Merry Maids Shares Top 5 Houseguest Hacks to Kick Off the Holiday Season

MEMPHIS, TN--(Marketwired - November 08, 2016) - The holiday season is one of the most anticipated times of the year. Yet, underlying all of the excitement around the holidays is the pressure to have a neat and tidy home for unexpected visitors and overnight houseguests. Before the holidays sneak up on us, Merry Maids, the nation's largest home cleaning company and a ServiceMaster (NYSE: SERV) company, is sharing its top five Houseguest Hacks.

These Houseguest Hacks, from Merry Maids cleaning expert Debra Johnson, are designed to ensure homes are as clean and tidy as a hotel, but as hospitable and cozy as a bed and breakfast, all without adding stress to your routine.

Deodorize Without Overdoing It
Scent is a powerful sense -- and having a clean-smelling home goes a long way. Before guests come over, take out the trash, open your windows about 15 minutes prior to guests arriving and create a naturally-delicious smelling fragrance right on your stovetop. Simply add cinnamon sticks and vanilla extract to a pot of boiling water and your home will smell like the holidays, sans cooking.

Stock the Bathroom
Bathrooms should be clean and welcoming, which sounds time consuming. Recruit the help of household products to clean troublesome places, like the toilet, while you sleep, so that cleaning takes minutes, not hours. Pour one cup of vinegar and one fizzy denture tablet into the bowl. Overnight, it will loosen up hard water deposits and be easier to clean, saving on time and elbow grease. To remove rings and clean underneath the toilet rim, use a damp scouring pumice stone.

Literally Disconnect Your Rooms
Between televisions, stereos and cell phone chargers, there are cords coming out of every wall, which can make your space look more like a technology store instead of home. Go through each room and unplug the wires that aren't necessary -- extra cell phone chargers, laptop cords, hair dryers and electric toothbrushes. Doing this keeps unseemly wires out of sight and makes for a cozier space.

Organize the Chaos
Mail, notebooks, magazines and books always seem to have a mind of their own and take over every inch of counter space possible. Before hiding them in drawers, closets or under beds, grab a decorative crate or box and keep them together. You'll be adding to your décor, organizing the chaos that is your incoming mail and creating the illusion of having a clutter-free home.