It’s the most wonderful time of the year… and the messiest!
Think cooking Christmas dinner for the whole family, that pre guest arrival panic clean and the aftermath of opening presents – the cleaning never stops, even at Christmas time.
It is of course the season of joy, so you don’t want to be spending more time than needed cleaning up (unless of course that’s what brings you joy, in which case – clean away!).
For those that want to spend minimal time cleaning and more time enjoying the festive fun – Olivia Young, cleaning expert and Product Development Scientist at Astonish shares her top tips to ensure a stress-free Christmas clean, both before and during hosting.
Pre guest arrival cleaning tips
Don’t leave it until the last minute
The run up to Christmas can be chaotic enough, with last minute gift buying to food shopping and wrapping – there’s a lot on the to do list! Leaving cleaning and preparing your home to host to the last minute is likely to cause more stress, so try to plan and don’t leave it until the last moment.
There are a few ways you can plan and make Christmas cleaning less stressful – the first is by creating a checklist or a schedule that breaks your tasks into smaller more manageable steps and means that everything doesn’t need doing all at once.
You should also try to have a bit of a declutter first, as let’s face it, it’s likely you’ll be surrounded by clutter to some degree over Christmas from wrapping paper to toys – you don’t want your home to already be cluttered before the festivities have even started.
You can start by removing any unnecessary items from the main living spaces and areas that guests will spend the most time in, such as the living room and kitchen. Decluttering before you clean will also make cleaning so much easier, as you’ll have less bits and bobs to work around!
Focus on high-impact areas
It can sometimes feel as though the only appropriate way to clean your home to prepare for visitors is by cleaning every nook and cranny top to bottom.
And whilst that might be tempting (and very rewarding once you’ve done it), it’s likely to feel quite overwhelming and exhausting at just the thought. So, instead of opting for that route, if you’re short on time, just focus your efforts on cleaning high-impact areas. This means spaces in your home that guests are likely to use or be present in more often.
This could include a guest bathroom – grab a Bathroom Cleaner that will banish limescale, soap scum and tough stains with ease, stock it with fresh towels and soap and don’t forget to give the toilet a good scrub. The living room – a good dust followed by a thorough vacuum will do the trick, you can also spray upholstery with a Fabric Refresher for long lasting scent.
The kitchen – wipe down all countertops and appliances, mop the floor and clear out the fridge to make way for festive snacks!
Make a system and stick to it
There’s nothing wrong with a bit of organised cleaning fun! To make it easier to prepare your home for the Christmas period you can implement a few systems – one being to work room by room or task by task.
This means completely finishing a full clean of one room or space before you move onto the next or fully tackling one task such as vacuuming the whole house. Another system is top-to-bottom cleaning, which is the best way to ensure a thorough clean.
This means cleaning from the top down, so you would dust shelves first, then clean furniture, then vacuum or mop last. If you did this the other way round, you’d end up getting dust on freshly vacuumed carpets which is the last thing you want!
Another thing you can do is get everyone involved by delegating specific tasks to members of your household. Whether you assign each person a room or task, this can help to share the load and make the Christmas clean feel less overwhelming.
If you have younger children, you can make it fun by putting on some Christmas music or turning it into a timed challenge – just make sure they stick the system, so it doesn’t transcend into Christmas chaos!
Hosting and entertaining cleaning tips
Tackle stains as soon as you spot them
There’s nothing quite like the excitement of sitting down for Christmas dinner. As everyone begins to tuck in, cue the stains to your placemats, runner and tablecloth. Gravy dripping as the boat is passed along, cranberry sauce left in blobs and drinks spilling after a festive ‘cheers’. No need to panic however, those stains can easily be dealt with – but the trick to getting rid of them is to act fast.
The main problem with stains like this is that the longer you leave them, the worse they will get. So ideally, get to it immediately or as soon as you notice it. This will give you the best chance to remove it completely – meaning you can tackle it, then enjoy your dinner!
If you remember anything when it comes to removing stains, make sure it is the golden rule - dab, don’t scrub. It’s sometimes a natural reaction to give a stain a really good scrub in a bit of a panic, but this is probably the worst thing you can do! Instead, dap the stained area gently. This will help to draw it out of the fabric. Scrubbing it just pushes the stain deeper into the material, making it really tricky to get rid of.
Protect your carpets at all costs
A part of your home that might suffer during the Christmas period is your carpets. Red wine from the adults, chocolates and sticky fingers from the kids, muddy paws from a furry visitor – you get the picture, and it’s not so pretty.
Due to the material of carpets, likely to be wool or a synthetic fabric, you will need to opt for a Specialist Carpet Care & Upholstery Cleaner to remove stains from them. Simply spray the stain and gently dab, then pat dry. And always make sure you test on a small, inconspicuous area first!
With all the excitement, you might also find that some plants or small decorative Christmas trees get knocked over causing a spill of soil and dirt onto your floor or carpet. If this does happen, your gut instinct will be to reach for the vacuum. But this might actually not be the best choice! The only thing you should be using your vacuum for is to get rid of dust and debris. Anything bigger could actually damage it. So grab the dustpan and brush to remove any soil spills, then carpet cleaner to get rid of any stains!
Try not to neglect the oven
During the Christmas period, whether it’s for a Boxing Day buffet, a Christmas Eve treat or the main event on Christmas day – our ovens are working overtime to feed hungry guests. Because they are used so frequently, you might find that it needs a bit of TLC.
Whilst it’s unlikely you’ll clean your oven on Christmas day, you may be left with little choice if you accidentally leave something in the oven!
Depending on the food that gets left behind, you might find you’ve got some spills that need tackling sooner rather than later. This doesn’t need to be really time consuming or require loads of products – a cleaning paste, such as Specialist Oven & Grill Cleaner, will do the trick. Grab a damp sponge or cloth, scoop some of the paste and apply to the area that needs some attention.
Make sure you rub in a circular motion, then rinse or wipe clean. You can also forget about the washing up gloves with this product, as it is formulated with no harsh chemicals and is made with orange oil – a fitting aroma during the festive period!
For more expert cleaning guidance, visit the Astonish website: https://astonish.co.uk/blogs/tips-hacks
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