If you have purchased all your presents, got out the decorations, or made them yourself, and started to put them up, sorted out your Christmas menus and even started to buy some of the food, you might think that you are almost ready for Christmas but there is one big job you might be forgetting. This is one thing that many people put off until the last minute and it is much easier if you start to tackle it early. That’s right; we are, of course, talking about cleaning your home before Christmas. Even if you are not hosting Christmas dinner itself there is a good chance that (COVID-permitting) you will be having visitors over during the festive season and will want a tidy home to invite them into.
Whilst starting this huge task a couple of weeks before Christmas may seem counterproductive, especially if you have children, it can make a huge difference to your workload later on. Here is our guide to cleaning your home before Christmas to help take the stress out of this often-thankless task.
THREE WEEKS TO GO
THE LIVING ROOM
It may seem a little early to start but if you are putting up your Christmas tree then this is the perfect time to deep clean your living room. This is, after all, the one room you will probably use the most during the Christmas period.
Start by moving all the furniture into the middle of the room and vacuuming in all the corners and around the edges. If you are planning to clean your carpet or get a company in to do this, then now would be a good time to deal with this as well. Clean each piece of furniture thoroughly and put it back where it will be during this time.
Many families rearrange their living rooms to accommodate their tree during the festive season. Find new homes for any furniture there will not be room for during Christmas. If there are toys in your living room take the opportunity to get rid of anything that is outgrown or broken.
Now you should have a clean and tidy room with space to put up your Christmas tree, and where keeping on top of the cleaning for the next few weeks should be easy.
KITCHEN
Clean out your kitchen cupboards and get rid of anything that is out of date – you will need the space to store all of those Christmas goodies. This is also a great time to check those cupboard staples and make sure you haven’t run out.
Give your fridge and freezer the same treatment – rearranging your freezer can give you some much needed space over the festive season. It may also give you a few easy meals to add to your menu in the run up to Christmas when time is short, and this will help to make more space.
TWO WEEKS TO GO
KITCHEN
Do not forget about your oven, especially if you are cooking for guests over Christmas. Allow plenty of time to tackle what can be a surprisingly difficult job. You might want to take the time to remove any stubborn stains from taps and other shiny surfaces, and a Magic Eraser could help you do this with ease.
CHECK YOUR TABLEWARE
If you have plates that you only use for special occasions, then they are likely to have been stored away for the best part of a year so now is a good time to check them over. Give all your special occasion crockery a wash and put it away carefully for the big day. If you notice any damage, replace items.
Don’t forget to check your glassware, table linen and cutlery as well and give them all a freshen up. It is likely you won’t have time to do it nearer to Christmas.
ONE WEEK TO GO
When it comes to cleaning your home before Christmas, you are now into that all important stretch.
GUEST ROOMS
Give any guest rooms a good clean remembering to move furniture to refresh the room fully. If the bed hasn’t been used for a while air the mattress and then put fresh bedding on. Give your guest bathroom a really good clean and don’t forget to add fresh towels and stock up the soap and toilet rolls.
ENTIRE HOUSE
Clean your windows on the inside to help make the interior of your home look as light and bright as possible.
24 HOURS TO GO
This is the point where you might want all hands on deck when cleaning your home before Christmas. If you have older children draft them in to help you.
BATHROOMS
Give all of your bathrooms a really good clean. Empty the bins, top up the soap and toilet rolls and, of course, don’t forget to replace the towels with nice fresh ones. Put a small amount of bleach under the rim of the toilet and leave it for a little while to help make your bathroom clean and fresher smelling. Don’t forget to mop the floors too – adding a few drops of essential oil when doing so could be an idea, but remember to check what oils work with what surfaces before you do so.
LIVING ROOM
Give all of the surfaces a polish to remove any dust, and don’t forget the radiators – a RadiClean could be your best friend for this task. Empty the bins and put away any loose toys or things that shouldn’t be in the room. Give the room one last vacuum and don’t forget to make sure that there are no loose pine needles around.
DINING ROOM
Give your dining table a good polish, if you need to move it or extend it ready for the big day now is the time to get that sorted. Vacuum everywhere to ensure the room is nice and clean. It can be a good idea to set your Christmas dining table now as this can be a big task that you don’t really want to tackle on the day itself.
FLOORS AND SURFACES
Give the rest of the house a good wipe and vacuum everywhere to ensure there is no excess dust.
BINS AND MISCELLANEOUS
Empty the bins and put away anything that is out of place – some of this good work may be undone on Christmas morning but at least it will make that tidy up a much simpler job.
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Cleaning your home before Christmas can be a stressful task, but if you break the jobs down into a manageable list it should make it much easier, allowing you to enjoy welcoming your guests and celebrating the festivities.
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PHOTO CREDITS
- Christmas room photo created by valeria_aksakova – www.freepik.com
- Washing up Photo by Askar Abayev from Pexels