No matter how much you enjoy the holidays, is there a person who doesn't let out a sigh of relief on January 2? Here's how to get your house sparkling for the New Year.
Save the cards. I place holiday cards on my mantel during the holidays and some are so beautiful I hate to throw them out. So I store them in a Ziploc® brand Container and mark the year on top with a permanent marker on masking tape. When the next year's holidays roll around, it's easy to see who needs to be on my list to receive cards.
Recondition your dining table. Heavy entertaining may have left your dining table nicked, smudged or dirty. And dry winter air can leave wood, in particular, looking dull. Come January, I always like to check the condition of my wood dining table and clean, shine and restore it by using Pledge® Extra Moisturizing Polish. The fresh, lemon-scented formula not only removes dust, smudges and common allergens from pet dander and pollen, but also protects wood from water spills, stains and everyday wear and tear. I use it on all my wood surfaces and Pledge® Multi-Surface Wipes make it so convenient to do a quick spot clean.
Shine stainless steel. From sink fixtures to refrigerators to oven fronts, your stainless steel most likely needs a shine after the holidays. I love using Pledge® Multi-Surface Wipes because I can clean and shine my stainless steel quickly—kitchen to bathroom—in a matter of minutes. They easily remove fingerprints and waterspots too.
Brighten fine glassware. Cleaning fine glassware demands patience and a technique to avoid breakage; above all, take your time! First, I put a rubber mat or heavy, folded towel in my sink to protect the glassware. Then I fill the sink with warm water and mild dishwashing liquid and clean each glass individually, handling it by the bowl and not the stem. Then I rinse each glass separately with warm soap-free water and air-dry upside down on a rack. (Leaving glassware standing on a flat surface will lead to fogging and spotting.)
Deodorize cooking pots. From roasted turkeys to winter casseroles, your pots have probably been working overtime. If cast-iron or rust-prone pots smell of food, try rubbing lemon slices over them. Then wash in hot soapy water, rinse well and dry thoroughly with a towel. If pots are prone to rusting, add a little baking soda to the hot sudsy water, clean, rinse and wipe dry.
Get bathrooms sparkling. Now's the time to give bathrooms a thorough cleaning. Scrubbing Bubbles® Bathroom Cleaner Mildew Stain Remover with Bleach cleans, shines, and disinfects your bathrooms in one simple step while easily removing dirt, soap scum and hard-water stains. Now might be the time to replace your shower curtain liners as well. Once your shower is clean, if you haven't installed a Scrubbing Bubbles® Automatic Shower Cleaner, give yourself a gift for the New Year. It has made all the difference in my house—I just push a button after the last shower at night and after a couple of days, our shower is clean and it stays that way!
Speed up toilet clean-ups. Start the year off with fresh toilet bowls. To cut down on cleaning time, I like the refillable scrubby pads that come with the Scrubbing Bubbles® Fresh Brush® MAX. The heavy-duty scrubbing pads clean tough stains like hard water, limescale, rust stains and more. Throw away the wet, dirty pad after each use and leave behind a clean sparkling bowl.
Recycle what you can. Corrugated cardboard, printed papers and gift boxes can be recycled. So fold, tie up and leave curbside for pickup (if your neighbourhood offers this service). Store leftovers you can reuse (like some gift bags and boxes, bubble wrap and packaging "peanuts") in Ziploc® brand Big Bags in your basement or garage.
Power-clean countertops. Extra traffic through your kitchen during winter's cold and flu season can leave your countertops exposed to germs. For kitchen countertops, I use Fantastik® Lemon Citrus All Purpose Cleaner to wipe out tough grease and grime, soap scum and most household stains. Plus, it kills 99.9 percent of bacteria in 10 seconds. Now that's supercleaning power. And for cleaning your bathroom countertops, the Scrubbing Bubbles® Bathroom Soap Scum Remover with Orange Action™ removes bathroom grime and soap scum.
Clean your can opener. Take time to give your can opener, whether it's electric or manual, an extra cleaning this month. (Ideally, a can opener should be washed after each use because it can be the source of cross-contamination from contact with many different foods.) Manual can openers should be washed in hot sudsy water, rinsed and dried thoroughly. For electric openers, always unplug before cleaning and follow the manufacturer's instructions. Try using a "retired" toothbrush to get food out of crevices.
And when you’re all done, leave a lasting fragrance that you love with a Glade® Scented Oil Candle. From Apple Cinnamon to Angel Whispers™ and Clean Linen™ and more, there’s sure to be a scent you love for every room!
