- Avoid unpleasant odors and unwanted pests by discarding perishables from the fridge, running the dishwasher, and emptying the trash, recycling, and compost bin.
- Wash the sheets and take care of dirty laundry to cut down on how much laundry you have to do upon your return.
- Declutter key areas like the entryway, bedrooms, and bathrooms so you don’t come back to visual clutter.
To make sure your vacation doesn’t end with a return to a stinky house infested with bugs, cleaning experts say you should take care of the following six cleaning tasks before you head out. Not only do you not want odors, pests, and mold to fill your space while you are away, but you want to cut down on how much cleaning you have to do when you get back.
Below, cleaning pros share all the cleaning tasks you should complete before going on vacation.
Meet the Expert
- Sarah Paiji Yoo is the co-founder and CEO of Blueland.
- Maria Mooney is a non-toxic cleaning expert and executive brand director at Truly Free Home.
Take Out the Trash
Taking out the trash and the recycling is an essential cleaning task to take care of before you go on vacation. Go through all the rooms in your home ,including the kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, and home office ,to collect trash and recycling.
“Make sure everything is emptied out before you leave to avoid any smells, bugs, or unwanted surprises,” Sarah Paiji Yoo, co-founder and CEO of Blueland, says.
If you have a compost bin, Yoo adds that you should empty it before you leave, either dropping it off at a farmer’s market or disposing of it as you usually do. Thoroughly clean the bin itself to prevent it from attracting bugs while you are away.
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Wash the Sheets
Wash your sheets and make the bed before you leave. Yoo says it’s a small ritual that will make re-entry so much more comforting. There’s nothing better than slipping into clean sheets after a long day of travel, and throwing them in the wash before you head out means you’ll have one less chore to do once you get back.
Declutter Key Areas
To create a calm and tidy environment to return to, Maria Mooney, a non-toxic cleaning expert and executive brand director at Truly Free Home, says it’s important to declutter key areas in your home before you jet off on vacation. These include the entryway, bedrooms, bathrooms, and living spaces. Go through things that have piled up on surfaces and floors to discard unwanted items and put what you’re keeping back in its place. Dust and wipe clean every surface.
“Taking care of these tasks before leaving helps ensure you return to a clean, calm home, free of odors and pests, instead of a chaotic one,” Mooney says.
Run the Dishwasher
In order to prevent mold, odors, or food buildup from forming on dirty dishes while you’re away, Yoo says you should load and run the dishwasher right before you head out. Leaving dirty dishes with dried-on food stains on them may make them harder to clean, resulting in having to run the dishwasher more than one, or having to hand-scrub them.
If there are miscellaneous dishes left after you’ve run the dishwasher, hand-wash them. Unload the dishwasher so all the clean dishes are in their place and ready for use when you get back.
Do a Load of Laundry
Doing a load of laundry before you leave for vacation is important for several reasons. It prevents odors from forming in the hamper, clothing from becoming excessively creased and wrinkled, stains from potentially setting in, and wet towels from becoming a breeding ground for mold and mildew. Practically speaking, it will also reduce how much laundry you have to do once you return home.
“You’ll already have suitcases full of dirty clothes, so cutting down on laundry before you go means less to deal with when you get back,” Mooney says.
Clean Out the Refrigerator
There’s nothing worse than coming home to an unpleasant odor caused by spoiled food in the refrigerator. To prevent this unwanted surprise, Mooney recommends going through the fridge before you leave.
Remove all perishable items, check expiration dates on food and beverages, and make sure that any opened items that are not close to expiring are well sealed. Additionally, check the pantry, kitchen cabinets, and countertops for open food items and discard any that are nearing their expiration date, and properly seal those you want to keep.
