'Tis the season for Christmas dos and dinner parties! If you're planning a festive get-together this year and you've already bought your crackers and appetisers, you're probably looking for easy ways to give your home a little extra pizzazz.
When it comes to your table, everything from your tablecloth to your cutlery can add something special, so we've put together a guide to perfecting those finishing touches.
1. Add sparkle to glassware
To shine glasses, part-fill a washing up bowl or bucket with freshly boiled water. Hold each glass over the water for a few seconds until it steams up, then polish with a soft cotton cloth or an E-Cloth Glass and Polishing Cloth, working your way gently around both the inside and outside surfaces of the glass.
If you’re using a deep bucket or bowl, a great time-saving trick is to hang several wine or champagne glasses upside down around the edge using the base of the glass as a hook.
2. Polish cutlery to a shine
You can take a similar approach to achieve gleaming cutlery. Part-fill a washing-up bowl with freshly-boiled water but this time add a little white vinegar – two tablespoons per litre of water is plenty.
Working with two or three pieces of cutlery at a time, hold them by the handle and dunk the blades of knives, the tines of forks or the bowl of spoons into the water, holding them there for a few seconds.
It’s best to use a folded cloth to protect your hands as the handles will get hot. Lift the cutlery from the water and quickly polish to a shine using a soft cotton cloth.
If you’re planning on breaking out the silverware, you’ll need to remove the tarnish with one of these methods.
3. Clean carafe
To banish limescale deposits or dried-on wine stains from the inside of a carafe or wine decanter, fill with white vinegar. Leave the vinegar to work its magic for a few hours, then rinse with warm water and dry with a soft cotton cloth. If this doesn’t do the trick, repeat the process, adding a handful of uncooked rice grains to the vinegar. Swill these gently around the decanter to loosen any tough deposits. These Magic Copper Balls from Lakeland are an alternative option if you don’t want to waste rice, just swill around with water.
Drying decanters can be problematic as the thin neck makes it hard to dry the inside thoroughly and any remaining droplets can result in more water marks. For a professional solution to the problem, use a decanter drying stand to hang the decanter safely upside down.
4. Shine serving dishes
Coloured plates and serving dishes add a touch of Christmas colour to a beautifully set table but water marks can ruin the effect.
Our favourite quick fix is a slightly damp, fine microfibre cloth, which can be used to gently rub water marks away. We like the e-cloth general purpose cloths.
If you’ve got oven-to-tableware with ugly burnt on stains, clean these dishes before Christmas by scrubbing with a paste of bicarbonate of soda and water (add a drop of washing up liquid for particularly stubborn marks), the stains should come right off.
5. Starch napkins and tablecloths
To achieve restaurant-crisp table linen, you’ll need to reach for the laundry starch, like Kershaw's Traditional Laundry Starch. Products like these can be added to a washing machine wash cycle before the final rinse or used in a hand wash.
Alternatively, to add some substance to your napkins and tablecloths at the last minute, try a starch spray such as Dylon Spray Starch. To get the best results using a starch spray, spritz the fabric with water first to dampen it, then spray evenly with the starch before ironing. You may need to repeat the process for a really crisp finish.
GHI Tip: Now that everything is polished and smear free, add some candles to your table, the light will bounce off all the shiny surfaces and make your table sparkle even more.
Our favourite Christmas garlands to give your home that festive touch
The White Company 180cm Pre-Lit Ultimate Pinecone Centrepiece Garland
The White Company's best-selling Christmas garlands are back. This beautiful pinecone one has a natural finish, incorporating a mixture of faux greenery, LED lights, fir branches, pinecones, twigs and white berries dotted throughout. It also comes with three hooks on the back, making it easy to hang above doorways or mirrors or use for your Christmas tablescape.
Combining rustic and luxury, this Christmas garland is the perfect centrepiece to your home this year. The top destination for all outdoor decorations and Christmas wreaths, Lights4fun also has a host of Christmas garlands to choose from this year too. A pretty mix of faux winter leaves combined with delicate gold berries woven into a twig base with LED lights, what more could you want from your Christmas garland?
A beautiful way to incorporate the well-known festive flower, this statement poinsettia garland will be a show-stopping decoration this year and the next. Whether its placed on your Christmas table as a centrepiece or draped over the top of your fireplace, it will always add a special festive touch to your decor.
Looking for a unique Christmas garland? This elegant one from Cox & Cox has definitely caught our eye this season. Designed with charming bristle brush-trees in two wintry tones dotted about its boughs, this is a gorgeous festive accent to any stairwell or mantlepiece.
This simple plain garland is all you need to add a touch of alpine style to your home this Christmas. You can decorate it how you wish with pinecones or with your choice of faux berries.
While it's all about your indoor home decor, why not add a luxe decoration to your outdoor display this year too. This clever Christmas garland is powered by solar panels and has 8 twinkly settings to choose from every evening.
Make your mantlepiece sparkle with this light up bauble garland. Super popular last year, get your hands on one before they sell out this Christmas.
Add a warm glow to your home with this frosted Christmas garland. Made up of artificial snow-dusted fir and eucalyptus, this festive garland will make any space feel like a winter wonderland.
Dibor Frosted White Christmas Garland With Lights
If you're looking for a hand-crafted Christmas garland, then take a look at this pinecone and bauble option from Dibor. This rustic style garland is all you need to add a natural touch to your festive decor.
Looking for a glamour Christmas garland? Affordable, stylish and magical, we love this frosted garland from Marks & Spencer. Measuring in at 10ft, this garland is perfect for draping round a stairwell for a dramatic, Christmassy effect in your hallway.
Transform your home into a Christmas haven with this vibrant candy cane Christmas garland. Designed with warm LED lights too, this garland would look great as a Christmas centrepiece in the middle of your table.
Ideal for decorating your children's room, we love this wooden reindeer and Christmas tree garland. The reindeers are even made with adorable pom pom noises too.
Seeing as the copper colourway is really in this Christmas, why not add the latest trend to your festive decs. Guaranteed to add drama and style, it's a gorgeous alternative to red, green and gold this time of year.
