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Preparing My Home For The Holidays Plus Hoover Platinum Carpet Cleaner Review!

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How to clean for the holidays.

In preparation for the holiday season I have spent my time since being home from Thanksgiving vacation cleaning and organizing my home.

I learned several years ago that the time I spend organizing now will make the holidays so much less stressful.

I have both of my kids go through their rooms thoroughly and get rid of anything they are no longer using. When they were younger this is the time we would clear out their toys and clothes to make room for the impending onslaught of new stuff from Christmas.

We have a huge pile of stuff to donate that I have been adding to daily over the last week!

I also use this time to deep clean my home since I know I won’t want to spend much time cleaning during the holiday. I also need to make room for our Christmas tree and decorations.

I put plastic coverings over the windows to help keep the cold out and I’ve been cleaning and organizing all of our closets and dressers to see what we have to wear for the cold weather months.

Yesterday I cleaned my carpet with the super cool Hoover Platinum Collection Carpet Cleaner with MaxExtract Technology!

Hoover Platinum Carpet Cleaner Vacuum

This carpet cleaner is simply amazing!

Hoover Platinum Carpet Cleaner

I have two dog, a Siberian Husky and a Chocolate Lab. While the Lab is the most lovable dog ever he also has a distinct doggie smell about him that get deep into my carpets.

When I came home the other day and walked through the front door the smell hit me like a ton of bricks and I knew something had to be done.

I am quite please with how easy it was to put together. The separate tanks for the clean water and the detergent are very easy to take out and fill.

Settings of the Hoover Platinum Carpet Cleaner

And I love the indicator lights on the machine that let you know exactly what is happening the whole time. And as soon as I needed more clean water the machine lit up to let me know!

In about twenty minutes my carpets were clean and looking  just like new, and this is what I was left with in the cleaner.

The Hoover Platinum Carpet Cleaner cleans so great!

EWWW!

I cannot wait to have the time to use this cleaner to clean my couches since I know that the dogs jump up there whenever I’m not home or not looking.

When I came home from grocery shopping today I did NOT notice any hint of the previous stinky doggie smell! I am not looking forward to having a house full during our annual family Christmas party!

Product Features

  • Carpet cleaner with SpinScrub brushes and automatic-rinse function
  • High-velocity suction; direct heat for fast drying; 2 spot-cleaning settings
  • SpinScrub powered hand tool, upholstery tool, crevice tool, and stretch hose
  • LED indicator lights; detergent included; minimal assembly required
  • Measures approximately 20 by 15 by 44 inches; 6-year limited warranty

“The Hoover Platinum Collection Carpet cleaner removes more dirt from carpet than any other leading carpet brand. Hoovers one-of-kind DualScrub Technology combines for the first time Spinscrub brushes with a PowerGroomer to provide 360 degree dirt removal and a professional cleaned finish. The heat light illuminates when the cleaner is ready to clean and dry. Simply pull the trigger to dispense solution to clean that tough spot or stain. The patented autorinse technology automatically rinses your carpet with fresh water leaving less soap residue behind for a cleaner carpet longer. A computer controlled system takes the guesswork out of carpet cleaning. simply push a button and spin the dial to begin cleaning, scrubbing, suction, and dispensing to optimize your cleaning task. The MaxExtract technology uses high velocity suction to remove dirty water while applying forced heat to speed up try time. Illuminated wash and rinse lights let you know that you are cleaning properly and the tank indicator lights tell you when a tank needs to be filled or emptied. Includes 16oz of Professional Strength Detergent. All this and Best-In-Class six year warranty.”

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**Although the product for this review/giveaway was supplied to me free of charge from Hoover, all opinions expressed are solely mine.

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About Kristie Sawicki

I'm the blogger behind Saving Dollars & Sense. I started this website over ten years ago, to share my journey out of debt, while living a simple, frugal lifestyle. You'll find lots of great MONEY SAVING TIPS, DIY PROJECTS, HOMEMADE RECIPES, SIMPLE LIVING IDEAS and MORE!! I'm so glad you're here.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gianna says

    I clean a little every single day until the house is super clean. I then decorate and the day before start preparing dessert and some of the meal.

  6. Charlene Kuser says

    We clean the house from top to bottom.I wash windows and curtains.
    I clean the carpet and the furniture.I won’t the house clean for our guests coming from out of town

  9. Jennifer Dees says

    This is our second year being married the first year my husband just got out the military so we were living with his mom. So this is our first year on our own & celebrating it with our 8 month old baby! So we are baking cookies which leads to continuously washing dishes & then theres the constant picking up off the floor what my sweet baby seems to find and drag out. (she just recently found our wrapping paper!) It’s been fun decorating the house & our tree for the first time as a family!

  11. Cathy Borges says

    I pack up whatever is on my tables and unpack the Christmas decorations. I live by myself so there isn’t much to do, but I’m hoping it gets busier in the years to come with grandbabies!!!!

  12. Heather W says

    I try to stay on top of the cleaning everyday, but we all know how that goes.
    Lovefool827 (at) yahoo (dotcom)

  15. Kathy Luman says

    We keep the house tidy. Keep dishes and laundry caught up. Put up some festive items. Lots of cleaning and vacuuming. I try and get my carpet cleaned at least 2 times a year. It would be nice to be able to do it whenever I wanted.

  17. brian e. says

    Thanks for the giveaway…after we haul in the Xmas tree & hang the lights / decorations, we give the place a good vacuuming, clean the bathrooms, etc., and we are all set !

    senorpiero [at] yahoo [dot] com

  18. Tina W says

    I also try to organize ahead of time, but this year we moved into a new place in October so much of my stuff is still in boxes in the garage. I pulled out a few of my favorite things and we got ourselves a rosemary tree which I can keep and put into the garden later!
    auntietina21 AT hotmail.com

  24. Cher says

    This year we are not having people over, so I didn’t have to do too much. But normally I start cleaning the week before and do a little bit everyday.

  25. Marianne says

    I put our tree up really close to Christmas but I decorate with a lot of winter stuff before thanksgiving. I did almost all the rooms in my house this year, I ordinarily do not take the time to do that.

  27. meme says

    I get ready by going thriough each of the kids rooms and giving away toys they don’t play with anymore and throwing away toys that are broken and lots of cleaning and decorating.

  29. Marcia Strickland says

    I decorate every Christmas differntly.This Christmas my 2 year old granddaughter was visiting from Japan so I decorated with Disney princessess for her.I really want the carpet steamer.I have a very stubborn Bischon.

  30. Nicole Jones says

    I clean the whole and go thru the kids room and give the toys away to someone who cant buy toys for their kids and make more room for the new ones

  31. karrey ocasio says

    To get ready for the holidays,I do a deep cleaning and then re-arrange.It does help that we bought a small storage building.It opened up so much more space,and that’s what i needed in order to get in there and really clean.My husband pulls out all the big furniture once a month for me to vacuum behind them.they were left for so long,unmoved and they were truly disgusting behind them.I borrow my grandmother’s bissel once a year to deep clean the carpets.I would love to own my own carpet cleaner so i don’t have to borrow it from her anymore.

  35. Claudia G. says

    I have 4 kids under the age of 4 … I try to do “spring” cleaning every 2-3 months where I weed out stuff that doesn’t fit anymore or toys that haven’t been played with in a while. My carpets aren’t on the priority list so I could really use this cleaner!

  43. Steph A says

    To get ready for the holidays I decorate the tree, put out candles and decorations and make cookies.

  47. Kellie Conklin says

    We try to keep the house clean throughout the Holiday season but with so many people and kids trudging in and out there is a lot of mopping, vacuuming and sweeping! We put out candles and lots of decorations to prepare for having people over! Thanks for the giveaway!

  49. Michelle H. says

    We try to donate unwanted clothes and toys to the homeless. And then we try to keep our house as clean as possible.

  52. Christina Andre says

    Clean Clean Clean Clean Clean….and Clean some more. Vacuum all the rooms, dust, go through son’s playroom and get rid of toys he doesn’t play with anymore to make room for the new ones…

  55. Katie R. says

    We wrap garland around our staircase, decorate a tree, hang a picture of santa over the fireplace and cover the outside in lights. Before we have people over for the holidays we also get the carpets cleaned because we have three dogs and two cats.

  56. Darcy B says

    I, like my Mom before me clean like there will be an inspection–because there probably will be. I also bring out all the decorations—my house tends to look like Christmas exploded all over it–but then when I take it all down it looks sad!

  59. Summer says

    I do some major cleaning up before I even think about putting up decorations. I want to make sure the house is clean before I add anything to it. My family comes to visit too and I want the house to look good when they get here.

  62. Brandi says

    I try to a little extra deep cleaning for those guests that just drop by. This would definitely help a lot with 5 kids in the house!

  63. Ricardo Elysse says

    I’m following you on Twitter…

    And we put LIGHTS. LIGHTS.. LIGHTS.. all over the place.

  68. marjorie W. says

    Baking, decorating and bringing even more of our core beliefs into the home happen more at Christmas than other times of year.

  69. Betty C says

    We clear out unnecessary things to give more room for the tree and decorations. Of course, a good cleaning is needed after moving the furniture! Then we decorate and keep a supply of holiday music in the CD player.

  70. Rose says

    I clean the floors really well and keep up with them like crazy because I know there’s going to be a lot of traffic in and out, and we have at toddler in the house.

  73. AEKZ2 says

    We prepare our home for the holidays by decluttering and donating clothes and toys that we no longer use.

  74. San Diego Momma says

    Preparing my home for the holidays means cleaning, stocking the pantry, and decorating every room in the house!

  75. Bre says

    I prepared for the holidays this year by using a carpet shampooer for the first time, and now I am addicted to them! Feels so good to have a clean house!

  76. 216amyc says

    I give the house a thorough cleaning, but I am not hosting this year so I don’t have to worry!

  79. LeAndrew W. Taylor says

    AWESOME!

    Exactly what I asked Santa to bring us ‘this Christmas!

    And the whole family takes part in a winter cleaning overhaul in preparation for the holidays!

    We also like to use Christmas-inspired air fresheners and candles to prepare for the holidays!

    Thanks for the great giveaway offering!

    Good Luck and Happy Holidays to All!

  81. Sarah says

    I have 3 kids, 2 cat and a dog – we have dirt and dust bunnies that need to be cleaned daily. I NEED this:)

  86. Rachel D. says

    We decorate our home and of course give it a good deep cleaning, especially the week of Christmas! I grew up believing that Santa didn’t come to your house if it wasn’t spotless…so I continue to believe that!

  91. Lisa H says

    I break the house down into sections on paper and list what needs to be done in each room for the holidays. Then I begin the cleaning and decorating beginning with the livingroom area as this is where company will view our home first. A day of cleaning and decorating each room is much easier to handle.

  92. Brandy says

    I usually vacuum the whole house, the furniture and the other floors. I dust, sweep, mop. I try and clean from top to bottom and decluterize everything. Wears me out!!

  93. Rhonda Olinger says

    I don’t do alot of cleaning because I am too busy baking and spending time with the family. After the holiday is when I get busy cleaning!!

  97. Nicole Greene says

    I do a major cleaning of my house from top to bottom right after Thanksgiving. Then I put up all the Christmas decorations and well, with the Xmas tree you have to vacuum frequently because of the needles!

  99. kathy pease says

    we usually clean the house from top to bottom and decorate to the max with light hanging inside and out we love it sparkly 🙂

  104. Tracey Byram says

    I give my house a major clean including cleaning out closets, drawers and toy boxes to make room for Christmas gifts.

  107. Lisa G. says

    I clean like crazy to get ready for the holidays. I also borrow my sisters carpet cleaner which is old and very heavy so get rid of children and animal smells.
    lisalmg25 at gmail dot com

  108. rebecca says

    I love to clean and have a “holiday smell” in the air. Getting out decorations is fun, too, but it’s a good time of year to do a few cleaning tasks that don’t necessarily get kept up on throughout the year!

  109. Tonya Dean says

    We scrub everything down. We move the stuff we don’t use but gets piled up anyway all down to the storage room. We decorate every room.

    tdlsfm(at)gmail(dot)com

  112. R Hicks says

    We do a little extra deep cleaning. Bathroom is spotless, kitchen is spotless and well as the living areas. ALso dust those really hard to get too places
    ardy22 at earthlink dot net

  115. susan smoaks says

    to prepare my home for the holidays i do a major cleaning, i start about a month early so that it’s all ready by the time people start coming over!

  123. Vera S says

    I like to give the house a clean before I pull out decorations. I also like to clean the dog beds and rugs so everything smells good.

  132. Justine says

    I also organize and try to get rid of clutter for the holidays, but I usually spend my time selling it on ebay or craigslist, I need all the extra dough I can get!

  136. Jessica says

    We had our carpets steam cleaned right before Thanksgiving before our family came to visit. We also do major decluttering and closet cleaning during the holidays.

  139. kimbly says

    I’m off work tomorrow and we will begin the “holiday clean”. It’s a more detailed clean than normal and I look forward to getting it over with!

  140. Chrysa says

    I am so busy with work at this time of year that I’m not able to do much, but I like to do at least basic cleaning!

  144. Priscilla says

    To prepare for the holidays I scrub the house clean and decorate it to look like a Christmas wonderland!

    priscilla(dot)a(dot)escobar(at)gmail(dot)com

  146. Auriette says

    We don’t have a lot of people over, but I try to pick things up a little more around the holidays, just in case. I’m looking forward to the time when all our renovations are complete and we can actually decorate and have some guests over.

  149. Beth Duncan says

    In order to get my home ready for the holidays, we put p our decorations together listening to Christmas music. We then get our Christmas cookie list out and last but not least…. clean. I mean deep clean!

  150. Allison Greene says

    I am no good at cleaning. I pretty much take all the junk that’s lying around and stuff it in the closet when company comes over!

  162. katie s. says

    Shhhhhhhh, don’t tell anyone, but I hire a maid service for a 1 time cleaning to make sure everything is super-spic-and-span for when people come over.

  163. Jennifer R says

    Besides rearranging furniture to make room for Christmas decorations I just do normal cleaning before Christmas and lots of cleaning after to get the house back in order.

  165. Russell M says

    My wife and I take a full weekend to clean and decorate around the first of December, then dare anyone to mess it up.

  168. rebecca says

    I try to keep up daily so that I can concentrate on food preparations. Bags of onions are chopped and frozen. Chickens baked picked and frozen. Cookies and pound cakes as well. Grocery lists and menus are reviewed and added to as the days draw near.

  169. rachael says

    I go over my whole house organizing and deep cleaning. That kind of cleaning that can only be done once per year or you would never recover. I take down my curtains and wash my windows. I clean my cupboards and scrub my walls and floors. I dust my ceiling.

  170. April says

    We generally go elsewhere for the holidays so mostly we prepare by doing a deep clean to prepare for decorating and the tree. Our place is so small that we have to rearrange furniture and put some things away in order to make room for the tree and decorations. We’ll do another full clean once we remove all the decorations but until then it is a crowded space that we have to keep neat or we would be overwhelmed.

  171. Leanne Harris says

    We always prepare our home for the holidays by rearranging the funiture to make room for the tree. We also remove pictures and what-nots and replace them with holiday decor. We also organize our kitchen pans and ingredients to prepare for holiday cooking.

  181. charline says

    I clean everything right before Thanksgiving. And just try my best to keep it that way for christmas.
    stanleybilly(at)bellsouth(dot)net

  184. Becky S. says

    As it will be just us for the holidays (my hubby & 3 boys) we don’t really have to do much. Although today we did some major moving around and cleaning “just because”.
    beckytag618 at gmail dot com

  187. amy h says

    We go through and clean every room from top to bottom. We try to donate items we no longer need or use. We than decorate to our hearts content. 🙂 Thanks for the giveaway. Our ivory colored carpets could really use a good cleaning.

  190. Peter G says

    Making a list and checking it twice. Buying things on sale and with coupons. Making a menu and trying to stick to it.
    Cleaning is something that has to be done before the decorations go up. Mop the floors, wash the windows and the carpets need to be vacuumed.

  192. Ashley says

    We prepare for the holidays by giving the house a good scrub down from ceiling to floor, every nook and crack is swept, dusted, and scrubbed.

  194. Sonya Allstun says

    CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN lol
    I take my curtains down and wash them also take the slip cover off the couch and wash it you name it it gets cleaned and then burn some nice holiday scented candles to make it smell great

    sallstun
    at
    hotmail
    dot
    com

  197. latisha depoortere says

    We love to put up the tree with lots of lights. We put christmas stuff everywhere and I put up my big village with houses. Great giveaway thank you very much and Happy Holidays 🙂
    [email protected] charter.net

  204. Carol G says

    The main thing we do is decorate, and that means a little rearranging to make room for the tree and gifts.

  208. Rosie says

    I like to do a little “Christmastime cleaning” to get the house looking nice and organized before decorating so that it is easier to handle the extra mess that comes with decorating and later taking everything down.

  212. Sandra D says

    I clean out the kitchen cabinets, especially the spices to make sure they are not old and I have on hand what I need since the holidays are the only time I really extensively cook.

  213. Holly D says

    Always a little extra cleaning,decorating,spiff up the outside, bring air beds in so they’re warmed up in case they’re needed.

  214. Ryal says

    I do a little more thorough cleaning of the house before the holidays i.e., wiping down the baseboards, shampooing the carpet, etc.

  217. Martha Payne says

    I clean like crazy to prepare my home for the holidays, I wipe down walls, ceiling fans, and even rent a carpet shampooer…this would be an amazing win! Thanks for the contest! codisweepstakes2 (@) gmail(dot)com

  218. Bryanna P. says

    Awesome blog and thanks for the giveaway!
    Would love, love, LOVE to win this!
    Happy holidays!
    =]

  222. Debbie C says

    To prepare for the holiday, I do what extra cleaning that I have time for then I get on to the decorating and baking. I do like to have special attention paid to the bathrooms and family room.

    dchrisg3 @ gmail . com

  224. Norma R says

    I like you on facebook!! We prepare for Christmas by decorating our tree and putting out our Santas and snowmen and other decorations. We also have a special place for our nativity creche and always remember that Jesus is the reason for the season!!!

  225. CGibbs says

    I prepare for the holidays by adding all new scents to my wallflowers…spiced cranberry, mulled cider, winter…it just puts me in the mood. daytoncat1 at yahoo dot com

  226. McKim says

    This year we aren’t doing too much since we will be traveling to my daughter’s in another state for Christmas. My son and his family will be coming to our place to week after Christmas, so in preparation for that I will get the house cleaned, sheets changed, etc. so I don’t have to do much other than food prep after we get home.

  227. Kate says

    Cleaning is the first step! Haha, but the big thing is busting out the tree and decorations. It’s a lot of work but a lot of fun!

  228. Mir says

    I just give the place a good clean, organize the closets and other storage areas and get rid of some old stuff. My big clean of the year is usually in the spring.

  230. Lynn says

    I give my house a thorough cleaning to prepare for the holidays and this Hoover carpet cleaner would do wonders for our home!

  233. Geoff K says

    Since the holidays are when we have a lot of friends and family visit and/or stay with us, we do a lot of extra cleaning with attention to the details we usually overlook — dusting every corner, cleaning the top of the refrigerator, doing any paint touch-up work that needs to be done, etc., and add small touches like fresh flowers, new towels, and scented candles to make the home more inviting. And of course we put up our slew of decorations and, most years, a real tree and wreath. When we’re super ambitious, we’ll clean out the fireplace and start a fire for our guests as well. Thanks!

  237. Nikita Nik says

    I don’t remember whether I entered in this giveaway or not but just not to miss it, I am commenting again. (If I entered earlier as it’s little tough to check all the entries.)
    For holidays, I try to clean every corner of my house very nicely. Try to replace old goods with new one. Decorate house in different way so that whole family feel it’s holiday season. 🙂

  238. julieh says

    Since we have a lot of company coming, I prepare by doing a complete house cleaning of vacuuming everything, sweeping, mopping, dusting, and of course, decorating for xmas.

  245. Jaque R. says

    I do a thorough cleaning then decorate with wreaths, candles, lights, etc….before guests arrive I boil water with a few drops of vanilla to make the house smell yummy! 🙂 Thank you.

  248. Hoa says

    Mandatory
    We clean, decorate, and light the candles in our house to get ready for the holidays.

    alittlepieceofheaven777(at)yahoo(dot)com

  250. Ashley says

    To prepare for the holidays I first create my checklist of every room that needs attention, and if anyone is like me, it’s all of them! Even the ones I know no one will see, because lets face it, you just never know! Cleaning for the holidays is a whole week process. I am a stay at home mother of two so I can’t devote all of my time to just one project. I usually start with the most heavily used, and dirtied rooms. Usually beginning with the kitchen, then the bathrooms, then the laundry room. I do these first, literally cleaning from top to bottom so that when they get dirty again, before my guests arrive, it’s a quick and simple clean up. Then, after that is accomplished I complete my laundry, about 2 days before I expect my guest so it can be totally done when they arrive. It just makes one less thing to worry about. Lastly, I organize closets, and clean the rooms, again, from top to bottom. By the time it is all said and done I have spent about a day focusing on just one room, so that the day before I can go through the whole house and spot clean rather quickly and easily. Then the last couple of hours before my first guest is said to arrive I light candles just to make it a more inviting atmosphere.

  251. Nancy Meyer says

    I clean clean clean and clean some more! I also burn festive candles!

    nancymeyer1 at gmail dot com

  254. Zachary Jacob Zblewski says

    I clean the house from top to bottom and fill it up with all my favorite Christmas scented candles and air fresheners.

  255. Jennifer I. says

    The biggest task to get ready for the holidays is figuring out where the Christmas tree wiill go. That involves a bit of furniture moving.

  262. Kayte CookWatts says

    We will not be entertaining here this year but for new year we will go through and get all the old clothes and books outta here.

  266. Samantha D says

    I follow you on twitter

    Samantha D
    Thegiveawayqueen {at} hotmail {dot} com

    Twitter: @Giveaway_Queen

  267. Samantha D says

    We prepare for the holidays but doing EXTRA cleaning that we don’t normally do – the kind of cleaning that only gets done once or twice a year. It’s nice to have the house REALLy clean for at least a few weeks!

    Samantha D
    Thegiveawayqueen {at} hotmail {dot} com

  268. Shilo Beedy says

    To prepare for the holidays I do a lot of house cleaning and making cooking and truffles for family.

  271. Robin says

    I remind my teens of how good it feels to help out, and of what time of year it is. Works every time.

  274. Kimberly says

    I prepare by cleaning out all of the cabinets so it’s easy to find all the less often used supplies. We also set up a ton of decorations, of course. 🙂

  276. Sarah W says

    I always buy new holiday scented candles, it has to smell like christmas in order to feel like christmas!

  277. Kelli S. says

    We take out all of our decorations & make sure to fill the house w/scented cinnamon candles…to me, cinnamon & peppermint are the essence of Christmas : )

  278. robin h says

    clean everywhere and everything .. I love knowing its all done when we start the new year 🙂 I REALLY need one of these !

  281. Alisha L. says

    To prepare my home for the holidays first I deep clean then I have to move things around to make room for Holiday Decorations and then decorate (my favorite part!).

    bakergurl02 @ yahoo.com

  282. robin says

    I go through all the toys and get rid of the broken ones. Also get rid of toys my children have out grown.

  284. Ravi Kumar says

    I make sure everything is clean and okay. I do take care of things at my home so that they always look new and shiny.

  286. Maureen says

    Clean the carpets, deep clean the kitchen & bathroom. Any clutter left over goes in the spare room and that door gets locked! Lol

  288. Candi C. says

    To get ready for the holidays I clean of course, but bake Christmas cookies (a tradition in our family) and decorate!

  290. Susan C says

    I put up the tree and add a few Christmasy touches. I do an extra thorough cleaning of the bathrooms and our spare room because we have a lot of drop-in visitors. I would love to clean my carpets too!
    smchester at gmail dot com

  291. Chantel says

    We’re renting, but we found some flooring on sale and are putting it down in the kitchen this year to cover up the old and make it look bright and new. I’m excited to get this done before my parents arrive in a few days!!

    I do need to clean the carpets…would love to win this because of that!

  293. Jenni Cairns says

    I always have the carpets cleaned right before Thanksgiving, although I am starting to re-think that…the tree makes such a mess, maybe I should wait till after Christmas!! 🙂 But I lOVE the fresh tree! I always dust, and wipe baseboards down right before I decorate, I love everything to be nice and clean right before everything goes up!

  298. Crystal F says

    I don’t do a whole lot. I try my best to keep my house clean but it doesn’t always work out that way. lol We don’t have any family that comes to our house so as long as it’s clean it’s ok. lol Thank you!

  299. Lydia Johnson says

    We clean our house, put the tree up and decorate it. Remind our children of Jesus Christ being born and his purpose, and why we celebrate Christmas.Then we add my my little village to the banister shelf, put some other Christmas decorations out around the living room. Wrap presents and put them under the tree. Watch Christmas movies. We love the old classics. On Christmas eve we have a light meal /snacky type,and open one present. Christmas day we are up early to start the ham and all the yummy foods, and rip away at all the presents left under the tree. Little later we feast, and relax and play with our gifts and watch a movie.

  300. Ashley Davenport says

    I love to make it smell like Christmas with cinnamon carpet cleaner, candles, and scentsy.

  301. AuraR says

    We do a fairly standard setup with lights inside and out, tree by the window and lots of presents underneath.

  304. elizabeth says

    I prepare my home for the holidays by trying to make sure that the carpets are clean, and the furniture doesn’t smell like dog! 🙂

  308. Ashley Gatewood says

    I prepare my house for the holidays by deep cleaning EVERYTHING and of course decorating 🙂

  310. Tara S. says

    I just try to keep everything in order! With 7 people in my household and 4 kids 5 and under, it is nearly impossible to keep it all clean! 🙂 But, we always have the Christmas tree up the very next weekend after Thanksgiving!

  311. Jessica G says

    We love to decorate the house by putting up the tree, the manger/nativity and lights. I also spend a lot of time baking during the Christmas season.

  312. tina says

    We put all of the festive decorations up, sparkling lights, the vibrant christmas tree, and ready for the holidays we go! 🙂

  314. carol says

    Our family decorates the house with lights, inside and out. Every year we make our own stocking and place them above the fire place. We send out the yearly christmas card two weeks prior. We’re very festive

  315. meredith says

    I deep clean our bathrooms and kitchen. Those are the two rooms that really get noticed by company.

  318. ohkeeka says

    Our family is out of state, so we’re lucky enough not to have to prepare our home for the holidays! We just tidy up before we travel because I hate coming back to a messy house, but that’s about it. 🙂

  320. Stacy says

    Besides all the cleaning, I decorate my house for the holidays. That’s usually a 2 day long project!
    nrdunningATgmailDOTcom

  322. Melanie @ Mel, A Dramatic Mommy says

    Usually we have to clean the garage just to get to the holiday decorations, LOL! Then I take inventory of what we have and make sure there’s nothing I need to buy.

  323. Claire says

    I try to keep it clean year round, so I say I just try to keep the christmas tree nice and fresh, watering it every once in a while. 🙂

  330. wcc says

    In order to prepare for the holidays, I move furniture around so there’s room for the tree and all of my decorating goodies. Then, of course, clean, clean, clean! Thanks so much for the chance! 🙂

  331. Kim Whitaker says

    I am going through my sons toys to donate and make room for santa.
    we have three dogs, so I know the stinky smell you are talking about!!

  333. April says

    I have three trees in my house. There are two kids trees with their ornaments and then there is MY tree. 🙂 We put lights up outside and love to keep the house full of the sounds of christmas. We also do an advent calendar with little presents each day.

  337. Lateria says

    To prepare my home for the holidays I like to go through and organize everything – I start at the front hall closet and work my way through the kids’ clothes and every junk drawer in the house. It takes a while but I feel so good once its all done.

  342. Terri L says

    We have to move furniture and things to make room for our tree. The only other thing I do (because most years we don’t host any gatherings) is find somewhere to stash the presents so the kids don’t see them.

  343. kim says

    we decorate the yard, put up a tree and decorations in the house and make homemade cookies from a recipe that has been in the family for years (very yummy). We travel every other year to visit family and this year we are staying home.

  345. Tiffany says

    I have 3 boys and two cats and a dog, I am ever cleaning my house no matter what time of year it is. For the holidays I put up the tree and our village on the piano, I give everything a good organizing and do some deep cleaning.

  346. Lisa Lambert says

    Since my husband is out of work right now due to a layoff, we’ve been able to utilize the time to try to get more organized. I was attracted to your article because my dh rented a cleaner yesterday and cleaned our carpet. i love to know that the house is clean from top to bottom for the holidays — much less stress. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas. Thanks for the article.

    Lisa

  347. monika says

    I deep clean, like a spring cleaning type thing. The one thing I love doing is putting some apple cider, cloves and cinnamon sticks on the stove or in simmer pot. It makes the house smell so holiday.

  349. LaurenU says

    To prepare for the holidays my children go through their rooms and collect items they no longer play with. Those that are in gently used condition are donated. I, of course, deep clean my house for our family as well as guests. We, too, have a dog that tends to get stinky several days after a bath (bless her heart, we’ve had her for 7 and a half years) and it is taking all I have to scrub it out of the carpet. Thank you for the opportunity and Happy Holidays!

  352. LisaB says

    To prepare for the holidays I move furniture to clean the dog hair underneath. I clean the sofa cushions, wash all of my Christmas afghans and Swiffer my hardwoods. The 2 trees go up and lights all around, outdoor wreaths that I made and lots of garland and lights strung everywhere. Add to that a hint of cinnamon stick candle to give the right holiday aroma. I could really use a new carpet cleaner with 2 boys and a big dog who sheds like crazy all over my house.

  353. LISA MARIE SMITH says

    we decorate Thanksgiving weekend. I use the Christmas storage containers to store things in order to make room for all the Christmas decorations.

  355. Tari L. says

    I move the furniture and make sure to clean under it and under the cushions. I also put some knick-knacks and pictures away to make room for Christmas decorations.

  362. Mellissa C says

    I decorate with garland around the fireplace and place holiday scented candles around the house.

  363. Alicen Dub says

    To prepare for the holidays I like to go through every closet in the house and organize and purge. I also go through my girls’ toys to get rid of stuff that is broken, has lost pieces and put a pile together of stuff they don’t play with anymore for goodwill. It is a good exercise for us to do together and my 4 year old daughter is more willing to give stuff up as the years go on.

  364. Manette Gutterman says

    I deep clean the house! Once the boys’ toys are picked up, I vacuum our living room like a crazy person of cat hair, Swiffer the hardwood floors, and dust! I could use a carpet cleaner so BADLY!!!!!!!

  369. Danielle Phillips says

    We prepare by cleaning the whole house top to bottom, and put up are fake christmas tree and then constanly pick up the ornaments that the kids keep taking off the tree 🙂

  372. Diane R. says

    I guess I would say there is not a lot of preparation around here. Do a little cleaning. Get some greenery to hang about. That’s it.

  375. Annikke says

    Preparation of my home for the holidays usually involves me panicking and making sure all closets and cupboards are cleaned out and organized (I guess I worry someone will inspect them and think badly of me when they see the disarray!) I also make sure we dust, vacuum and pick up often so that when an unexpected visitor drops in we are prepared for them! Some years I worry too much and miss out on the good times, this year I am working hard to just enjoy everything – dirty closets or not!

  378. Sharon Harmon says

    We dust places we don’t normally dust often, we place rug runners where it’s high-traffic areas, we buy holiday-scented potpourri’s and sprays, and we arrange the furniture to make room for the tree! 😉

  381. Ali says

    We put up the imitation pre-lit palm tree, and put some pointsettia’s around. Florida Christmas rocks!

  385. Bacallsmom says

    We have to move the furniture around in order to put up our tree and decorations, so that’s the perfect time to do a thorough vacuuming and cleaning.

  386. Tarah says

    We take that time to dust everything off and make sure we maintain spots that we may have missed through the year. Since we’re moving things around we see spots on the carpet or nicks on the wall that need attention.

  389. Holly C. says

    I like to decorate the guest bedrooms and bathrooms with christmas and make sure I have holiday themed towels and scents in the rooms.

  392. Amber says

    I definitely go into deep cleaning mode, wash the cupboards, kitchen, both bathrooms, and try to make it smell as fresh as possible 😉 Thanks!!

  395. Traci Best says

    In addition to working from home and homeschooling my three kiddos… we have four dogs too in our small house… So we keep our Christmas decorations simple so that we don’t over clutter our already FULL house! LOL 🙂 This year we have a 4ft tree on our piano next to the fireplace…with some pretty-pretties on the mantle.

  398. Laura says

    To prepare for the holidays, I do a deep house clean before bringing the decorations out. I also like to add cinnamon scented pinecones to different rooms.

  399. Shanda J says

    Of course I clean (more than normal) and decorate. I love to make sure there is a holiday scent in the air by using candles and potpourri
    diamond42377{at}gmail{dot}com

  401. Holly says

    Along with the normal cleaning. We do a “spring cleaning” of closets of things we no longer need. By giving away what we no longer use, we bless others who may need it. Oh and my carpets so need a deep cleaning! 🙂

  404. Sadie Carey says

    I like to have the house smelling great when people come over for the holidays. I like to have cinnamon brooms hanging and fresh poutpouri about. Plus always have lit candles!!!

  407. Linda Kish says

    We always have to clean the carpets and floors. With 7 dogs, they don’t stay clean for long.

    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

  411. Andrea G says

    I make a list of each room and what I need to do. Then I tackle one day at a time, before the holidays arrive!

  414. Barb R. says

    Love the holidays! I put away all of my “regular” knick knacks and bring out all of the Christmas decorations! Lots of baking and candy making too, yum!!

  415. Vicky H. says

    My sister and I organize our “organized clutter” by putting things where they *should* go. We also do a lot of dusting, and I’m usually the one responsible for cleaning the kitchen and bathroom.

  416. Cee says

    To prepare our home for the holidays means going through what we have and preparing to donate things in anticipation of receiving new clothes, toys, etc. For every one thing we take in, we usually try to get rid of one thing if we can. Thank you for this incredible giveaway!

  420. Crystal says

    We love christmas around here its the most wonderful time of year i think my husband actuly wins for loving christmas the most he talks about it in July!!! We do all the decorations together everybody has there part. Any how we used to go to my Aunts for Christmas every year but my uncle past away and so i offerd to take over with all the festivities and last year was a hudge sucess so now every year we will be having around 25 people here so i have a lot of cleaning and decorating to do before christmas:)

  424. Angie says

    This year is a little different than past years. My husband is deploying for a year and leavings in the Spring. So I want to make sure this Christmas is great since next year he’ll be away from the family. I’ve already gone through all 3 kids rooms to help determine what they no longer need and can be donated. Next came cleaning all of the closets. Now my room is next on the list, followed by the deep clean that is necessary with 3 kids and 2 dogs (golden retriever and black lab). By this weekend the tree will be up and the house will be fully decorated. Next comes the baking!!

  425. Amanda says

    we do lots of Baking and decorating!!! I also go through the kids clothes and toys and donate all the old toys and clothes that don’t fit:) I know there are lots of kids in need..The Carpet Cleaner looks amazing I really need one never owned one but I got Kids and a Dog and would help out alot!!! Thanks and Happy Holidays!!!

  426. Raise Them Up says

    We do some of the same things. Clean out clutter, make room, and clean. This year, we wanted to put the tree somewhere we never have before. So we did lots of moving furniture.

    Oh, and making friend/neighbor gifts. 🙂

  428. Yvonne H. says

    When clean and organize the guest bedroom, put up the Christmas tree, and decorate the outside of the house.

  431. Don D says

    We go to Home Depot and select our tree and after I get it standing then the kids attack the poor thing with every decoration known to man and then a few others. But its fun (maybe not for the tree).

  432. Tricia Thoren says

    We’ve done lots of purging to make room for the new stuff and rearranging furniture to fit the tree. This is our first Christmas in our new home and the kids are very excited that we are hosting Christmas dinner for our family. I could really use this carpet cleaner to spruce up the carpets upstairs!! I follow you on Facebook and get your emails.

  435. Margaret Smith says

    I’ve been busy over the past two weeks getting the house ready. We’ll be having a number of family members over on Christmas, but in addition, my Dad & 81 year old Aunt will be staying with us for a couple of weeks. I’ve been busy cleaning cabinets, windows, scrubing and making the house look spiffy. Just finished getting all the decorations done. I hate cleaning, but with Christmas music playing while doing the chores, it really isn’t all that bad.
    Thanks so much for this wonderful giveaway.
    rickpeggysmith(at)aol(dot)com

  436. rob says

    tabletop decorated tree in the living room, wreath on the garage and little lighted trees in planter boxes along the driveway.

  438. Monica says

    With 4 kids, I’m CONSTANTLY picking up, and picking up and picking up toys and all kinds of stuff they lay around! They’re also messy, so I have to vacuum regularly! My dog leaves plently of his ‘golden’ hair all over the floors too 🙂 Even with all the cleaning I do, I wouldn’t trade my busy life for anything!

  444. Christie says

    I clean clean clean. And bake if I have time! If no time, I at least burn a good smelling candle so people THINK I baked!

  446. Edi Mathews says

    I love for my house to be clean and wish I had more time to do it! For the holidays I have been recruiting help from everyone, we all work and dont have alot of time but everyone needs to pitch in. That is what family is for!! Merry Christmas everyone!

  447. Tanna says

    My kids and I always went through their toys before Christmas and donated what they didn’t play with to the local spouse abuse center. Children there are jerked from their homes in a moment’s notice and must leave their toys behind. It’s a great place to donate things for Mom, too!

  449. Michele F says

    I also try to deep clean my house before the holidays. I rearrange furniture to make room for the tree and also go through old toys sort and donate.

  451. Alyssa says

    I decorate the house the weekend after Thanksgiving. I also bake cookies and other goodies throughout December.

  453. Melissa B. says

    This is our first Christmas in this house, so we don’t have any traditions established yet, but I’m getting ready to do a toy purge for both the kids. We already did a clothing purge and took five 33-gal. garbage bags of clothes to the thrift store that is run by the battered women’s shelter. I would like to get the tree up soon so we can enjoy it. Outside lights will probably go out this weekend since it’s supposed to warm up slightly.

    I follow on Facebook!

  454. Berenice Munson says

    Since I love cleaning and organizing I take a couple of weeks before thanksgiving to declutter our home. After thanksgiving we start Christmas decorations and using cinnamon airmists around the house, and bake lots of sweets and drink hot chocolate.

  455. Tanya says

    We do a “winter” cleaning in which all of us have to go through the house to find items to donate to those less fortunate. Everyone must fill up one garbage size bag of items to donate. While we are doing this we deep clean the house (picking up, dusting, washing windows/glass, sweeping/mopping, cleaning out vents, etc.). Also everyone has to pick out one “craft” decorating idea and we spend time decorating the house in new ways. I was really excited to hear your review of the Hoover because my deep cleaner just broke.

  457. Cindy Hughes says

    I try to keep the house picked up in case we have unexpected guests. Other than that I figure if you came to see my house you deserve what you get. 🙂

  459. Kit Michel says

    Decluttttttttttteeerrr as much as I can. Put the tree up and decorate with my twin boys telling them all about the oenaments and where they came from. Rearrange to get the most room possible (as if). Christmas cards, shopping and then my favorite wrapping. Next Favorite is making the cookis and frosting them with my boys and friends. Then just breathe, and enjoy and ignore the remender of the mess, lol

  460. Julie Banton says

    Like you, we also do a deep clean & purge. It is a nice feeling to have it done. Then we pull out the decorations & start our family traditions of decorating a little each day. I would love to win the capret cleaner!

  463. Cindy says

    We do a top-to-bottom cleaning of the house, which includes dusting, changing out light-bulbs and batteries in our smoke detectors, cleaning out closets and toyboxes, mopping, vacuuming, and decorating for the holidays. We have four kids, 2 dogs, 2 cats, and the two of us, so things can get pretty funky around here. I love having a clean house for the holidays and we all have to work together to make it happen.

  464. Kim Petit says

    Cleaning, baking, organizing and decorating. Fun, fun, fun and more fun. Follow on Facebook.

  466. Whitney Coy says

    Cleaning carpets and rearranging furniture. Also lots of cleaning out closets and toy bins to make room for the new!

  467. Heather Z says

    I’ve been having my kids each put one toy a day into a box “for kids who don’t have many toys” aka donate.

  468. abi says

    I am a clean freak anyway, so don’t really have to do any extra cleaning. But clutter is my biggest pet peeve. The only holiday decor I don’t consider clutter are garland, lights, wreaths, trees, anything you can hang up.

  469. Christine Geddis says

    We move things around to try and protect the tree from Winona (toddler). When the kids are done with school we will bake and make crafts to be use as gift tags and decorations.

  470. Deanne Haggerty says

    I do clean the whole house and go throught the kids things to make room for more. Then of course we decorate!

  474. amber says

    To prepare me and my family decorate together and enjoy watching the old Christmas movies. We also bake cookies together.

  477. Lisa @ Simplified Saving says

    Preparing my home for the holidays involves lots of baking and wrapping. I figure if my tree and presents look pretty enough, maybe people won’t notice that it’s not as clean as it could be! {Now that I’ve shared my dirty little secret, please don’t hold it against me!}

  479. Rachel says

    To get ready we try and always go thru our “stuff” and get rid of unused/undeeded things. We also love to bake bake bake and share the yummies with friends and neighbors.

  484. amy pugmire says

    well we are living with our in laws now, but usually I love to do a deep clean and buy lots of yummy candles also i put lots of rugs out to keep from tracking in mud and dirt

  485. MICHELE says

    We put on Holiday music and doecorate the tree and make loads of cookies to give to our family and friends.

  487. Tracy Keelin says

    Since we just moved from on end on America to the other, into a new home, we lost alot of our Holiday stuff in the move!! So this year i did my usual (pre christmas) cleaning , where every room in the house gets a complete cleaning, and got to buy alot of new decorations and hang them. My hubby is decorating the outside and me the inside. We get to fly 3 daughters and 2 grandbabies up here for Christmas (havent seen them since August)!
    Merry Christmas!!

  488. Rhonda Olinger says

    Love having a clean, warm home during the holidays. The clean smell makes me feel more at ease and cozy.

  489. April Michael says

    We always have our families to our house and so we get it all clean and decorated. I do a lot of baking and make sure everyone has some great food and music to enjoy. My oldest son who is 4 got special gifts for his grandparents this year.

  491. Kim says

    Decorate! And make sure to light as many candles as possible, to give a homey sort of glow and to make the house smell good!

  493. Shelly says

    Winter cleaning! I try to make time to do the baseboards, windows, ceiling fans and other overlooked nooks. And of course we stock up on firewood and nice smelling candles.

  494. Sara says

    We are always gone for Christmas at either my Mom’s or MIL’s so we don’t decorate too much but we do clean/organize toys and books and make donations. Then there is room for the new stuff and we come home to a more organized house!

  498. cassie says

    Purge, purge, purge! We don’t have family coming to our house for the holidays so I don’t have to worry about making the house extra pretty. But I do try to get stuff out of the house for the new stuff coming in.

  499. Larissa says

    I like to go through all of our clothes and the kids’ toys and clean them out and donate them so we have room for the new Christmas presents. We also deep clean while we decorate. One of the highlights of decorating for us is putting up our lionel train around the tree. It is a really old one that belonged to my father-in-law when he was a little boy. My husband got it all back in working order, and now we enjoy it every Christmas. It makes train noises and whistles and even blows smoke from the engine…a real treat!

  500. Brenda says

    Hosting my husbands family this year so lots to do……cleaning, decluttering, hanging things that have needed hung since we moved in etc. Making lists of all the food etc. that I need to buy! Makes this year a little more busy.

  501. Amanda E. says

    My favorite part of preparing for Christmas is putting the wrapped presents under the tree. It makes the house look so festive to me. Other than that I just attempt to keep things picked up & semi-sane looking.

  505. Jennifer Rappaport says

    I do a massive purge and try and get some room for the new onslaught. We donated 11 bags of stuff to a women and children’s shelter last week!

  506. Jaime says

    We cut down our tree and decorate it the Friday after Thanksgiving. We like to transform the house with lots of Christmas things. My favorite is the nativity scene. We also put lots of lights outside the house. Lights, garland, and red bows Oh MY!

  509. Kelly says

    We start extra early (before Thansgiving). For decorating, we start with the tree and lights, and then ornaments. We also have a bunch of Christmas trinkets, etc from family gifts throughout the years. They go all around the house. Even the bathroom gets decorated, lol!!! I also get those holiday pine scented candles from Walmart, so the whole house smells like Christmas and I like to play holiday tunes throughout the day. Most importantly, we do scripture readings specifically catered to the season.

  511. Rachel Roland says

    I love purging all our toys! We have so many toys it seems like so I like to get rid of them around the holidays, especially since grandparents LOVE to spoil the kids!! And wow, what an awesome, incredible giveaway! I also have 2 dogs and really dislike that ‘dog’ smell!!

  514. Andrea G says

    We prepare for not just the holidays but birthdays! My kids birthdays are Oct 28, Nov 29, Dec 29 and Jan 18. Living half a country away from our entire family is hard but with Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year thrown in we are a very busy family filled with tons of cheer! The kids make the fall decorations so we are festive for Halloween and Thanksgiving. Bonus, I don’t have to add any decorations for either girls’ birthday! As soon as Dec 1 arrives we go into the woods and cut down a grand Christmas tree. The kids get a small one in their room. We decorate the kids’ tree with sentimental ornaments. We spend the month listening to Christmas music, reading Christmas stories and wrapping gifts. My favorite thing we do is we go out everyday and do a good deed. We put money into a Salvation Army bucket, give to Toys or Tots, donate needed items to Boys and Girls Town, and much more. Giving every single day for an entire month really opens your eyes about how much need there really is in this broken world. We always ring in the New Year in our jammies with Hot Cocoa. Once my eldest celebrates his January birthday we return our home to “normal”

  516. Angela Foltz says

    We do the toy sweep, too. Gotta make room for any new stuff coming in! I also get to vacuum under furniture and places that are usually unreachable as we make room for the Christmas tree.

  519. Kristin says

    We prepare our house for the holidays by decorating and cleaning, and this year, by organizing as well. This would be such a blessing. I’m looking at our carpets right now, and I am completely embaressed! They REALLY

  522. Melissa Weiss says

    I am preparing to clean my house now because it will take now till christmas to get it clean lol

  523. kelly mccann says

    to prepare for the holiday’s it is a whole house transformation!! Every room gets a little christmas added to it! It takes me about 8 days to get all my boxes out unpacked and then repacked with all the items I have out all year. Then do a deep cleaning b/c the rest of the year there isn’t enough time..now that everything is bare we clean it all!! okay I clean it all…then decorate!!! Now keep in mind I live in a small house so every year it is a challenge to find safe(kid free zones) for some items!! I decorate the kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, living room and family room!! It is a transformation but my favorite decorations are the ones that the kids have made over the years!! They add the warm family feeling!! This is my favorite time of year!! The best part is watching the amazement of the kids and how they are beginning to understand the true meaning of Christmas, and yes it is more than just Santa!!! Love it all!!! Love your page!! Thanks for always having the greatest deals!!!

  524. Nancy Costello says

    How do I prepare for the holidays? I start around mid November, and I work from one end of the house, to another! I have a huge home, over 5000 sq. feet. And, when I say start to clean, I clean! I mean I do the baseboards, the walls, the windows (inside), even the ceiling! Most people do their cleaning in the spring, but with all my entertaining that I do around this year, this makes more sense to me. Once the cleaning is complete, then the decorating begins! I feel confident that my house is clean and properly decorated too.

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