Ditch the Clutter to Host Thanksgiving

Holiday Company Incoming

The same-day junk removal experts at Junk.com offer advice on how to declutter and clean before hosting Thanksgiving.

With less than a week to go before Thanksgiving, is your home ready to host your friends and family? From elderly grandparents who need fewer tripping hazards to your judgmental mother-in-law, there are plenty of reasons to make sure your home is decluttered and clean before the doorbell rings.

You’ll worry about starting the cooking and defrosting your turkey come Tuesday. Roll up your sleeves and commence the pre-holiday company panic declutter. 

1. Clear Guest Rooms

Guests staying over? You’ll need to ensure your guest bedrooms are primed for people. If you’re like most busy families, guest bedrooms have a tendency to turn into junk rooms. Not to worry, you’ve got all weekend to get the clutter gone.

• Remove Bulk Junk First: Old computer sitting on the bed? Treadmill drying laundry in the corner? It’s time to kick those items out of your home so aunt Margie has a decent place to stay for Thanksgiving. Evaluate the bulk junk items you keep in your guest room and call for same-day junk removal if you just need the item gone.

• Inspect Drawers and Dressers: You’d be surprised what you can find in those dusty drawers if they haven’t been opened in a year. Lost items, forgotten family heirlooms, and the shirt that your uncle Fred must have forgotten when he stayed in the guest room last year. Clean out the drawers and organize them, leaving room for your company to store some items while they stay.

• Wash Sheets and Make Beds: Guests love a freshly made bed. Channel your inner AirBnB host and run those sheets through the wash. Fluff pillows, and lay down a snug warm quilt. 

2. Clear Living Areas

Your guests will likely need a spot to sit and gab. It’s the Thanksgiving family reunion after all, and what is a family reunion without awkward catch-up time? If the guest room is ready for company, then the next space you should look to clean up will be the living area.

• Ensure Walking Paths: If any bulk junk has taken up residence on the floor, now is the time to get it off the floor. Make sure you have clear paths around your living areas including a walkway between the coffee table and the couch. If your grandmother could trip over it, then it doesn’t need to be there.

• Clear and Vacuum Couches: If your couch has become the semi-permanent home of items like backpacks, sweatshirts, and stray laundry, it’s time to semi-permanently relocate some items. Your guests will need somewhere to sit and watch TV while you finish preparing dinner. Once all the stray items have been rehomed, pull out couch cushions and give the whole couch a good vacuum to clear out any dirt, food debris, or pet hair that’s been festering for who knows how long.

• Remove Items from Coffee Tables: Stray coffee cups, mail you’ll deal with ‘later,’ unread books, and all manner of receipts may have found their way onto your coffee table. A clear table makes a good impression, so put those cups back in the kitchen, deal with the mail now, rehome books to the bookshelf, and toss receipts you don’t’ need. Leave only the centerpiece if you have some. Wipe down the coffee table when done. 

3. Clear Dining Areas

The holidays wouldn’t be the same without the Thanksgiving feast. Once your guests migrate from the living area, they’ll be sitting at the table next. Make sure your dining area is ready for company.

• Mop Floors: Dining room floors are often covered in crumbs, food debris, and other unsanitary refuse that attracts pests and the scorn of your mother-in-law. Get out the broom and the mop and give that floor a sweep and shine.

• Remove Items from Dining Table: Like your coffee table, your dining table might have accumulated some homeless junk. Sort through any stray papers, bills, or magazines that have taken up residence on your dining table. Remove any used dishes and get them cleaned and put away. The only thing that should permanently live on your dining table is a centerpiece.

• Set the Table: If you have a lot of company gathering around the table, make sure to get out any additional chairs you require and ensure each place at the table has adequate space. Wash and dry any cloth placemats, and get out your nice chinaware. Count the forks, fold the napkins, and then each place will be ready for your Thanksgiving dinner.

Home Decluttered Just in Time for Thanksgiving

Need bulky unwanted junk gone before your family and friends arrive for Thanksgiving? Call the expert same-day junk removal crews at Junk.com to come haul off old furniture, broken appliances, outdated electronics, and more. There’s less than a week to go before Thanksgiving, but Junk.com can come out as soon as same day.

Impress your family and friends with a beautiful, decluttered space and breathe easier after Thanksgiving with the junk gone.