It’s the holiday season, which often means having friends and family visiting your home - or invading it, depending on how you view them. Either way, that means plenty of clean-up time before, during and after any company. It also means seasonal decorating, getting things ready for Christmas morning or your annual holiday party.

If you’re so busy you can barely keep a clean house during the rest of the year, you’ll be particularly challenged during the holiday season. But, like Niecy Nash and her squad on the Style Network's "Clean House," we’re here to help, with some tips to keep your home clean and organized during the holidays.


REDUCE CLUTTER. One of the easiest cleans you can do in your home is simply to throw things out. Yes, it can be stressful to purge if you are a natural hoarder, (and one look at "Clean House" should convince you that you don’t want to be one) but less in a home is definitely more. The best way to do it is in stages and room by room. If you have a lot of clutter, trying to tame it in one fell swoop will just frustrate you.

Grab a large garbage bag and pick a room. Even if you can’t throw it all out, throw out things you don’t like, don’t use or where deadlines have passed. (Invitations, bills, etc.) Establish a simple system for bills, receipts and mail – file it, act on it or throw it out. If you want to cut down on bill clutter, go paperless and have bills emailed to you. Have a file cabinet that is organized with the things you need to keep on file – receipts, bank statements and tax returns, etc. The rule of “a place for everything and everything in its place” always helps. If there’s something you don’t have a place for, than either throw it out, don’t buy it in the first place or make a place for it by tossing out or reorganizing something else.


SPOT CLEAN. Don’t get overwhelmed with dirt and mess before you do major housecleaning. If you pick up behind yourself and train your kids and spouse to do the same, you will have less work on your hands when you do thoroughly clean. If it’s impossible to get your kids and spouse to pick up behind themselves, then add a basket or hamper to everyone’s room and have them throw dirty clothes in there so that they can be collected from each room when laundry time comes. Clean up as you cook, even if it’s just loading the dishwasher as you go. One rule of spot-cleaning in the kitchen is to never go to bed with a full, dirty sink. It’s a rule that works because there’s something about a clean sink that helps keep the whole kitchen in order.


HAVE CLOSED TRASH CANS. One thing that always looks messy is an overflowing garbage can. If you are in the city where garbage pickup is once a week, make sure your outside cans are big enough to hold all your family’s trash, and don’t keep a lot of trash in house. A garbage can that fully closes is worth the investment and keeps your kitchen looking neater and smelling better. If you use dumpsters, then take your trash out regularly, daily if you have a big family.


KEEP DECORATIONS SIMPLE. Unless you’re one of those people who decorate the house, the dog and the kids in Christmas-themed gear, (and if you are, you can still keep all the decorations, wrapping, outfits, and lights in .....

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