into the coming weeks, before long they’ll start to look tired and spoil associated festive feelings. Bite the bullet and carefully pack away your Easter decorations, egg baskets and parade hats for next year.
Off to the garage or attic go beach gear, bikes and Eskies or you’ll be tripping over them for weeks. Wash hats and towels, sweep away sand and stow sunscreen for the next holiday.
4. Do a power clean
Freshen up your home after the hoards with a quick wipe over surfaces, a blitz of the bathroom and mop of the floor. Address any carpet stains, soak table linen and return platters to their place. Pretend you’re expecting guests again to give you a little push into action, then enjoy the results simply as a family.
5. Check your outdoor area
Toss leftovers, rubbish, toys and anything you took out for the party set up. Sweep away food scraps, empty bins and give the garden a good watering.
