Merry Maids Shares Tips to Clean the Five Messiest Holiday Spaces in Your Home

MEMPHIS, TN--(Marketwired - December 14, 2016) - From decorating, shopping, cooking and cleaning, there's lots to do in the holiday season -- and time is running out to get it all done before your next big gathering. The question is: Where do you start? Fortunately, the experts at Merry Maids, the nation's largest home cleaning company and a ServiceMaster (NYSE: SERV) company, have simplified your cleaning responsibilities by providing the easiest ways to clean the messiest spaces in your home this holiday season.

"The great thing about these tips is that not only are they great for the holidays, but they can help freshen things up so that you can start the New Year with a clean home," says Debra Johnson, Merry Maids home cleaning expert. "During this busy time of year, every area of your home could use some TLC and Merry Maids is glad to help!"

1) Inside Your Oven
Between roasting turkey and baking pies, your oven has seen a lot of action, but it still has a long road ahead. Take some time to show your oven a little TLC, but in one of the easiest ways possible: let your oven racks clean themselves overnight. Remove the oven racks and place them into large plastic trash bags and spray them generously with a degreaser solution. Put the bags in a safe location away from pets and children and leave them there overnight. The following morning, remove the oven racks from the plastic bags, rinse them in the sink with warm, soapy water and wipe them dry. Wipe down the inside of your oven with a microfiber cloth, and then slide in your newly cleaned oven racks.

2) Carpets & Rugs
From the many footprints to spilled wine drops, your rugs take on a beating during all of the holiday festivities. With any stain, make sure to tackle it right away and blot the stain with a paper towel or white cloth to remove excess liquid. Even if the stain has been lingering, mix one tablespoon of liquid dish soap with 2 cups of cool water and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Using a clean white cloth, dip it in the cleaning solution and blot stain. Your carpet will be stain-free before the next course is served.

3) Toilet
Hosting families and friends means that your bathroom works overtime. Surprisingly, vinegar is perfect for cleaning the hard-water deposits in your toilet bowl. Pour a cup of white vinegar and a few fizzy denture tablets into the toilet bowl and let it sit overnight. The following morning, scrubbing will require less time and less elbow grease.

4) Windows
Kitchen windows are an unexpected place for grease and grime buildup, but heavy cooking and baking can do a number on your kitchen windows. Rather than reach for a cleaning product, make your own. Mix one cup of rubbing alcohol with one cup of water and add a tablespoon of white wine vinegar. You'll be looking outside at the snow through a grease- and fingerprint-free window!

5) Refrigerator
Refrigerators house a variety of meals throughout the holidays, so now is the perfect opportunity to refresh them. A quick and easy trick: place an orange peel filled with salt in the refrigerator to deodorize it and help keep the fridge smelling clean and fresh. Just cut an orange in half, scoop out the pulp, fill the rind with salt and place it in a bowl at the back of the refrigerator.

Ask the experts… or call them in
If you're taking on cleaning your home whether before or after the holiday season and need a time-saving tip, or lifesaving stain removal tip (even if it's for a stain from last year's celebration), Merry Maids is here to help. Ask the experts via Facebook or Twitter, using #SeasonsCleanings in your question, and Merry Maids will share its best tips and tricks to get your home in order.

About Merry Maids
Merry Maids is the largest home cleaning franchise network in the United States. Merry Maids provides services in 48 states and the District of Columbia through more than 470 franchised outlets. The company also provides home cleaning services in Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom and has licensing arrangements whereby licensees provide these services in Hong Kong, Japan, South America, South Korea, Southeast Asia and Australia. Through its company-owned and franchise locations, Merry Maids employs more than 8,000 home cleaning professionals that service homes on four continents, including more than 200,000 homes in North America every month. Merry Maids is a business unit of ServiceMaster Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SERV), a leading provider of essential residential and commercial services. Go to www.merrymaids.com for more information about Merry Maids or follow us at twitter.com/MerryMaids and facebook.com/MerryMaids.

About ServiceMaster
ServiceMaster (NYSE: SERV) solves the homeowner's dilemma. Every day, we visit more than 75,000 homes and businesses through our extensive service network of expert professionals. Technology powers our trusted experts to engage with customers so they can order, buy and receive services when, where and how they want them. Our well-recognized brands include American Home Shield (home warranties), AmeriSpec (home inspections), Furniture Medic (furniture repair), Merry Maids (residential cleaning), ServiceMaster Clean (janitorial and residential floor cleaning), ServiceMaster Restore (disaster restoration) and Terminix (termite and pest control). Like, follow or visit us at facebook.com/ServiceMaster, linkedin.com/ServiceMaster, twitter.com/ServiceMaster, or servicemaster.com.