Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26. If you're hosting, the cleaning list is longer than the turkey list. The good news: most of it can be done well before the week of.
Here's the plan we'd follow if it were our own house.
First, a hot take: don't clean the whole house
Your guests will spend the day in four places: the entry, the kitchen, the dining table and the bathroom. Put your energy there. Nobody is opening your linen closet.
Guests remember the table and the bathroom. Start there.
Two weeks out: the slow jobs (by Thursday, November 12)
- Clear space in the entry and closet for coats, and set out a spot for wet boots.
- Wash or dry-clean table linens. Count your chairs, plates and serving dishes.
- Clean the oven now, not on Wednesday. A self-clean cycle takes hours and puts out a lot of heat and smell.
- If you want professional help, request a quote now. Cleaning calendars tend to fill up the week before a holiday.
One week out: the details guests notice (by Thursday, November 19)
- Guest bathroom: shower, toilet, vanity, mirror and floor. Do the deep scrub now so it only needs a wipe later.
- Wipe cabinet fronts, light switches, door handles and door frames along the path guests will walk.
- Baseboards in the entry, hallway and dining room. This is the detail most people skip, and it's one a hand-detailed clean covers.
- Air vent covers in the rooms you'll use. Here's why vents matter more than you think.
Three days out: make room (Monday, November 23)
- Clear the fridge and wipe the shelves so the food has somewhere to go.
- Clear the counters you'll cook and serve on.
- Set up extra trash and recycling bags where people will actually use them.
The day before: floors last (Wednesday, November 25)
- Vacuum and mop the entry, kitchen and dining room last. Foot traffic undoes floors fast, so don't do them on Monday.
- Refresh the guest bathroom: clean towels, hand soap, a spare roll, an empty trash can.
- Run the dishwasher and start the day with an empty one.
Thanksgiving morning: a ten-minute reset
- Put the entry mat down and wipe the bathroom one last time.
- Take out the trash and wipe the counters.
- Then stop. The house is ready, so go enjoy the day.
What you can skip
Closets, the garage and the basement, unless guests are going there. Every window in the house. Anything behind a closed door. Spend that time on the spots above.
The day after
Run the dishwasher, take out the trash and reset the floors. If you'd rather not spend Friday cleaning up after a full house, post-party and holiday cleanup is something we do.
Want us to handle it?
A deep clean the week before Thanksgiving means you walk into the holiday with the house already reset. It covers the kitchen, bathrooms, baseboards and trim, and floors, hand-detailed throughout. Inside the oven and fridge are optional add-ons.
Not sure which service fits? Here's what you're actually paying for in a deep clean versus a regular clean.