Thanksgiving 2025 House Cleaning Checklist: Prepare Your Home for Guests

Set the scene for holiday memories they’ll never forget by focusing your time on the right tasks to prepare for Thanksgiving guests.

Line the porch with pumpkins. Buy the turkey. Prepare the stuffing. All of these may have their place on your list to prepare for Thanksgiving this year – but what about the more boring stuff, like cleaning? Our Thanksgiving 2025 house cleaning checklist is here to make sure you remember the most important cleaning tasks for your home!

Preparing for holidays can be stressful. It’s time consuming. It’s hectic. You want to make sure you spend your time on the most important tasks that will make the biggest impact, and not worry about the rest.

Keep reading to make sure these essential tasks are on your Thanksgiving 2025 house cleaning checklist.

Outside

Even if most of your time will be spent indoors on Thanksgiving Day, the outside of your home determines first impressions. Additionally, you never know when you’ll find yourself tossing a football around if Thanksgiving is a crisp, sunny day.

Don’t forget to tend to the outdoors to establish a setting your guests will want to return to again and again!

Prepare the Porch

Give guests a warm welcome before they even enter your home. Ensure you’ve swept away any straggling leaves or dirt. Provide a welcome mat so guests can wipe off their shoes.

Finally, get creative with decor. There’s nothing like walking up to a festive scene of pumpkins and hay bales to kick off Thanksgiving dinner.

Wash the House

One of the easiest ways to transform the look of your home is to wash away any stains that have accumulated over the years. 

Pressure washing is the perfect way to remove any grime or gunk that’s covering your beautiful home.

Clean the Windows

If the eyes are the windows to the soul, are the windows the eyes of the house? Give your home a fresh new look with gleaming windows, cleaned inside and out.

Say goodbye to smudges when you hire Services By Bright for your window cleaning. You can check this task off your list today by requesting a quote!

Scrub the Driveway

You may not think about it when you drive into the garage each day, but driveways can turn dark and dirty over time.  

Pressure washing is a simple way to reveal a whole new, shiny layer of your driveway. Impress your guests by tending to this small detail that can make a big impact on the appearance of your home.

Clear the Gutters

Finally, cleaning your gutters is a way to indirectly keep your home looking its best. Gutters that aren’t tended to can easily clog and cause damage from overflowing water.

The perfect time for gutter cleaning is after all (or most) of the leaves have fallen for the year. So, right before Thanksgiving is likely the perfect time.

If you don’t want to bother with this pesky task, hand it off to the pros! Request a quote today.

Inside

Generally, most of the time on Thanksgiving Day is spent inside your home. It’s where you’ll carve the turkey and swap stories over pumpkin pie. Make sure the atmosphere is just right by completing these tasks!

Make the Bathrooms Shine

A small space that has a big impact on someone’s perception of your home is the bathroom. Even though no one will be hanging out here – most people see it at least once.

Be sure to take the time to make sure your guest bathroom is spick and span. Don’t forget to change out hand towels, place extra toilet paper out, and refill the soap dispenser.

Additionally, light a candle or use another air freshener to create an atmosphere that not only looks fresh, but smells fresh, too.

Scrub the Floors

Next, cleaning the floors is a simple way to freshen up any room. Focus on the entry way, the kitchen, and the living room for maximum impact.

If you’re in a time crunch, do a “lazy clean.” Just vacuum up any dust and dirt, followed by a quick mop with a Swiffer – no rearranging necessary.

Polish the Appliances

Appliances are easily overlooked by residents, but a dirty stovetop or refrigerator covered in fingerprints may not go unnoticed by guests. Don’t forget to spray some cleaner and wipe it down quickly to give your kitchen a new glow.

Freshen the Guest Room

Of course, if you’re going to have any overnight guests, you’ll want to put some effort into tidying up your guest room. Make sure all bedding is fresh and do some quick dusting, since these rooms aren’t used as often.

Fill the Air With a Cozy Scent

Finally, the way your home smells often makes the biggest impression on guests. So, don’t overlook this detail.

Candles create a cozy atmosphere. However, they are often toxic.

For a non-toxic option, consider making a stovetop simmer pot. Simply add some cinnamon sticks, cloves, vanilla extract, and orange slices to a pot of water. Let it come to a boil, then lower it to a simmer throughout the day.

Start Checking Off Your Thanksgiving 2025 House Cleaning Checklist Now! 

The sooner you get started, the less stressful your holiday will be. Prepare for the season of gratitude by gathering up supplies and cleaning your home so guests will feel right at home.

Relieve some holiday stress by outsourcing as many tasks as you can!

If you live in the Springfield, Missouri area – or Ozark, Nixa, Rogersville, Republic, and beyond – Services By Bright is at your ready. We can handle your gutter cleaning and window cleaning.

What’s On Your Thanksgiving Prep Checklist?

Tell us in the comments!