Holiday Prep and Cleaning Tips

Time for Holiday Preparation!
It is time for holiday preparation, cleaning and de-cluttering! With the holiday season quickly approaching it’s time to start to organize, clean and declutter so you can be a part of your own holiday entertaining not the maid or the chef. Start now while you are prepping the house for winter by taking the time to declutter rooms, scrub them from top to bottom and plan for holiday guests.

Let’s start with the front entryway. Winter is tough enough with boots, hats, gloves, coats, and all that goes with the weather that is coming. Make sure to get this all together now and in easy accessible totes for each family member. That way when they get home they pop their winter gear into their totes. Add a heavy duty door mat both inside and out and maybe a boot tray for those wet muddy boots. For guests reluctant to take off their shoes, plan on having some inexpensive footsies on hand to keep their tootsies warm while visiting.  Make sure to have extra hangers in the coat closet as well.

Spring cleaning is great when winter is over. But before we are locked up for months inside let’s begin with a clean house as well! This way the holidays can be enjoyed with just a quick spruce up here and there.

Start with the most used rooms like the kitchen and bathrooms. Deep clean the kitchen, polish silverware and serving dishes with hot water and vinegar, clean the oven and stove. One tip for burner grates is to soak them overnight in a closed container in a small amount of ammonia and the grease and grime will wipe right off. Stock up bathrooms with paper supplies and keep a roll of paper towels and spray cleaner in each bathroom for a quick spruce up. Make sure toilet brush, plunger and trash can are handy and it wouldn’t hurt to add a diffuser or scented oils for a fresh smell.

Bedrooms should dusted, vacuumed and clean sheets and blankets ready for overnight guests. Bath towels and washcloths for guests readily available. Hit the trial and travel section at Marc’s and pick up small bottles of shampoo, soaps and toothpaste to have on hand or in a basket for guests.

There are also great baskets, bins, tubs and totes that can be used to de-clutter. Does the bathroom look like a beauty supply store? Put all the beauty aids in a cute tote and tuck under sink before guests arrive.

Some preparation and planning now can mean a much more relaxed and stress free holiday season for the host/hostess and guests. And we haven’t even begun to talk about food preparation. Let’s get started now and we will have a lot more time to enjoy family and friends!

Food Waste: Something your mother probably didn’t teach you?

The average American household of four is throwing away $120 each month in the form of uneaten food. Fortunately, there is a fix to the problem—and can improve your experience with food in the process. Wasting less food is about keeping ingredients fresh, being creative with what you have, and getting to know your food, especially how it ages and how it is best stored.

Let’s take the refrigerator first off. Do you know the warmest part of your fridge? The coldest? What does that humidity setting on the drawer mean and which drawer should I use for what. Let’s break this down a bit. Even putting items in the right place in the refrigerator can add days to the life of some items.

Shut the door!
To keep this simple let’s look at what happens to the food in the box. The door is opened and in rushes warm air. The items in the door and at the top shelf of the fridge are subjected to this every time. So items in the door and top shelfs of the refrigerator should be less perishable. Put your mustard, jelly, and condiments in the door – Not the milk! Top shelf is for already cooked foods like left overs and longer shelf life items like cheese and pickles.

Middle shelf is home to your diary items like milk, sour cream and eggs. Make sure to always push your items to the back of the fridge as well. This can also add days to their lives.

Your bottom is cool-est!
The bottom shelf is for any item you do not want to drip or cross contamination of other food items. So this is where you put your meats, fish, and chicken, this is also the coldest shelf in the fridge so put your high risk, high perishable foods here.

What is a humidity drawer?
Let’s talk about those silly controls on the drawers as well. Humidity can be a friend or a foe to foods. High humidity will keep your leafy greens, spinach, carrots and broccoli very happy however putting food prone to rotting in here can mean disaster. Keep your fruits and veggies that break down and rot quickly in the low humidity drawer. And the low humidity drawer will stay just a bit cooler too!

Don’t be afraid of the freezer.
And don’t forget your freezer. It is meant to keep food longer and you can freeze just about anything. So despite its bad rap, frozen food—and freezing food—is one of the keys to turning around food-waste and help you save on your weekly groceries.