Christmas checklist: Clean house for the holidays
One week left to get your home ready for holiday guests, we loved these tips from Harry Carr who owns a cleaning company in London, UK. We like the part about making a list and sharing responsibilities the best! Happy Holidays to all of you from the Parade of Homes Blog.
Doing one last cleaning before Christmas and New Year is essential, especially if friends or family are going to visit you. Everyone would like to welcome the New Year in an immaculately clean house. Moreover, we all have New Year’s resolutions — don’t let cleaning be one of them.
Christmas cleaning should be on your checklist along with purchasing presents, Christmas decorating and holiday meal planning. But don’t be overwhelmed by all the preparations this holiday requires, start by creating a plan which should include dividing up responsibilities with your family members.
Start by picking convenient day to do the cleaning a few days before Christmas in order to avoid stressful situations should any unexpected guests turn up at your door. Then write down all the places that need a thorough sanitizing. Assign tasks to each family member according to their abilities, even small children can lend a hand dusting or picking up items.
Next, check your available detergents and equipment and have a look at their expiry date. If you need to purchase new ones, put them as main priority on your checklist. Conducting a cleaning without the necessary tools simply won’t be sufficient.
During your appointed day for cleaning, make sure to clean every room in your property. You can start by dusting the shelves and wardrobes and wiping the tables and desks. Then, thoroughly vacuum the floors and the carpets, paying special attention to the traffic areas as they hide many allergy triggers.
After you are done, take a break for a beverage or snack. Then proceed to the kitchen. It is highly recommended your oven to be cleaned from the inside and from the outside. If you don’t have the energy for both, clean the areas around the hobs (or knobs as we say in the states) and the extractor fan as grease tends to build up there the most. Also, make sure that the frying pan and dishes you are going to use are clean and ready. The only thing that’s left is to purchase the needed products for your Christmas meals. Now you are ready to impress your guests not only with an immaculately cleaned house but also with delicious homemade dishes.
One last place to clean is the bathroom. However, it is recommended to be sanitized not long before your guests arrive so everything can remain clean and tidy. Here are some of the things our domestic cleaning company says you need to pay attention to when cleaning your bathroom. It is advisable to sanitize your toilet from the inside as well as from the outside, remove any soap or toothpaste traces and clean the shower head or the bath. Also, change the towels with new ones and make sure to check the toilet paper and tissue boxes.
It will be very useful to prepare and iron your clothes in advance and make sure they are clean. Not wearing what you want can ruin your whole mood and evening. Avoid such stressful situations by arranging everything beforehand.
The checklist with the Christmas preparations is just endless. We need to do so much and we want everything to go as planned. To avoid any awkward situations, just make a list with all the places in your property that need cleaning the most. If you are unable to clean the whole house yourself, you can always ask friends and family to help you or you can turn to professional cleaning company. Either way, make sure not to stress over anything during the holidays and enjoy this wonderful holiday.