Post-Holiday Cleanup Guide for Valley Homes

The holidays are over. The guests have left. The tree is still up. There are pine needles in places pine needles shouldn't be, and the guest room smells vaguely like someone's cologne from three weeks ago. Here's how to get your house back to normal without losing an entire weekend.

Start with the tree situation

If you had a real tree, vacuum the area thoroughly before and after removing it. Pine needles embed themselves in carpet fibers and will keep showing up for weeks if you don't get aggressive now. A professional carpet clean after the holidays is one of our most common January bookings for exactly this reason.

Reset the guest spaces

• Strip all bedding and wash everything, including mattress protectors and pillow covers
• Vacuum under the bed and behind furniture (crumbs, tissues, hair ties)
• Wipe down all surfaces with a disinfectant
• Open the windows for 30 minutes if the weather allows it

Kitchen recovery

Holiday kitchens take a beating. Beyond the obvious dishes and surfaces:

• Clean the oven if you haven't since the holiday cooking
• Wipe down the stovetop, backsplash, and range hood
• Go through the fridge and toss anything past its date
• Run the dishwasher empty with a cleaning cycle
• Mop the floor, especially the area in front of the stove and sink

General reset

• Dust everything. Candles, decorations, and holiday traffic create more dust than a normal month
• Wipe all high-touch surfaces: door handles, light switches, remotes, railings
• Vacuum all floors thoroughly, including edges and under furniture
• Wash any throw blankets and decorative pillows that were used

Consider a January deep clean

January is one of our slower months, which means faster scheduling and more flexibility. A lot of our customers use the post-holiday period to book a deep clean that resets the entire house for the new year. It's a good way to start the year with a clean slate, literally.