This is our first year hosting Thanksgiving. My parents land the Tuesday before, my mother-in-law is bringing her good white tablecloth, and the guest room is currently a storage unit with a bed in it. Last year I tried to clean the whole house the day before Christmas and ended up running towels through the dryer at midnight. So this year I made a plan: a little each week, the big laundry early, and a short list for the day itself. Here it is, printable, so you can steal it.

What should be on a holiday cleaning checklist?

A holiday cleaning checklist should cover four things: the rooms guests will use, the laundry you'll need clean (guest bedding, towels, table linens), the kitchen and dishwasher before and after the meal, and a plan for spills on the day. Spread across a few weeks, each step only takes 20 to 30 minutes.

Cory Walthemath, Laundry and Cleaning Expert, President at Desert Oasis Cleaners recommends: 

When establishing a routine, it always depends on the person's availability. However, I always encourage our clients to at least have a daily and weekly cleaning checklist. Your daily checklist can include making the bed, doing the dishes, and taking out the trash. The weekly checklist can include laundry, bathroom cleaning, and changing sheets.

• Rooms guests use: entryway, guest bathroom, guest room, living room and kitchen.
• Laundry: guest sheets and pillowcases, extra towels, blankets, the tablecloth and napkins.
• Kitchen: fridge space, an empty dishwasher before the meal and a clean sink.
• The machines: the washer, the dryer lint trap and the dishwasher filter, so they keep up with extra loads.
• A stain kit: for gravy, wine and candle wax, so a spill doesn't ruin the night.

When should you start cleaning for Thanksgiving or Christmas?

Start three to four weeks before guests arrive. That gives you time to wash the bulky things that take a full day to dry, and it leaves the last week for quick jobs. If you only have a week, skip straight to the one-week list and save deep cleaning for January.

Joshan Anwar, Cleaning and Laundry Expert, at LZH Cleaning Group recommends: Focus first on high-use areas such as kitchens, washrooms, floors and touchpoints. Divide tasks into daily, weekly and occasional cleaning, then use a checklist to keep standards consistent.

3 to 4 weeks before: what should you wash and deep clean early?

Sofia Martinez, Laundry and Cleaning Expert, CEO at Sparkly Maid Austin recommends: Order matters just as much. Clean top to bottom every time, no exceptions. Start at ceiling fans and light fixtures, move to countertops and furniture, finish with floors. A simple rule I give every client: if it's above your waist, clean it before anything below your waist. People who vacuum first and then dust are redoing work they already finished.

• Count beds and bedding. Who's sleeping where, and do you have sheets, pillows and blankets for each bed?
• Wash the comforter. Follow the care label. Down usually goes on a gentle cycle with an extra rinse and dries on low; see how to wash a comforter.
• Wash the guest pillows. Two at a time keeps the drum balanced. Foam and memory-foam pillows stay out of the washer; see how to wash pillows.
• Check the table linens. Pull out the tablecloth and napkins now. Old stains are easier to treat with time to spare; see how to wash holiday table linens.
• Clean the washer. Run a cleaning cycle before the extra loads start; see how to clean a washing machine.
• Clean the dryer lint trap and the area behind the dryer. The U.S. Fire Administration says to clean the lint filter before and after each cycle and not to forget the back of the dryer, where lint builds up.
• Clean the dishwasher filter. A clogged filter is a common reason dishes come out dirty, and you're about to run a lot of loads; see how to load a dishwasher.
• Stock up. Laundry sheets, dishwasher detergent, trash bags, paper towels or cloths, and a roll of brown paper for candle wax.

1 week before: how do you get the guest room and fridge ready?

• Clear the fridge. Toss old leftovers and wipe the shelves. If you're thawing a turkey, it needs a shelf: USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline allows 24 hours in the fridge for every 4 to 5 pounds, so a 15-pound turkey takes about three days.
• Make up the guest room. Wash and put on fresh sheets, add a spare blanket and clear a drawer or a hook. Our guide to washing bed sheets covers temperature by fabric.
• Wash the extra towels. Plan on a bath towel and hand towel per guest, plus a stack for the kitchen.
• Deep clean the guest bathroom. Toilet, sink, mirror, shower and floor, then put out a fresh hand towel and spare toilet paper where guests can see it.
• Declutter the entryway. Make room for coats, shoes and bags.
• Keep the dishwasher moving. Run it whenever it's full this week so you don't start the holiday with a backlog.

2 to 3 days before: what should you clean in the kitchen?

• Wipe the counters, the cabinet fronts and the front of the oven. Our guide to cleaning the oven door has four ways to do it.
• Clean the kitchen sink and the drain; see how to clean your kitchen sink.
• Iron or steam the tablecloth and napkins, then hang or roll them so they don't crease again.
• Set up a spot for guests' laundry if they're staying a few days: a basket, a few laundry sheets and a note on how your washer works.

The day before: what's the quick reset?

• Vacuum the rooms guests will use and give the guest bathroom a five-minute wipe.
• Empty the dishwasher and every trash can.
• Put together a stain kit: a few laundry sheets, an ice pack for candle wax, paper towels, clean white cloths and a small spray bottle of water.
• Set the table if you can. It's one less job tomorrow.

The day of: how do you stay ahead of the mess?

• Start with an empty dishwasher and load it as you cook.
• Blot spills right away instead of rubbing. Our Thanksgiving stain guide covers gravy, cranberry, wine and pie.
• Candle wax on the tablecloth? Let it harden, don't scrub. See how to remove candle wax from fabric.
• Keep a "hand wash only" spot by the sink for the good knives, wooden spoons and cast iron.

The day after: what should you clean up first?

• Leftovers first. Michigan State University Extension says to refrigerate leftovers within two hours of cooking, in small, shallow containers, and to use them within three to four days.
• Pre-treat the tablecloth and napkins before they sit, then wash in the warmest water the care label allows. Check the stains are gone before anything goes in the dryer.
• Wash guest sheets and towels once everyone leaves, and clean the lint filter between dryer loads.
• Run the last dishwasher loads and clean the dishwasher filter again.

What laundry should you do before holiday guests arrive?

Wash the guest sheets, pillowcases, towels and any blankets guests will use, plus the tablecloth and napkins. Do the bulky items (comforters, pillows, weighted blankets) two to four weeks ahead, because they're heavy, slow to dry and easy to put off.

With HeySunday laundry sheets there's nothing to measure: use more sheets for a bigger load, as our sheets-per-load guide shows. For a stain, dissolve half a sheet in a little water and work it into the spot before washing. If the weighted blanket is coming out for movie nights, see how to wash a weighted blanket.

How do you keep up with dishes when they pile up?

Start the meal with an empty dishwasher, scrape plates instead of rinsing them, and run it only when it's full. ENERGY STAR says rinsing dishes before loading uses more water and energy, and that a dishwasher uses about the same water and energy half full as full. Whatever doesn't fit goes in a sink of hot soapy water to soak while you eat dessert.

1. Before dinner: empty the dishwasher and fill the sink with hot, soapy water for pots and pans.
2. While you clear: scrape plates into the trash and load them straight in. Glasses go on the top rack, plates face the center on the bottom.
3. Run it full: then start a second load as soon as the first is done.
4. Hand wash the rest: good knives, wooden spoons, cast iron and anything marked hand wash.

Our dishwasher loading guide has a rack-by-rack diagram. Pre-measured HeySunday dishwasher sheets mean one less thing to measure on a busy night.

Is it better to use the dishwasher or hand wash after a big dinner?

For most of the load, the dishwasher. ENERGY STAR estimates that a certified dishwasher saves more than 7,000 gallons of water a year compared with washing by hand. Hand wash only what the label or the maker says can't go in.

What should you clean before guests come over?

Clean what guests actually see and use: the entryway, the guest bathroom, the kitchen counters and sink, the guest bed, the main living room surfaces and the trash cans. If you only have an hour, do those six and close the doors on everything else.

What is the 5-5-5 rule for cleaning?

The 5-5-5 rule is a quick-tidy method shared online, and versions vary. The version that works in our house: set a five-minute timer, everyone puts away five things, and we do it in the five rooms guests will see. It's not a deep clean, but it turns a messy house into a guest-ready one in about half an hour, and the kids can do it too.

Holiday deep clean vs quick reset: which do you need?

Do a deep clean three to four weeks out and a quick reset the day before. A deep clean covers the jobs that take time or drying (comforters, pillows, the washer, the dishwasher filter, the oven door). A quick reset is vacuuming, wiping, emptying and putting things away.

How do you get the kids to help clean for the holidays?

Give each child one job they can finish on their own and a time to do it by. Little ones can match socks, carry towels to the guest room and set out napkins. Older kids can vacuum, empty the dishwasher and strip their beds for guests. Our family laundry system has laundry jobs kids can take on, and our cleaning schedule for working moms is the weekly routine we go back to in January.

How do you clean holiday decorations before they go up?

Shake out fabric decorations outside, check the care labels, and wash or spot clean them a week before they go up so they have time to dry flat. See how to clean Christmas stockings and a Christmas tree skirt. For Christmas, run the same countdown again, starting the first week of December.

Download the printable holiday cleaning and laundry planner

One page, six columns, every task from this post. Print it, put it on the fridge and tick it off as you go.

Lina DaSilva, Cleaning Expert, Founder at Toronto Shine Cleaning recommends: The last thing to keep in mind is that you cannot clean a home with dirty tools.Wash your mop heads,swap out rags frequently and empty your vacuum regularly so you are not just smearing old dirt onto clean surfaces.

Download the printable planner (PDF)

Holiday cleaning FAQs

What should I include in my holiday cleaning checklist?

The rooms guests use (entryway, guest bathroom, guest room, living room, kitchen), the laundry you'll need (guest sheets, towels, blankets, table linens), the kitchen and dishwasher, the washer and dryer lint trap, and a stain kit for the day itself.

What should I include on my Thanksgiving checklist?

Wash the guest bedding and table linens two to four weeks ahead, clear the fridge and start thawing the turkey in time (24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds, per USDA), clean the guest bathroom, empty the dishwasher before the meal and plan for leftovers.

How far ahead should I clean for Thanksgiving?

Start three to four weeks ahead with bulky laundry and machine cleaning, do the guest room and fridge one week ahead, and keep the day before for a 30-minute reset.

What is the 5-5-5 rule for cleaning?

It's a quick-tidy method shared online, and versions vary. Ours: a five-minute timer, everyone puts away five things, in the five rooms guests will see.

Should you wash guest sheets before guests arrive?

Yes. Sheets that have been sitting in a closet can pick up dust and a musty smell, so wash them the week before and make the bed right away.

How do you handle all the dishes after a holiday dinner?

Start with an empty dishwasher, scrape instead of rinsing, run it only when it's full and soak pots and pans in hot soapy water. Hand wash knives, wooden spoons and cast iron.

How long are Thanksgiving leftovers good for?

Michigan State University Extension says to refrigerate leftovers within two hours of cooking and use them within three to four days.

How often should you clean the dryer lint filter during the holidays?

Every load. The U.S. Fire Administration says to clean the lint filter before and after each cycle.

Sources

• USDA, Thaw Your Turkey Safely in Time for Thanksgiving (Nov 14, 2023)
• Michigan State University Extension, Handling Leftovers Safely (E-3260)
• U.S. Fire Administration, Clothes Dryer Fire Safety
• ENERGY STAR, Dishwashers (archived December 2020)

Author: Kat Benson writes about greener laundry habits for HeySunday, from cold washes and folding to dryer balls and dryer sheets.

Contributors:

Lina DaSilva, Cleaning Expert, Founder at Toronto Shine Cleaning

Sofia Martinez, Laundry and Cleaning Expert, CEO at Sparkly Maid Austin

Joshan Anwar, Cleaning and Laundry Expert, at LZH Cleaning Group

Cory Walthemath, Laundry and Cleaning Experts, President at Desert Oasis Cleaners