Christmas time is the busiest time of year with present shopping, cooking and all of the parties. Some people can find it overwhelming, especially if you have family coming to stay for the holidays or even just a lunch.
But don’t worry I’ve put together the perfect cheat sheet to save you time on unnecessary Christmas cleaning.
Source: No Time 4 Cleaning
Speed cleans
Cleaning for guests is different to your weekly clean or spring cleaning because you only need to focus on certain areas which are used by people, such as the kitchen and bathroom.
Organisation is the key to success, so make sure you have all your products ready to go on the morning of guests arriving. Leaving it last minute might not seem like a good idea, but this way no child or pet is likely to mess it up before.
Need a list? Use this spring cleaning checklist but concentrate on the hallways, dining areas, kitchen, bathroom and guest rooms.
Bonus tip: A microfiber cloth can quickly clean the dust off surfaces such as fireplaces, window sills and bookcases.
Make an entrance
The first thing a guest will see is the entrance to your home and I hate to say it, but good or bad memories will be made. Good news is that it’s easy to make a good impression.
Start with cleaning up the garden of leaves, mowing the lawn and a general tidy up.
Next buy a new welcome mat (it doesn’t have to be expensive) and you could even get something special for the holidays.
Source: Looking Forward To Christmas
Finally light up the house with a few fairy lights, you can go all out like in the image below or just put a few lights around the front door.
Source: Techjost
Bonus tip: Make sure Christmas decorations you put outside are weather proof.
Disguise
Here’s where you can use a bit of a smoke and mirror effect to trick guests into thinking your house is spectacular. For instance if you use dim lighting or candles, it can hide certain areas, while highlighting focal points such as the Christmas tree.
Declutter
In everyday life it’s easy to gather a pile of magazines or other unnecessary items. Keep in mind areas of the house where people will gather, such as the lounge and dining room, and remove items that aren’t needed.
Remember people like to sit, so try to make it as comfortable as possible with additional seating but remove side tables and kids toys which take up extra room.
Source: Kidspot
Christmas time means lots of extra food to feed the masses; so you’ll need more room in the fridge. Make sure you get rid of any expired food or stuff you haven’t used in a while.
Bonus tip: Clean out the fridge and declutter a couple of weeks in advance so the bins are as empty as possible for Christmas week.
Guest essentials
People don’t like to travel with a lot, namely just hand luggage these days, so it’s important to make sure you have a couple of extra essentials for them in the guest bedroom and bathroom. Here’s a quick list:
– New soap
– Towels on the bed
– Shampoo/conditioner (hotel samples are perfect for this)
– Fresh flowers in the bedroom and bathroom
Bonus tip: Make sure you clean an area in the bathroom cabinet for guests who are staying a while longer so they don’t have to live out of a toiletries bag.
Activities
If there are kids running around the house, you certainly don’t want them annoying you in the kitchen. Make sure you have some planned activities to keep them entertained and out of your hair. Trips to the local park for games, bike riding or if you have a pool, they will have plenty of fun playing in it.
Source: Swimways
With a pool make sure you prepare it a week or two in advance in terms of making sure the chemicals are correct. It’s also worth buying some new toys for the kids so they have fun.
Got any more tips to prepare your house for Christmas? Share with us in the comments below.
I’m in the midst of my pre-holiday cleaning and your tips and suggestions are great addition to my plan. Found some very good advises here. Thank you for sharing!