Christmas is one of the most pleasant times of the year. Many people anticipate the coming reunion, get-togethers, parties, and special functions. It is also when people remove the clutter and make use of special linens, decor, and curtains.
Cleaning the home for Christmas takes some effort on your part but think of the benefits you will reap by doing so, such as
Having a clean and healthy home
When you have a clean home, all the occupants there are safe, and you are lessening the chance of anyone from the family getting sick due to dirty surroundings. It also provides a light feeling and makes a living inside your home comfortable.
For more manageable and fast Christmas decorating
If there is clutter and your home has no space to place your Christmas decor, it will stress you. It is true if you are someone who loves Christmas so much, and delights in seeing decor around you, then you should declutter and prepare to keep your home clean for the holidays.
You have more space to hang your Christmas garlands.
If your house has too many things going on inside, it will not be relaxing at all. When you clean and organize your home and ensure everything is in place, you will have more space to hang your favorite garlands and Christmas ornaments. You may also remove some of the not-so-Christmassy decors for now and give room for the holiday decor you prefer.
Making your home ready for your guests
You want to ensure that your guest will have a great time, and so should you. By making sure your home is clean when you receive visitors and guests. It is the best way to lessen tension cause a cluttered and dirty home is stressful, and you will not enjoy your time when you see your guests not enjoying it.
After Chrismas cleaning is more simple
You also need to clean your house and return the things you cleared out for the holiday decor when Christmas is over. When you receive guests during the holidays, cleaning is a must. There is dust and dirt build-up during the Christmas season, and when you don’t have the chance to clean during the holidays, a post-Christmas cleaning is crucial.
There are many tasks that a homeowner must do in preparation for Christmas. Here are ideas on how to clean before Christmas.
Thorough Cleaning
When you need to clean your home to prepare for the coming holiday, you must guarantee a meticulous cleaning as much as possible.
You can also make a checklist to monitor the area you finished or see what place you further need to clean. Also, you need to remove the clutter and things you don’t want, not just in one room but for the whole house.
It will give you more space for Christmas decorations and give the area a refreshed look. Clean over and under as dust settles where you cannot see it.
Vacuum the rooms
It is crucial to include vacuuming for your pre-Christmas preparation, particularly the carpets. It is a fact that there is an amount of dirt you can find on your carpet, it is not important where it is located, but you need to vacuum each of the rugs in your home.
When you also have carpets installed in the bedroom, this is also the best time to ensure you include them in your vacuuming.
There are professional carpet cleaners if you like to have it handled well, but you can also DIY if you have the time and the tools for cleaning.
Cleaning windows
Even if you have all the inside of your home cleaned yet you leave the window cleaning for next year, it will negate that you cleaned the rest of the house. It is also essential to clean the windows, wash them, and remove the blemishes. Sparkling windows add to the refreshed look of the entire home and should always be included when you are going for a thoroughly cleaned house.
Keeping the furniture and appliances clean
Appliances need cleaning, such as fridges, ovens, stovetops, etc. When you want the entire house sparkly and clean, do not leave out these items cause cleaning will look half-baked if there are still smudges on your fridge, drippings on your stovetop, and food spillage in your oven. It would be better to have it cleaned after use so it is easier to remove the dirt, dust, and grime.
Furniture cleaning is also required. It is also the time to remove the smudges or stains on your couch, so it will look appealing if you have holiday visitors.
Bathroom cleaning
You always want to have a clean bathroom, so your guest will prefer to use a clean one. The bathroom will also be more in-use for Christmas, particularly if you have a planned get-together or reunion with your family. Scrub the floor and wipe the tiles entirely. Any stains need removing. Disinfection should follow.
Cleaning the entryway
It is where you can find clutter like shoes, old bags, umbrellas, or other items that people usually forget they left it there.
It can collect dust and dirt for months which requires vacuuming.
The door needs attention, too, since the grime and smudges stick to the frame, and each people who open the door may also leave their handprint all over.
Cleaning outside your home
It is not just the indoors that need cleaning but also the outdoors. When you remove clutter from your home, you must eliminate it from the garage, the driveway, garden, backyard, or even the porch.
If the outside of your home looks hideous, there is no way using numerous garlands and ornaments can cover it and make it appealing.
Home Disinfection
After you have cleaned the surface, scrub the floors, vacuum what you need to vacuum, and ensure that you have cleaned the entire house, you also need to sanitize the surfaces. Your guest will thank you if you eliminate lurking germs and bacteria effectively. It is also to keep you and your family safe and ready for the holidays.
Change the curtains
After cleaning the windows and sanitizing the entire house, it is now the best time to hang your crisp and clean curtains. It will enhance the home and holiday feel in your area. Curtain color is according to your preference, but most homeowners would prefer to have the color of Christmas when choosing their curtains.
Wipe the fine pottery and silver polishing
You may prepare your fine crockery and silver by washing them with liquid soap and a sponge. It is not advised to use harsh chemicals or scouring pads while cleaning your crockery, as it can dull the patterns and scratch the silvers. You can rinse everything in clean hot water and dry everything with a soft towel.
Prepare the Christmas tablecloth.
After their removal from storage or after washing, some tablecloth may look wrinkled and does not look appealing. You may need to iron your Christmas tablecloth before laying them out. It will look fantastic and well-thought.
Decorate the Christmas table
After laying out the Christmas table cloth, you may set it up for Christmas decor. The color scheme can impact as some colors are more striking than others. You may use silver and gold if you are going for the classy feel, while red and green are the usual color often used for the holidays.
There are other elements when creating the ideal Christmas table setting, such as the addition of placemats, centerpieces, and other small touches and decor.
Cutleries and plate sets are essential, and you should consider the color scheme also.
The Christmas table decoration can be a focal point of your home decoration. Other decorations you are planning for Christmas should follow.
Taking out the Christmas tree and other decors from storage
The Christmas tree is the best symbol that you are prepping up for the holidays, and it is exciting to bring it all out and hang ornaments where the whole family can enjoy seeing it. The lights, glass ball ornaments, garlands, and other holiday decors after removal from storage may not be as clean if you plan to use them as decors.
You must clean and polish every decoration you are planning to use and ensure to remove dust from each piece. It is a good thing if you have wrapped the ornaments to keep them safe from dust and dirt, but if that is not the case, you have to guarantee you clean them thoroughly before use.
Post-Christmas cleaning
Cleaning after the holidays requires patience and effort as well cause the same way you feel excited when cleaning before decorating for Christmas. You should also feel eager to clean up after.
It would be best if you focused on many things, and a checklist will also help this time. When you feel saddened that the feast is over and you need to say goodbye to the holidays, reclaim the excitement and find the will to move on and do the chores.
It can be an opportunity to clean the house and, at the same time, decorate it to welcome the coming year.
Here are ways how to clean after Christmas.
Remove all the ornaments and decor.
This is the time to clean the decorations before storage. Start with the Christmas tree and then check the rest of the ornaments. If the ornaments need dusting and wiping off, effectively clean them before storage.
Get a storage box to keep the Christmas decors and ornaments protected
When storing decorations, ensure you are keeping them in a box to keep them safe so you can still reuse them if you prefer. You may also safely wrap each of the ornaments to ensure they will keep their condition for the coming years.
Remove the Christmas lights.
Wrap the lights in a piece of cardboard or a rigid material before storage. It will ensure that the lights will not entangle and make it unusable next time around.
Vacuum the entire house
Vacuuming after the holidays is required, especially if you have visitors. The carpet will appear worn out if you don’t take care of it at the earliest time. People stepping on the rug can also leave stains and dirt, which you need to remove, or it will be harder to do so if you keep it there longer.
Toss out unwanted items
If you also have piles of gift boxes that you will not use and best to throw them away. These items will clutter your home and make it look untidy.
It is also required to remove leftover foods from the fridge and leave the foods you will still consume. Some prepared food during the holiday may not be as good if you plan on eating it for the days to come.
Remove linens, table cloth, and curtains for washing
Now that the holiday is over, it is also time to remove the Christmas table cloth and the curtains for washing. Linens need cleaning as it has accumulated dust and dirt during the past weeks. The curtains, table cloth, and linens will need a replacement for the coming weeks after the holidays.
Check what needs further cleaning.
You need to do a quick inventory and see what is left to do on your checklist. If you are post-Christmas cleaning indoors, warrant you are also doing it outdoors cause homeowners may be too busy during the holidays and forget to look at the backyard, the garden, and the garage that also demands cleaning.
There are various matters you need to consider before and after the holidays. Cleaning and decluttering are one of them. Finding the time to do what is required is the most important. It would help if you had the patience to push through with your plan of sanitizing your home. The rest is easy.
