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Thanksgiving is only a week away and your house needs some love. If you are like me, you want your home to look presentable, and you desire it to be a comfortable place for others to relax in. But don’t panic! Take a day (or two) getting it into shape-it doesn’t have to be perfect. Don’t be afraid to ask for help either. Have your whole family participate and give each family member a job to do, this makes cleaning go much quicker. While you are at it, you will work more efficiently if you turn on some music! And just remember, now is not the time to deep clean and organize. You can tackle that later.

Here are some key areas to focus on:

Kitchen

• Wash all the dirty dishes and put them away
• Scrub your sink with some baking soda and water. Then spray the sink down with a non-toxic all-purpose cleaner (you can find my favorite here*) or vinegar
• Clear off the counters and spray down with your cleaner
• Clean out the fridge and throw away anything that is outdated or growing mold
• Clean the floor with a quick sweep or mop if needed (I often use my vacuum, on the hard floor setting, for a quick clean and vacuum the throw rugs in my kitchen)

Dining Room

• Clear off the table you will be using for dinner
• Wipe down your table and chairs
• Put placemats or a tablecloth on your table and don’t let this space be a catch-all for papers, etc.
• Add a simple centerpiece of small pumpkins/goards lined up on the middle of the table
• Vacuum or mop floor

Living Room

• Walk through your living room and return anything that doesn’t belong to its proper home
• Straighten up the couch
• Do some light dusting.
• Sprinkle the carpet with baking soda (add lemon essential oil* to the baking soda in a shaker bottle), let it sit for 10 minutes, and then vacuum for fresh smelling carpets-you can do this in all your rooms if needed
• Clean the remotes!

Bathrooms

• Clean toilet and bathroom sink-maintain by wiping them down with a spray of all-purpose cleaner each morning to keep clean
• Clean the shower/bathtub, throw out any empty bottles
• Clean mirrors with a spray of vinegar and water (keep a spray bottle of equal parts vinegar and water, add a few drops of lemon essential oil under the sink)
• Take care of towels that need washing and wash your bath mat
• Sweep and mop the floors

Bedrooms

• Put on clean sheets and make the bed every morning when you get up
• Put clothes away
• Clean the floors
• Figure out bedding ahead of time for your guests and have clean sheets ready for them

Making your bed every morning is a good way to feel mentally prepared for the day.

Entry Way/Porch

• Do a quick sweep of your porch so guests have a clear path to your door
• Clean off any rugs/welcome mats
• Foster a welcoming feeling by having shoes put away and providing plenty of room for coats, etc.
• Add in a few final touches, by adding any fall decor. I like battery-operated candles. You can turn them on and you don’t have to worry about remembering to blow them out!

Some last thoughts:

If possible, store your cleaning supplies under your sink in your kitchen and bathrooms as a way to save time and not waste it by hunting them down. Using a diffuser is also a great way to get a clean fresh smell in your home!

When you are done, put your feet up and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee (or something stronger if needed after all that cleaning). If you had your family in on the fun, reward them with an ice cream night. Most importantly – enjoy your time with your family and relax!

This isn’t an exhaustive list and it really depends on your home how long this will take. Do as much as you have time and energy for! Is there a must-cleaning chore I forgot to add? List it in the comments.

My heart is to help others learn more about cleaning with natural products and swapping out harmful ones. If you want to learn more follow @melea_brown on Instagram. Thank you!