5 MyDomaine Editor-Approved Tips for Post-Christmas Cleanup

After the winter holidays have come and gone, it's highly likely that your home is full of wrapping paper scraps, wine stains, champagne bottles, confetti, and leftovers. We get it; cleaning up can be a tedious chore, but the longer you put off "Operation Cleanup," the more daunting it'll feel. Whether you plan to host more parties for the upcoming holidays or you're looking forward to as many quiet nights in as possible, you'll feel a lot better when your home is looking and feeling its best. Get a jump start on tackling the mess today so you can enjoy a clean house for the rest of the week.

You might even get ahead on accomplishing the decluttering goal you set yourself before the new year chimes its way in.

Clean Out Your Refrigerator

Between all the holiday parties you've likely attended and hosted (or both), you no doubt have an excess of leftovers in the fridge. If you haven't done a thorough cleanup in a while, now's the time to tackle it. This task is particularly unpleasant if you have a low tolerance for the smell of soon-to-be-rotten food. You may also want to light a scented candle to counteract the stinky trash.

After you complete the emptying process, it'll be time to put everything that you want to keep back in the fridge. Before you do, check the expiration dates and place your things back inside, organized by the food group. Now you can say hello to a shiny new home for that honey-baked ham.

Keep Your Whites White

If you have white linens and upholstery throughout your home, chances are they've taken a toll during the busy holiday season. Due to holiday party mishaps, or on a less catastrophic scale, overnight guests, you should freshen up your whites. But, you have to be extra careful when it comes to cleaning your white walls, furniture, and bedding, so make sure you know what you're doing.

For upholstery, try cornstarch after spot-treating the problem areas. When it comes to walls, use a milder cleaner; you don't want to take off any paint. (Sometimes water can even do the trick if it isn't a stubborn smudge.) And lastly, don't dry your white sheets on high heat since that can cause them to yellow. 

When in doubt, call on the professionals to clean your whites. You don't want to cause any permanent damage.

Banish Carpet Stains

Spilled a glass of red wine? Dropped the holiday dessert? If you didn't personally commit any party fouls, one of your guests might have (and just didn't tell you). Your floors probably aren't as clean as they were before the holidays hit.

For meat and cooking spills, a meat tenderizer mixed with a little water to make a paste will remove protein-based spots after sitting for five minutes. Use salt to cover white or red wine accidents if the spill is fresh and let it absorb the liquid. And use white vinegar for pretty much everything else. These three tricks should help you resolve any mishap that's happened in your household. And don't forget to show your hardwood floors and tiles in the kitchen and bathroom some love, too.

Beautify Your Bathroom

With people coming in and out during the holidays, your bathroom was bound to endure some additional wear and tear. Thankfully our handy little cheat sheet for bathroom cleaning will make the dreaded task a swift one. Remove spots and smudges from your mirrors with a clean, lint-free cloth and rub in circles. Baby oil will do wonders for your chrome faucets and fixtures, and grapefruit salt is an excellent natural solution for cleaning your tub. This probably goes without saying, but we suggest paying extra attention to your guest bathroom.

Clean Your Home Naturally

And lastly, this is a hack that you should keep in mind throughout the entire cleaning process. Has that chemical smell from your cleaning product ever triggered a cough attack? If you're concerned about the impacts of your cleaning products on your health, there are plenty of nontoxic household cleaning solutions to make your home sparkle the all-natural way. The Laundress and The Honest Company are both great resources.