Thanksgiving Day Cleaning Hacks

Between the World Series, the election, and the impending arrival of our beloved annual turkey day; November is going to be a hard month to keep your wits about you, but Inside Homes Cleaning and More can help! Our Thanksgiving cleaning tips and hacks will help keep your dinner running smoothly and allow you to spend more time with your guests if Holiday mayhem arises.

Tip #1: Methods for Easy Clean Up

Use Foil on your Pans: Foil makes the cleanup process so much easier. After the leftovers have been boxed up, you can simply rip the foil off, give the pan a quick rinse, and put it away.
Consider Cooking your Turkey in a Bag: Not only will this help your turkey stay moist and cook more evenly, cleanup is a breeze!
Try Triple lining your Trash Cans: This tip is useful for pretty much all parties and holidays but is especially helpful for Thanksgiving because of the amount of food and trash you will likely go through.
Disposable dishes and other items needed for place settings will help you ease the strain of having to do so many dishes.

Tip #2: Washing Dishes

If you have are expecting a large party of people, you will be using a lot of dishes so consider buying a small trash can and using it as a soaking tub for all of your dishes at once. You will want to put your dishes in hot, soapy water shortly after using them to prevent food from sticking to the pots and pans like glue.
Depending on the size of your party, you may be able to get away with using the dishwasher for most of the dishes. Avoid putting any dishes that might be wood, cast iron, silver, gold or pewter in the dishwasher. Check and see if your dishwasher has a china or crystal cycle before washing these delicate items this way.
If you have a lot of greasy dishes, try mixing a few spoonful’s of white vinegar into the water to help cut grease.
Use lemon on your wooden cutting boards to absorb stubborn odors.
Rub a potato over the grater holes to get the cheese out.

Tip #3: Make a Clean Start and a Spot Plan

Stay on top of your ever-growing mess by wiping counters, washing dishes, and cleaning pots and pans as you cook instead of waiting until afterward.
Empty the dishwasher even if it isn’t quite full, so you have a clean slate when it comes to the end of dinner when you whisk the dinner dishes out of your guest’s sight.
Ensure you start your dinner with an empty the trash can so you won’t have to stop and take out the trash in the middle of dinner.
Jumpstart the cleanup process after carving the turkey by filling your roasting pan and letting it soak in a 250-degree Fahrenheit oven. This allows the baked-on food to soften while you enjoy spending time with your guests.
If your guests spill wine, have hydrogen peroxide on hand and mix it with a few drops of dish detergent in order to get the stain out. Generously blot with a clean cloth.
If you find a water stain on your wood furniture, clean it up with a dab of white toothpaste (not the gel kind). Rub in the direction of the grain to get the stain completely out.
Need to get gravy off your carpet? Start by scraping the excess gravy up and sprinkle baking soda, cornstarch, or anything else absorbent on the stain. Let the absorbent material stand for 10 to 15 minutes, and then vacuum it up. Using a clean white cloth, blot the stain with a dry-cleaning solvent until it is absorbed. Keep repeating these methods until the stain is gone
For cranberry sauces, use a dull knife like a butter knife to lift away any solids. Do not rub it in! The deeper the cranberry sauce gets, the harder it will be to remove. Use something like OxiClean or Tide Oxi with cold water to eliminate the color of the stain. Start from the outside of the stain and move towards the center of it. Do not over dilute the stain if you can help it. Let the solution sit on the stain for at least 30 minutes before blotting away.

If you ever need assistance with getting a stubborn stain out or having your house deep cleaned before or after the Holidays, contact Inside Homes Cleaning and More today!