There are just weeks to go until Christmas and hosts everywhere will be furiously writing up long to-do lists as the big day edges closer. Often starting with good intentions, it's easy to let time run-away especially when it comes to completing cleaning chores to bring the home up to par. We've drawn up an easy-to-follow Christmas cleaning regime to ensure each base is covered throughout the home in good time.
Get the bathroom ship shape
New research by Bloo found that half of the nation (53%) only clean their bathroom when they're expecting guests. It goes without saying the toilet can be one of the dirtiest parts of the house and is prone to attracting a build-up of bacteria and gems and should not be overlooked when it comes to getting the house spick and span ahead of hordes of relatives arriving. Drop Bloo's toilet block in the cistern for a hygienic, sparkling clean and fragrant loo. Each block lasts up to 800 flushes so you don't need to worry about it for up to four weeks. If you don't have access to your in-cistern, try a rim block which hygienically cleans and freshens the toilet with a boost of fragrance after every flush. It prevents dirt and limescale and will save you from needing to scrub on your hands and knees for hours at a time and will ensure the toilet stays fresh over Christmas.
For the rest of the bathroom, get rid of any standing water blockages which you've been putting off with easy to administer drain clearing products and run an all-purpose spray over every surface. Make sure all the towels and bathmats are fluffy and clean and maybe add a warm Christmas scented candle for a special finishing touch.
Declutter your kitchen cupboards
This can be a boring task but when done in advance, you'll have more storage space for your Christmas food shop. No host wants to see their guests rifling through their kitchen cupboards coming across out-of-date tins and spices. A bit of time spent now will help ensure cleaning the kitchen is easier because you'll have more space to move things off counter tops and clear all surfaces for food preparation. Throughout the rest of the kitchen and ahead of Christmas Day, load the dishwasher with pots and pans to get them gleaming. No one wants to wash up on Christmas morning to start cooking. This will save you a lot of stress when needing to prep. If you're short on space, gather up all the appliances such as ice cream makers and whisks, which are unlikely to be used, and decamp them to a box elsewhere. Also, go through the fridge and freezer to make as much space as possible.
Prepare the guest bedrooms
These can be made-up well in advance but ensure they keep getting aired because unused rooms can smell musty. Make the bed with fresh bedding and fluffy towels and don't forget to turn the radiator up if you haven't used the room in a while. After a vacuum, ensure there's somewhere for guests to hang up the odd outfit with enough hangers for a few days.
Give the dining room some TLC
This is the place you and your guests will want to enjoy spending time on Christmas Day. First and foremost, do you have enough seats for your guests? And will they be comfortable? Wash your tablecloth in the weeks ahead and check-through your supply of cutlery and glasses. Run them through the dishwasher now to get them nice and clean - the last thing you want to do on Christmas Day is polish cutlery. Rope in some helping hands to iron the linen. Plan to lay the table on Christmas Eve when everyone has gone to bed. With everything else that will happen the following day, you'll be pleased to have prepped ahead.
Clear the living room
Preparing for guests is as much about clearing the spaces than scrubbing and cleaning. Get rid of everything you don't need from the living room, magazines, coffee table books and general junk that has sat around for too long. If time is pressed just pile it all into a box and move it out of the way. Dust the telly as this will be a focal point and then hoover up. Some people go as far as using throws on the furniture to protect it from spills or have a box of cleaning products ready to use if the worst happens. It's always amazing how much hoovering needs to be done, but you could nominate one person to give the living room a once over at the end of each day to keep things manageable.
