Coming back from a wonderful vacation with family or friends, to be confronted by a home that’s dirty, cluttered and smelly, is nobody’s idea of fun. Fortunately, by dedicating just a short amount of time to cleaning it before you go away, you can prevent this from happening, and instead, return to a home that doesn’t need to be cleaned from top to bottom. And let’s face it, that’s the last thing you want to do when you’re on a post-vacation downer!
While it does require a little effort, it’s absolutely worth it, and if you’re tempted to skip the pre-vacation cleaning in exchange for some extra packing or sleeping time, here are 4 reasons not to:
- It enables you to relax when you return
Even if your vacation was relaxing, the traveling aspect of it can be tiring, and if you’re traveling with small children or teens, you might well be exhausted again by the time you reach home. With the cleaning already taken care of however, you can focus on unpacking and getting back into your regular routine again.
- It prevents bugs and flies from taking over your home
Unwashed dishes and overflowing trash cans are a haven for flies and other flying and crawling insects (not to mention pests like rodents), and coming back to a home plagued by bugs, is not the welcome party you should have to face.
- It keeps dust and cobwebs to a minimum
Giving the surfaces of your home a quick dust before you head off on vacation, is well worth the few minutes it takes to do it. Even though nobody is in your home while you’re away, dust can still settle, and returning to a dust-free environment could be just the tonic you need for those post-vacation blues.
- It stops your laundry basket from overflowing
There will doubtless be a ton of laundry to do when you get back, so why add to your workload by leaving dirty items in the hamper before you go away? Provided you can get everything dry before you leave (or are able to leave it hanging somewhere inside to dry while you’re away), it always makes sense to clear the laundry hamper in readiness for your return.
What cleaning should you focus on before taking a vacation?
Ideally, you should ensure that every room in the home is relatively clean and tidy before you go, but if you don’t have time for that, at the very least you should make sure that there are no dirty dishes in the sink or dishwasher, there are no unpleasant surprises in the toilet, and that the floors have been vacuumed and mopped. If you have time to do a spot of dusting, so much the better, and the trash absolutely must be taken out.
If you prefer to focus on packing for your vacation and researching day trips (or sipping pre-vacation cocktails!), the best solution would be to hire a cleaning company to come in and get everything spotless before you leave. If required, they can deep clean the entire home, and help you ease back into day-to-day life upon your return.