Top Tips for Saving Time on Holiday Cleaning

Don’t Let Holiday Entertaining Stress You Out

The holidays are quickly approaching and that typically means at least one thing: guests are coming! It also means you have to get your home ready for entertaining. Consumer Reports found hosting relatives or other guests was cited as one of the biggest holiday stressors among millennials, in particular. Why? Likely because we feel as though everything has to be perfect come crunch time. The glasses must be spotless, the linens crisp and clean, and every surface looks like new. Not easy tasks any time of year, much less during the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

There is plenty of advice out there on how to simplify and reduce holiday stress, but there isn’t so much about how to make the cleaning tasks you must do any easier. We’d like to change that. Instead of dreading the chores, you can do them faster and with less potential harm to your health. Your health? That’s right. Many everyday household cleaning products can actually do more harm than good, releasing toxic fumes into your home, causing skin irritation and much more. Not exactly the gift you want for the holidays.

The good news is, you can boost your cleaning power using cleaning products with citric extracts. Citric acids make cleaning easier on you while making everything from your laundry to your wine glasses as clean as freshly fallen snow.

There’s real science behind how citric extracts work. Sourced from citrus fruits, citric acid softens hard water, binds to dirt and grime, and destroys bacteria, making the actual detergents in the cleaners perform better. Read on to learn about how this helps make your specific holiday cleaning tasks easier and more effective.

Spotless Wine Glasses

Don’t you hate it when your glasses come out of the dishwasher with spots and film? Don’t worry, you don’t have to hand wipe the inside and outside of every single glass.

Because citric acids soften hard water, you won’t get those cloudy mineral deposits on your wine glasses or any other dish in your dishwasher. In fact, the inside of your dishwasher will sparkle as well. Every dish and glass will be spotless, saving you time from inspecting and wiping each glass. Just load your washer and let the citric extracts do the rest. You can check this one off your list.

Shiny Surfaces

Your guests may congregate in your kitchen, but your entire home is likely fair game. Make sure every surface impresses by wiping them down with non-toxic cleaners that don’t leave residue, streaks or off-putting fumes. Cut your cleaning costs and time by using a citric acid-based glass and surface cleaner that binds to grease for easy cleaning. You can wipe down counters, mirrors and glass without switching products and get streak-free results.

LemiShine offers a glass and surface cleaner with a naturally-derived polymer that creates an invisible barrier to repel dust, fingerprints and water spots. That means you’ll spend less time cleaning and more time enjoying your guests. Cheers to less work for you!

Pristine Potties

Whether you’re hosting family for the weekend or guests for a holiday party, you can bet your bathrooms will get plenty of use. This is one room in the house where you don’t want to skimp. Use your citric acid-based antibacterial bathroom cleaner on bathroom counters, sinks and showers, then let the power of citric extracts disinfect your toilet.

Citric extracts lower pH levels and penetrate the cell walls of bacteria, killing germs on contact. So, put away the toxic bleach and reach for citric extract-based products instead. Your bathrooms will smell like citrus instead of chlorine and shine from floor to ceiling. For even faster and more convenient cleaning, use disinfecting wipes. You’ll be done with the bathrooms in minutes.

Clean Linens

Pamper your overnight guests with soft, clean and bright sheets and towels without using harsh detergents or bleach. Cleaners with citric acid condition the water so the detergent can work harder. You do less spot treating and get better results. Because the extract acts as a chelating agent, detergents are able to foam without the use of toxic sudsing agents, like diethanolamine (DEA) and triethanolamine (TEA).

The holidays may be one of the only times you get to use your nicer table linens. Be sure they look they’re best by washing them with an all-in-one detergent that eliminates stains, prevents odors and brightens them so they look brand new. Remember, citric extracts clean naturally, so you don’t need to use harsh bleach on your fine linens.

How to Clean Quickly After the Guests Leave

You can put days into preparing for your guests, so the last thing you want to think about is the cleanup after they leave. Here are a few tips on how to make the chore go as fast as possible.

Wash Dishes ASAP

Unfortunately, the longer dirty dishes and glasses sit, the longer it will take you to clean them later. As tired as you may be after guests leave, try either soaking the partyware in a sink of hot water mixed with citric extract-based dish soap before you retire. Better yet, put it all in the dishwasher with a citric extract dishwashing detergent pack, set your dishwasher and wake up to sparkling dishes. The extracts will dissolve grease and lipstick on glasses while safely sanitizing all of your dishes while you move on to something else.

Pretreat Soiled Linens

Just like your dishes, your dirty linens need attention as soon as possible. Your best bet is to start a load of laundry before stains have time to set. Use a citric-acid based laundry booster to tackle any hard-to-treat stains. The acids will soften your water so the detergent can foam and penetrate stains more effectively.

If needed, pretreat any stains, particularly if you don’t wash them immediately. You don’t necessarily have to use a separate stain removal product, either. Remove any food particles from the stain, dampen with water, rub a small amount of citric extract-based laundry detergent onto the stain and let it sit for several minutes. Then, toss the stained linen in a container of warm water until you have time to wash it in the washing machine. If you’re dealing with sheets or towels, you can use your washing machine as your “bucket.” Just use the “soak” option on your washing machine and add a small amount of detergent. Be sure you check the manufacturer’s fabric care label first. Some fabrics may need special attention.

Wipe Up Any Liquid Spills and Leave The Rest for Tomorrow

Did your guests leave behind anything other than great memories? Any pesky spills or glasses left out could leave a ring on surfaces. These water rings can be difficult or impossible to remove the next day, so it’s worth the effort to clean it up sooner than later. You may also want to toss or refrigerate any leftover food so as not to attract pests.

Most everything else can wait until the next day. So, put your feet up and consider your job done. With the power of safer household cleaners, you can spend more time enjoying the holidays and less time cleaning for them!