Already stressed? Don’t be. Just hire a few pros to help get your home in the holiday spirit.
1. Do a Deep Clean Inside
If you’ve been putting off a deep clean all fall, there’s probably a nice layer of dust covering a couple surfaces in your home. Or maybe more than a couple. But good news: You can schedule a one-time cleaning with a pro if you don’t have the time (or energy) to do it yourself. A cleaning session with a professional service costs an average of $165, and you can learn ways to cut down on costs and get the most out of your service here.
It’ll include vacuuming, mopping, wiping down counters and, of course, dusting. And remember all those little, hard-to-reach places you’re always putting off until next time? It’s time! We’re talking cleaning under stove burners, behind the toilet, beneath the couches, below the sink, and even above the door frames. Every little bit counts.
Find a Local One-Time House Cleaner
2. Get Things in Order Outside
As beautiful as the changing leaves can be, we know they can make a mess of your yard and roof. Before bringing in the holiday cheer, clean up anything fall may have left behind outside.
The easiest thing to do first is removing the leaves from your lawn to get things looking neat. Depending on the size of your yard, hiring someone to help out is usually by far the easiest way to go. There are only a few things you’ll need to be prepared to tell a pro when it comes to getting an estimate: how many trees you have and how you want your leaves taken care of — blown, bagged or vacuumed up and used as mulch elsewhere in the yard.
Just removing leaves has an average cost of $329, but a local lawn care specialist can also help winterize garden beds, trees and shrubs — and he can give you a more itemized list of services that may save on costs.
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The next not-so-easy task is cleaning the gutters and downspoutsclogged with all those fall leaves. The average cost to get your gutters cleaned is $146, but it’s hard to pass up hiring a pro if you consider costs that could come with an injury associated with breaking out the ladder yourself.
There are a few things that a professional cleaner will take into account to get you an estimate, like house height and the type of gutters on your home. But the biggest factor will be what kind of shape your gutters are in. If you clean them regularly, it won’t break the bank. But the longer you’ve put it off, the higher prices can climb.
Find a Local Company That Cleans Gutters & Downspouts
3. Deck Those Halls
This is the fun part! When it comes to holiday lighting, it makes sense to start inside and work your way out. A pro holiday helper can help with everything from lighting on trees to mantels, wreaths, and even banisters on the interior of your home. Then you can task them with scaling the side of the house and making your house glow bright enough for the rest of the block to see. Local lighting experts can also tackle pathways, bushes, and other ground lighting. They can even create a fun motif if you have a vision of a Winter Wonderland stuck in your head.
Prices will vary depending on whether you’re providing your own lights and how wild you want to go. These days, LED holiday lights are the best choice. They use less electricity, and they’re much less likely to burn out than the old incandescent bulbs.
Find a Local Holiday Lighting Expert
Of course, the decorations don’t need to end at sparkling lights. Depending on your traditions and preferences, you may need to set up some candles, put out knickknacks, buy trees and wreaths, hang stockings or spray fake snow.
Photo credit: Bob Ricca via Unsplash
By HomeAdvisor , Brand Partner | Nov 16, 2016 4:48 pm ET | Updated Nov 20, 2017 9:11 pm ET