Holiday Organizing Tips-Cleaning Station & Guest Hygiene Station

by Cindi Sutter, Founder & Editor Spirited Table® - content provided by Marty Basher. Marty is the design expert with Modular Closets, https://www.modularclosets.com. Marty regularly contributes on topics of home design, organization, improvement, and more, helping homeowners get the most out of the spaces in their home.

Cleaning Station

With holiday dinners and baking comes the back-breaking task of cleaning up. Everyone dreads hours of scrubbing dishes, wiping down tables and counters, and sweeping/mopping floors. Make your life easier by creating a portable cleaning station with everything you need for post-holiday clean up.

Invest in a large shower caddy. Shower caddies comprise compartments that can hold bottles, sponges, gloves, trashbags, etc.. and a handle for portability. While you can find them at the dollar store, investing in a more expensive, heavy-duty shower caddy prevents breaking and plastic warping from the weight ($10-$20).Stock up on solutions. You probably already own all-purpose cleaner, bleach, and dish soap which are crucial for cleaning up after the holidays. While you should buy extra of each during your next trip to the store, consider adding the following solutions to your cleaning supply: pan degreaser, drain cleaner, and white vinegar and baking soda. Store all-purpose cleaner and diluted bleach solution in your cleaning caddy--both of which you will use more often--and other bottles in a lockable bin under the sink.Remember the miscellaneous tools/items. Along with solutions, your portable cleaning caddy should have sponges, trash bags (large and doggie-bag sized), Magic Erasers, and steel wool. Other tools like paint scrapers (plastic not metal) and mini dustpan and sweeper can be added if there is room.Install child-locks where you store cleaning supplies. Whether you have children or you are inviting over guests with children, the last thing you or anyone wants is a precious little one accidentally ingesting toxic cleaners. Unwanted ER visits are best avoided with child locks. Inexpensive and easy to install, child locks often come in two ways--with sticky backs for temporary use or with screw holes for permanent use.

By getting your kitchen organized and prepared for the holidays, you can face family dinners and baking binges head on and without that overwhelming stress that leaves many people wishing for a fast forward button. You save time, money, and your fridge from smelling like mold.

Guest hygiene station:

Something to keep in mind when preparing for cooking and entertaining for the holidays is guest hygiene. In the midst of a pandemic and the flu season, you want to set up a small area to promote hand washing and germ mindfulness.

Purchase or borrow a tea tray. Typically made of wood or galvanized steel with handles on the sides, tea trays make for a fun and classy guest hygiene station. Place this tray on a stand or counter where guests first walk into your home.Make guest hygiene care packages. Using festive party favor bags, stock them with holiday scented hand sanitizers, single pouches of hand wipes, and pocket packs of facial tissue (which you can easily find in holiday-themed packaging). Tie the bags with crimped ribbon and curl the loose ends with scissors. Leave these on the tray with a note that invites guests to take one.Provide glass markers in a bowl on the tray. Never lose your glass and drink out of someone else's cup again with marker sets. Each guest gets either a removable sticker, charm, decorative toothpick, or rubber band to go around their cup. Every marker is different--by color or design--to prevent germ-swapping mix-ups.Offer two kinds of soap for hand washing. Give guests the option of choosing which soap to use when washing their hands. Some people love scrubbing with gingerbread foam soap, while others prefer generic, scentless, antibacterial soap.