The festive holiday season is almost upon us — which means you may be thinking about the many celebrations to come.
For many of us, we spend a lot of the time at home leading up to the holidays, so you’ll want to make sure that your house is neat and clean in preparation for hosting family and friends.
At first, getting your home cleaned for the upcoming festivities may seem overwhelming, especially if you don’t know where to start.
However, the Christmas cleaning checklist below provides you with tips on how to clean for the holidays without driving yourself crazy over where or how to start the process.
Let’s dive in!
First, Do a Quick Walk Through and Take Notes
Our list of Christmas cleaning tips starts with the most important (and easiest) thing to do.
Before you embark on any stage of cleaning, go around the house and take notes on what needs to be done in each room.
Making a cleaning checklist like this will help you get the job done more quickly and efficiently. You’ll know what needs to be tackled in each room and not waste time guessing.
If you have family members or children who are going to help with the holiday cleaning, this list will also allow you to dole out the various chores without having to guide everyone as they go.
Finally, a Christmas cleaning checklist can help you spread out the cleaning process over several days instead of trying to pack it all into one.
Since you’ll know what you’ve completed and where you’ll know exactly how to start back up again on any given day of the week.
Next, Put Everything Back in its Place
After you’ve gone around taking notes of what needs to be done, the next best thing you can do is get each room organized by putting everything back in its correct place.
De-cluttering your home makes it easier for you to clean without wasting time arranging items or moving them from one room to the other.
An organized home helps you put your primary focus on the areas that need the most attention without getting distracted.
Cleaning the Living Room
Tackle the Carpet
Is your carpet full of tiny stains? Or perhaps there is one or two large ones? Is it seriously time for a deep cleaning? Don’t second guess this area. A soiled carpet stands out the most to your guests.
If you can spot clean your carpet, go right ahead, but if the whole thing is in dire need of cleaning, then this would be the best time to do it. Rent a carpet cleaner from your local home improvement store.
You’ll also want to vacuum the carpets and rugs thoroughly to get rid of any dust and dust mites that may be lurking. If you neglect this step, any time a person walks through the room these particles will get stirred up again and make the room constantly dirty.
Sweep the Floors and Corners
If you have hardwood floors or tile, use a broom or vacuum on its lowest setting to remove any dirt that’s lying around.
For the holiday season go the extra mile by getting into all of the corners that usually get skipped during your normal cleaning routine. Use the wand attachments on your vacuum cleaner, if you have them, to get into every nook in the room.
Also, don’t forget to vacuum and/or wipe down the baseboards. These things often dirt magnets.
Spruce Up the Couch
Fluff the pillows and seat cushions to remove that “lived in” look or consider swapping out the every day pillows with new Christmas colored ones.
Additionally, toss a festive blanket over the back of the couch or one of the armrests to create a fresh, inviting space.
Consider an Air Purifier
Aptly named, we do most of our “living” in our living rooms. This makes this area of the home a prime location for collecting dust and dirt particles.
You can vastly reduce the amount of times you have to dust and vacuum in your living room by using an air purifier. We especially like the VEVA air purifier as it’s an affordable option for larger rooms. It uses micro mesh technology to grab larger particles, like hair, pet dander, and lint out of the air, getting rid of musty smells in your home throughout the process.
A good air purifier like the VEVA will suck dust particles out of the air and trap them inside of a filter. Once captured, the dust can’t reenter the room to make it filthy again. It also protects the space from future dust that comes into the room, which means you get to clean less often.
It’s no surprise that the cleanest homes have air purifiers.
Here’s more information about using the best air purifiers for dust mites.
Cleaning the Kitchen
Wipe Down Appliances
Use a damp cloth on all the kitchen appliances to get rid of stuck food bits and fingerprints. To make stainless steel items sparkle, you’ll want to use a cleaning spray made for this task, which is available at most grocery and home stores. Or, you can try making your cleaner using a vinegar-based solution like this one (we haven’t tested this DIY trick, so use at your own risk.)
Condition the Counters
If you have granite counters, now is the time the clean and seal them before the holiday seasons really gets going. That way you can protect your precious stone without worrying about it getting damaged.
For all other types of counter tops, a general all-purpose cleaning agent should be all you need to remove the built up dirt and grime. Thoroughly clean these areas before the hectic holiday cooking starts, otherwise your kitchen get unpleasant looks from your guests.
Clean the Stove Top and Oven
Save yourself some stress by cleaning the stove top and oven now before these areas becomes a bigger mess over the Christmas season.
The oven often seems like a big chore, but these days there are cleaning agents you can spray on and let sit that take all of the hard labor out of this chore. Look for oven cleaners at your local grocery or home store.
Empty and Clean the Fridge
If you’re like most of us, then your fridge has probably become a store house for things that really need to be thrown out.
Get rid of all expired condiments, toss any forgotten leftovers and give your vegetable drawers a serious look through.
Go shelf by shelf, and clean each level along the way with some paper towels and Windex.
You’ll want a clean fridge with lots of free space to make room for all of the holiday cooking and restocking that’s ahead of you.
Eliminate Cooking Odors
Preparing delicious meals throughout the holidays is a fantastic tradition. Unfortunately, the odors from cooking can get trapped in various rooms around the house and lurk around for days after a meal is over.
If the tip above about using an air purifier in your living room seemed like a good idea, you’ll be happy to discover that these devices also can eliminate odors and smells inside the home.
The key is to get an air purifier that has an activated carbon air filter. This filter absorbs odors and leaves your home smelling fresh and clean. Most of the products on our best rated air purifiers list include this type of filter.
Cleaning the Bathroom
Shine Up the Mirrors
Your guests don’t want to see toothpaste splatter or water spots when they’re trying to freshen up in the bathroom. When cleaning for the holidays use some glass cleaner and paper towels on the mirrors until you get a streak free reflection.
Got any coffee filters lying around? Use those instead paper towels. Coffee filters are naturally lint free and do an amazing job at cleaning mirrors and other things.
Wipe Down the Sink and Counters
Use an all-purpose bathroom cleaner to remove any dirt and water stains on the sink and counters.
For faucets that have ugly hard water deposits, soak a paper towel in vinegar and then wrap it around the faucet. Let it sit for a few hours and watch the hard water spots disappear!
This same cleaning tip works for shower heads too. Just fill a plastic sandwich bag with vinegar, submerge the shower head in it, and use rubber bands to secure it on place. After a few hours the water deposit should be gone.
Clean the Toilet
No one likes to see a dirty toilet when they’re visiting someone else’s house. So, clean it inside and out.
Also, dropping a few disinfecting toilet tablets in the tank will help keep the bowel clean and cut down on the need for re-scrubbing.
Tackling the Tub and Shower
Do you tend have guests stay over during the holiday season? If so, now is the time to clean the tub and shower. Getting rid of soap stains and shampoo gunk will make your guests feel more welcomed in your home.
Not expecting any long term guests this year? This might be one of your most favorite Christmas cleaning tips on this list. Save yourself some time by skipping this step, and instead make sure that the shower curtain is drawn at all times to keep any mess hidden from view.
Cleaning the Bedrooms
During the Christmas season, most people don’t need to be told to freshen up the guest bedroom. If anything, this is the one spot that we tend to put most of our time and effort into cleaning.
However, don’t neglect the other bedrooms in your house.
Since you’re doing a deep clean of your entire home for the holidays, make sure each bedroom gets the attention it deserves too.
If any bedding hasn’t been washed in a while, then this is a great time to do it. Also dust off every surface, and vacuum the carpets and rugs.
While the bedroom is often neglected, this clean space can be one of the most coziest places to spend your time during the Christmas season.
Don’t Forget the Windows!
At the beginning of our checklist we advised that you go around the home and take notes of what type of cleaning needed to be done in each room.
Did you also include cleaning the windows?
Most people overlook (or purposefully skip) this area of a room. For some reason many of us dread cleaning windows, but if you want your home to really sparkle this season then you’ll need to give them some attention.
A trick that expert housekeepers use to keep windows sparkling is to use an automotive windshield rain repellent on them after they’ve been cleaned with a glass cleaner.
The process of using a water repellent on your windows will add a little extra time to your holiday cleaning schedule, but this protective barrier will prevent water spots from forming later, which is what you want to avoid.
Keep in mind that an ounce of prevention on your windows now is worth hours in saved cleaning later.
A Clean Home for the Holidays
By following a Christmas cleaning checklist like this one, you’re bound to have a clean and tidy home by the time your guests arrive.
While trying to clean your entire house at once may seem like lot to take on, remember that having a list will help make the process more manageable.
You don’t have to clean the entire home in one full sweep. Consider tackling one room each day or several on the weekend. By marking off the chores that you’ve completed on the list, you’ll know what has been accomplished and what still needs to be done.
Alternatively, if you have the budget you can hire a professional cleaning lady for Christmas just make sure that if you do you give them a really friendly Christmas tip/bonus because hey, nobody likes cleaning houses, let alone someone else’s house on the holidays!
We hope these Christmas cleaning tips have given you lots of ideas on how to clean for the holidays. Now get to it!
