7 Tips for Christmas Cleaning
Christmas is just around the corner! It might be the most wonderful time of the year, but it always comes with lots to do in preparation for the big day. We all want to showcase our homes in the best possible light, and this means staying on top of all those essential cleaning jobs in the run-up to December 25th.
So, how do you clean for Christmas? We have put together some essential Christmas cleaning tips to make your house beautiful — so you can relax with a drink by the time Santa is on his way.
When should you start cleaning for Christmas?
Tip 1: Start early
As with all things in life, you can never be too prepared. Christmas will be here sooner than you think, and time goes very quickly. If you want to approach this Christmas without panicking, it’s best to start your cleaning as early as possible.
Most of us want to clean our whole houses before the holiday season, especially if we have friends and family over for Christmas. However, a Christmas deep clean can be an overwhelming task. If you want to stay on top of things, it’s best to break it down into small chunks, completing just one or two cleaning jobs each day. This way, things will seem a lot more manageable.
How should I clean before I set up my Christmas decorations?
Most people’s decorations usually go up well in advance of the big day itself. You need to give yourself plenty of time to prepare the areas where your decorations will be, as they are notoriously difficult to clean around once they’re up.
Tip 2: Look to your floors
The centrepiece of all your Christmas decorations is, of course, the Christmas tree. You want it to look beautiful against your home décor. If your flooring is not in good condition, the effect will be ruined.
If you have carpets, now is an excellent time to think about getting them cleaned. For carpets that are in good condition, this might be a job you can tackle yourself, as your carpets possibly just need a simple shampoo and vacuum. However, if your carpets are older, stained or dirty, you should think about calling in professional carpet cleaners. They have all the latest equipment and plenty of experience and will be able to steam clean or dry clean your carpets to the highest standards.
If your carpet has previously been damaged by excess water, even if your home has been flooded, there’s no need to rush out and buy a new one. Professional cleaners can restore water damaged carpets, so they look fresh again.
Businesses shouldn’t forget about their carpets, either — after all, you want them to look their best for the office party! This isn’t something you’re likely to have the time or the tools to do yourself, so it’s definitely a job for the professionals.
These days, of course, not all homeowners have carpets. If you have another type of flooring, such as hardwood, tile, vinyl or laminate, you still want it to look amazing for your Christmas photos. If your floor is damaged at all or could use a little sprucing up, you might want to have it professionally stripped and resealed to give it a new lease on life.
Tip 3: Care for your windows
Many of us string Christmas lights from the windows, so we want them to be seen clear and bright by everyone who walks past. We also don’t want the lights to reflect any streaks that will be visible to our guests. For this reason, you need to clean your windows thoroughly inside and out as part of your Christmas cleaning regime before the decorations go up.
You also need to consider your window treatments, as these add to the warm and cosy ambience of Christmas. If your curtains have seen better days, or are looking tired and dirty, now is the time to clean them. This can sometimes be a difficult task to carry out at home with limited equipment, and you might not have time to take them to the cleaners, so you could call in a professional team to clean your curtains onsite in your home.
If you have blinds instead of curtains, you want them to look their best, too. Blind cleaning is an essential task before the lights go up. If your blinds are damaged, this is the best time to have them repaired so they’ll look as good as new by Christmas Day.
Tip 4: Turn your outdoor area into a Christmas wonderland
If you’re a Christmas lover, you might also be putting up decorations outside your home, probably at the front of the house, so all the neighbourhood kids can enjoy them. To give the decorations the best possible backdrop for those Instagram pictures, you’ll want to make sure the outdoor areas of your property are sparkling clean.
You’d be surprised to find out how dirty the outside of your house can get over a year. If you haven’t done this since last Christmas, now would be a great time to wash the exterior of your home. You won’t believe the difference! You also need to clean your driveway to create the perfect entrance for all your Christmas visitors.
Of course, these tasks are not easily done without specialist equipment. You could consider calling in a professional cleaning firm like Jim’s Cleaning. They have all the latest pressure cleaning tools and understand how to treat different surfaces such as concrete or brick.
How do you clean your house for Christmas?
So, the decorations are up, and the turkey is ordered. What else do you need to do before the guests arrive and the presents are opened? There are still a few essential tasks you need to carry out as part of your Christmas deep clean.
Tip 5: Make the guest bedrooms comfortable
If you have guests staying for Christmas, you want them to be as happy and comfortable as possible. This means they’ll need a relaxing place to sleep. Guest bedrooms are notoriously used as storerooms, home offices and even gyms throughout the year, so now is the time to clear out the clutter and give those guest bedrooms a thorough clean.
Please don’t forget the mattresses! A mattress that has been left in place all year will have gathered a lot of dust. You don’t want your guests sneezing their way through Christmas dinner, so it’s a good idea to have your guest mattresses cleaned well in advance of the big day.
Tip 6: Clean your upholstery
Whether you’re a more formal or casual type of family, everyone will need to sit comfortably on Christmas Day. But have you taken a look at your upholstery lately? If it could use a Christmas clean, now is the time. Even if your chairs are leather, sometimes it isn’t enough to simply wipe them with a damp cloth. Leather upholstery may need specialist leather cleaning — and the professionals will also be able to protect your leather furniture for you, so it’ll be looking its best this Christmas and next.
Tip 7: Clean your kitchen
If you’re the chef in your house, you’ll know just how hard your kitchen has to work at Christmas. To make things as easy as possible, you’ll want to make sure you start with a spotless kitchen, so nothing gets in the way of the food prep or cooking on the day. Cleaning your oven thoroughly is essential before the menus start getting prepared.
You’ll also want to make sure you have nice, clean surfaces all around you. Obviously, your benchtops will be sparkling, but you should also think about having your tiles and grout cleaned, as they can gather a lot of grease in a relatively short time. You’ll want them to look their best in case any of your guests wander into the kitchen.
Finally, you can make the environment healthier for everyone by having your air ducts cleaned, so there’s plenty of fresh air circulating through the kitchen and the rest of your home.
Find out more about professional Christmas cleaning services
If the thought of your Christmas deep clean is just too much, don’t worry — Jim’s Cleaning is here to help. Whether you live in a large family home or a high rise apartment, we can get your place looking and feeling just the way you want it for the festive season. Call us on 131 546 to request a free quote today.
