Countdown to May Day: Your Complete Cleaning and Organization Guide for a Relaxing Holiday

Girls, May Day is in two days.

I know what you’re thinking: Finally a 5-day holiday, who wants to do big cleaning?

But honestly, if you get the cleaning and organization done before the holiday, you can truly relax during the break. Otherwise, you’ll suddenly think “should probably clean up the house” on some afternoon, and then nothing happens.

Today’s article, I’m helping you compile a pre-holiday prep list. Follow this, and you can enjoy your holiday worry-free.

Kitchen — The Most Overlooked Place

Many people think if the kitchen looks clean, it’s fine. Wrong. The range hood filter, grease around the stovetop, expired ingredients in the fridge — these are the kitchen’s “hidden bombs.”

My pre-holiday kitchen checklist:

1. Clean out the fridge. Throw away all expired or soon-to-expire ingredients. Don’t be stingy — the fridge isn’t a storage room, it’s for keeping things fresh. Overfilling actually wastes electricity.

2. Deep clean the stovetop. Don’t just wipe the surface — use an old toothbrush to scrub the oil from gaps around the burners.

3. Clean the range hood filter. If it’s too greasy, remove it and soak it in hot water with dish soap, then scrub after an hour.

Living Room — The Showpiece

The living room is the main area for entertaining friends during the holiday. But I’m not talking about superficial cleaning here.

Pre-holiday living room priorities:

1. Sofa gaps. Use a vacuum to suck up all the snack crumbs and dust from cushion crevices.

2. Curtains. Taking them down to wash is too much work — here’s a lazy method: iron them with a garment steamer, which also kills dust mites.

3. Coffee table and TV cabinet surfaces. Wipe these down with a damp cloth, but don’t forget the TV screen — use a special screen cleaning cloth, not wet wipes.

Bedroom — Handling Seasonal Bedding

After May Day, the weather will be warm, so thick comforters, heavy pajamas, and fleece blankets all need to be stored away.

My seasonal bedding handling steps:

Step 1: Wash all heavy bedding before storing. If you don’t, sweat and moisture get stored with them, and next time you take them out they’ll smell musty.

Step 2: Vacuum storage bags are great. They save half the space. But note: don’t compress down comforters — it damages the feathers.

Step 3: Put a few cedar balls or mothballs in the closet to prevent insects and moisture.

Bathroom — Deep Cleaning Neglected Spots

There are two places in the bathroom people overlook most:

1. Floor drain. Scrub the hair and grime around the drain with an old toothbrush — with more water usage during the holiday, it easily clogs.

2. Cabinet under the sink. Open it and take a look — see if there are any forgotten cleaning supplies or expired items.

One Lazy-Person Tip

If you’re having guests during the holiday, prepare a “guest-ready storage box” in advance — toss all the small clutter in the living room (remote controls, chargers, snacks) into it, and the surface looks clean and tidy.

True tidiness means everything has its place, not pursuing dust-free perfection.

Alright, that’s the pre-holiday prep. Do these, and you can enjoy your holiday with peace of mind.

If you’ve had any lessons learned the hard way, feel free to share in the comments.