The holidays are upon us, and many different holidays throughout November and December will bring people together in celebration. The holiday season is a time where people come together to celebrate the end of another year and ring in a new one. Family and friends gather for festivities and merriment. This normally means people meet at a public place or someone’s house. Maybe you have friends over for a holiday dinner one night or you are hosting family that will be staying a few weeks. If people are coming over to your house this holiday season, you need to prepare.

Preparing your house for holiday guests is more than just common courtesy. It benefits you to prepare for your house during the holidays. Cleaning, decorating, or any other form of holiday preparing makes the house better for you as well as any potential guests.

Cleaning

Celebrating the end of a calendar year and the beginning of a new one with a freshly cleaned house feels good. Cleaning your house before the start of the holidays ensures that you are not carrying around any grime and junk from the previous year. Think of holiday cleaning like spring cleaning. It is an opportunity to clear out and refresh your home before the holiday madness sets in. You don’t need to deep clean the entire house to feel the benefits either.

Focus your cleaning on major areas in the house. Your kitchen, bathrooms, and bedrooms are likely where the most dirt has collected. Bathrooms and the kitchen need regular cleaning even when the holidays are not incoming, but giving those rooms extra polish before the holidays is a good idea. If you have guests staying overnight be sure to give guest bedrooms a thorough cleaning by vacuuming and washing the bedding at the very least.

Decorations

The holidays often mean homes and public spaces will be decorated for the season. Lights, garland, pine trees, wreaths, and more denote the time of the year. You can easily add some holiday decor to your house to bring in more festive spirit.

When it comes to lights, look for LED bulbs. LED lights use far less energy than traditional lights while shining brighter for longer as well. There are LED lights to decorate your tree and the outside of your house along with regular use bulbs for everyday light fixtures.

A Christmas tree is part of iconic holiday decor. You may think the eco-friendly tree option is to buy a fake tree, but that is not the case. Fake trees will eventually break or be thrown out for some other reason creating unnecessary waste. Instead, it is greener to buy a real tree and replant it outside in your yard once the holidays are over. This does not mean buying an already cut down tree, but rather a potted young tree that can be replanted. If you cannot replant a Christmas tree you can cut it up for firewood or run it through a mulcher to benefit your garden.

Ornaments and other holiday decorations can easily be made rather or thrifted than bought new. You can string popcorn together to create great tree decorations that can then be hung outside to feed birds once the holidays are over. Many second-hand stores sell used ornaments and decorations which are perfect for adding charm to your holiday display.

Insulation

The holidays usually mean colder temperatures, and you do not want heat escaping your house. It will not matter how much you use your heating system if your house is not insulated properly. A lack of good insulation will let warm air leak out of your house making it colder and forcing your heating system to work much harder which will inflate your energy bill. Poor insulation is also not eco-friendly as it results in wasted resources.

Double-check your attic, basement, roof, and exterior walls for insulation problems before the cold weather arrives. An insulation professional will be able to create a solution unique to your house for the best results. There are even green insulation materials that will solve your problem without resorting to hazardous materials. Fixing problematic insulation might be a pain, but it is worth the effort. Your house will stay warmer without needing to overuse your heater while saving you money on energy bills once you fix any insufficient insulation.

The holidays are a busy time of the year, but it is important to prep your house beforehand. If you have guests coming over, you want to put your best foot forward by preparing your house ahead of time. Even if you will be spending the holidays alone, it will feel satisfying to have a prepared house to celebrate the arrival of a new year.

Guest Post by Gwen Lewis

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