It’s sad enough when the holidays come to an end. Don’t let post-holiday clean up make your post-celebration heartache worse. Tackle holiday stains, floor wear and tear, kitchen cleaning and more with these tips to get your home back to clean.

1. Get the stains out of the carpet.

Who knew that all you need is baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, dish soap and water to get out one of the most common holiday spills - wine. Don’t panic when you see a glass fall over, just have these DIY cleaning agents ready and your holidays will be stain proof. Removing soda, food grease and other spills is just as easy. Here’s how to get these holiday stains out:

HOW TO REMOVE RED WINE FROM CARPET

1. Blot up as much as possible.
2. Sprinkle baking soda and agitate with a spoon.
3. Vacuum up the baking soda and repeat as needed.
4. Add two cups water with 1 Tbsp dish soap, agitate and let sit for 1-2 minutes.
5. Blot then flush with water.
6. Blot up water and finish with hydrogen peroxide.

We also sell a professional grade red wine spot remover that works for carpet and upholstery.

HOW TO REMOVE SODA FROM CARPET

1. Blot the spot with a clean towel until it's dry as possible.
   
2. Add 1 Tbsp dish soap, 1 Tbsp vinegar and 2 cups water into a spray bottle, spray the stain.
   Blot the spot.
   
3. Repeat until spot is removed.

HOW TO REMOVE DRINK STAINS FROM CARPET

For all other drink spills, use a general carpet cleaning formula. Try our go-to DIY spot remover .

1. Add 1/4 tbsp dish soap, 1 cup water in a spray bottle.
2. Spray on spot, don’t soak.
3. Blot without rubbing back and forth to avoid spreading or further carpet fiber tear.
4. Continue until the stain is lifted.

HOW TO REMOVE FOOD GREASE FROM CARPET

1. First do a pretest on your carpet, pick a small spot where you can test to see if the ammonia has negative effects on your carpet, it can react poorly with natural and nylon fibers.
2. Once you know your carpet is safe to treat with ammonia, start by sprinkling baking soda around the spot. Use your spoon to work the baking soda into the spot. The baking soda should clump and discolor as the grease is absorbed.
3. Vacuum the baking soda and repeat this action until it no longer clumps.
4. Next, mix a solution of 12 ounces of water and 3 ounces of ammonia. Using your spray bottle, spray the spot.
5. Agitate the spot with a spoon and use a clean, white towel to blot it dry.
6. Repeat this step until as much of the grease as possible has been removed.
7. Then, flush the spot with clean, cold water and blot up as much of the excess water as possible.
8. Finally, mix a solution of 4 ounces of vinegar with 12 ounces of water. Leave the solution on the carpet for at least one minute before blotting up as much of it as possible.
9. Let the area dry completely before walking on it.
1. Remove dirt and grime from high traffic areas.

   When your home is packed with friends and family protecting your floors isn’t always front of mind. So, when everyone leaves and it’s time to start cleaning. Here are some ways to remove the high traffic dirt from your carpet, hardwood and tile and grout.

   • Use a simple spot remover to get the high traffic stains areas out of your carpet:
   1. Add 1/4 tbsp dish soap, 1 cup water in a spray bottle.
   2. Spray on spot, don’t soak.
   3. Blot without rubbing back and forth to avoid spreading or further carpet fiber tear.
   4. Continue until stain is lifted.
   • Use a neutral tile cleaner to clean grout effectively.
   • Mop with the grain of your hardwood to remove dirt and prevent further wear and tear. Learn more about cleaning hardwood floors.
2. Clean your upholstery.

Between family sleeping on your couch to gravy falling on your dining room chairs to lounging with snacks for the game, your chairs and couches go through a lot during the holidays. A quick application of an odor neutralizer will help fight odors instantly and use natural bacterial enzymes to eliminate the source.  We have a professional stain remover you can use to take the food and drink spots right out.

Deep cleaning your upholstery is important to remove all allergies and dust from deep within your furniture. Your furniture is the second largest air filter in your home. Find out how Stanley Steemer can professionally clean your upholstery.

3. Get your floors professionally cleaned.

Sometimes, the spot just won’t come out. Not to mention odors that may be leftover from family and food. Turn to the experts for easy holiday clean up—schedule a professional cleaning online by choosing what you want cleaned and picking a time. It’s as easy as that.

4. Clean your kitchen.

Post-holiday clean up requires more than your day-to-day cleaning routine. Your kitchen was pushed to its max to keep up with an overload of cooking and baking. Here are a couple of kitchen cleaning tips to get you back to clean.

HOW TO CLEAN YOUR OVEN

1. Heat your oven to 360.
2. Add clean water to a casserole dish and fill with 1/2 cup vinegar and one cup water.
3. Let the water boil for 30 minutes.
4. Wait for it to cool down and grab a clean towel to wipe away cooked-on mess.

HOW TO REMOVE BAKED-ON FOOD FROM CASSEROLE DISHES

1. Put dish soap and baking soda with water in dish.
2. Heat it to boil in oven.
3. Take pan out of oven and carefully scrub baked-on food away.

DIY SANITIZING WIPES

1. Mix one cup water, ¼ cup rubbing alcohol, 2 tbsp dish soap, 2 tbsp ammonia, essential oils.
2. Fill a sealable jar with old, clean rags.
3. Add cleaning solution.

HOW TO CLEAN A SINK

1. Freshen up the garbage disposal with lemons - Run lemon or orange rinds through the garbage disposal to help remove any odors.
2. Unclog a slow drain with baking soda and vinegar - Clean it out using a half cup of baking soda followed by a half cup of vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes and then flush it with hot water.

HOW TO CLEAN A MICROWAVE

1. Put lemon juice in a microwave-safe bowl with water.
2. Microwave for 3 minutes and let sit for 10 minutes.
3. Microwave for 3 minutes and let sit for 10 minutes.

HOW TO CLEAN A GLASS TOP STOVE

1. Wipe down with vinegar.
2. Cover with baking soda.
3. Soak a towel and place over stove covered with baking soda and let sit for 15 minutes.
4. Scrub the stove stop with the baking soda and warm, damp towel.
5. If the cooked on food didn’t come off, use a single razor blade to scrape off the burnt on mess.

HOW TO GET STAINS OUT OF A CUTTING BOARD

1. Get a lemon and cut in half.
2. Rub open half of lemon onto the cutting board.
3. Rinse off.
4. Repeat until the cutting board is clean.