Hosting for the holidays is not an easy task, it involves a lot of preparation and back-breaking labour. However, even before you begin decorating the halls of your home with tinsel and lights, a good clean-up is necessary. Along with the different rooms in the house, your old Christmas decor, outdoor lights, inflatable decorations and even the Christmas tree might need to be cleaned. Christmas is in a month and if you haven’t yet decorated your home, now would be a good time to start. We have made a Christmas cleaning checklist that divides tasks depending on when they should take place. Hopefully, this will make it easier for you to clean up and decorate your home after.
Divide The Time
Before you even begin decorating the house for Christmas, you need to make sure that your house is clean. However, you don’t have to do everything in one day. The priority here is to have the house ready for some decorations first. So, let’s start with the initial cleaning process.
A Month To Go…
There are some things that need to be done at least a month before, if not earlier when it comes to preparing for Christmas. We have listed the products you would need and the things you need to do before you start decorating your house.
Common Decoration Areas
The main decorations within the house usually sit in the lounge or the living room. Additionally, you also need to clean the entryway/hallway of the house before you decorate it. We recommend starting out with a vacuum. Try to move all the furniture out of the room or to the centre of the room and vacuum every edge of the room. Get rid of dusty corners and ledges with a microfiber duster. Lastly, you need to mop the floors down as well before you put up the tree and the rest of the decorations.
Stick Vacuums are lightweight and easy to move around which is exactly what you need when you’re cleaning a large area. An extendable microfibre duster with a bendable head will be ideal for dusting those unreachable areas. Additionally, to make the mopping process easier, you can opt for a mop attachment to your vacuum cleaner. On the other hand, you can go for spin mops or spray mops.
Runners and Rugs
When cleaning up the living room and entryway, it is crucial that you make sure that rugs and runners are clean and fluffed up. Along with a thorough vacuum and spot cleaning, you can use a carpet cleaner. Opt for a motorised carpet cleaner that comes with an attached brush that can deep-clean your rugs and runners. This way you can have a fresh and clean rug before you get the decorations up.
Spruce Up The Tree
Artificial Christmas trees have become a popular alternative to real fir, pine or spruce trees. They are easier to maintain and can be reused for at least a couple of years. So, if you’re unpacking a dusty old Christmas tree for this year, then a good cleanup is necessary. Cleaning a Christmas tree can take some time. So, it is better to get the work done a month before Christmas and preferably on a weekend. Moreover, this is the ideal time to set up the Christmas tree.
A handheld vacuum cleaner should be perfect for removing any dust on the Christmas tree. It is easy to get to the crevices of the tree with a handheld or a vacuum that comes with a hose attachment. On the other hand, if you have enough outdoor space, you can give the tree a good shake. This will release all the dust in just a few minutes. You can take the cleaning further by spraying on cleaning solutions (water and dishwashing liquid). Just spray, wipe using a microfibre cloth and air dry.
Note: If you notice the colour transfers from the tree, DO NOT continue with the wet clean. Dry clean only.
Cleaning Christmas Decorations
While many people tend to buy some new Christmas decorations, everyone has a box of baubles, bells and figurines from the previous years. It is best to keep these decoration pieces away from water. Microfibre cloths are ideal for cleaning and polishing them. Also, since you have to clean each piece individually, get a set of microfibre cloths and get the whole family involved in the cleaning process.
Continue to Keep It Clean
The best way to maintain cleanliness is through regular vacuuming and with the help of an air purifier. Air purifiers can be useful especially for the living room since it is the most used room in the house. Hence, it is normal for a bit of dust and dirt to collect in the room over some time. Reduce the amount of dust, dirt and bacteria in your living room by keeping the air pristine with the help of an air purifier.
Two Weeks To Go…
Approximately two weeks before or towards the middle of three weeks before Christmas, the big cleanup has to take place. Yes, we mean the kitchen and dining area.
Organise Kitchen Cupboards
The festive season means that you will be entertaining guests every few nights. This also means that you will be cooking a lot more for a bigger crowd. Even if you’re hosting a dinner or lunch once during Christmas time, you need the kitchen to be organised and clean. Two or two and a half weeks before is when you should empty out your kitchen cabinets and reorganise. Reorganising cabinets and placing the things you will need at the forefront will make cooking easier for you.
Furthermore, organising the spice cabinet is absolutely crucial. If you cook regularly cook then you know the spice cabinet eventually ends up being highly disorganised. Unless you are very particular with your spice organisation, a reorganisation for Christmas is in order. Reorganise in a way that you can see the name of each spice and each bottle is accessible to you while cooking.
Hot tip: Spice racks are an easy way to organise your spice cabinets.
Oven Cleanup
If you are going to be entertaining guests for Christmas then you will probably be using the oven a lot. Whether it is roasting a whole turkey or baking a cake, the oven is really put under the pump for Christmas. This means that you will need access to an oven that is clean and in perfect condition. Make sure you scrub every surface using a sponge or a scrubbing brush and wipe all the gunk down.
One Week To Go…
With only one week to go for Christmas, you should be preparing for the Christmas party or family dinner already. So, the final major cleanup needs to be done for the kitchen and dining.
Kitchen and Dining Cleaning
The final cleanup for the kitchen includes wiping each and every surface clean and then using a disinfectant. If you have a stove and a rangehood, you should scrub all those grease stains away. Portable steam cleaners can help get those stubborn stains out of the stove and any other surface in your kitchen.
For the dining room, a good vacuum and mop for the floor are a must. Clean the light fixtures in the area as well. Additionally, you can use a steam cleaner here as well to clean the cushions of your dining chairs and curtains.
The Last-Minute Cleanup
Whether it is a day or two before Christmas, there is still some last-minute cleaning that needs to be done. The bathroom, guest bedroom, hallway/entryway, and living and dining room need a final cleanup before the guests arrive.
Fresh Bathrooms
If you are going to be inviting guests over to your place for a Christmas get-together, then clean bathrooms are vital. You have to clean a little more than you normally do. All-purpose sprays and steam cleaners can get rid of water stains around the shower and sink. Bleach tablets are ideal for cleaning the toilet bowl. Finally, add a few extra plants to brighten up the place and give it a fresh look.
Is Anyone Staying Over?
Christmas meals are all about a lot of food and booze. So, it is possible that one or two of your guests would end up staying the night. On the other hand, relatives travelling from far away might want to stay over for Christmas instead of making their way back home. Suffice it to say that the guest bedroom needs to be clean and presentable. Along with the usual vacuum and mop, we recommend changing the bedding to something a little more luxurious. Bamboo or Egyptian cotton sheet sets are great choices.
The Final Touch
A last-minute vacuum for the living room, entryway and dining room will do the trick. In order to really bring out that Christmas vibe for your guests, we suggest buying a scented candle or diffuser. While the food cooking in the house will provide enough aroma to last for a whole week, we still feel that the scent of vanilla, peppermint or lavender can really feel welcoming.
Time To Welcome Santa
The cleaning of your home is only a small part of the preparation for Christmas but also a crucial one. So with a month to go for Christmas, it’s time to start cleaning and then decorating. If you follow our Christmas cleaning checklist timeline, you should be ready to entertain for Christmas day.
