Christmas cleaning checklist

It's that time of the year again when a sweet, tingling excitement meets with nerve-wracking anxiety as we are rushing around to get everything done.

Searching for gifts for friends and family, thinking of the perfect decoration to create that Christmas feel at home, or planning an unforgettable holiday celebration – it happens every year. Still, we never seem to learn to get it all done early enough.

You probably stress about home cleaning among the million things you need to take care of during the upcoming holiday season. Cleaning during the busiest time of the year may be overwhelming, but we have some super good tips – and a practical checklist – to lessen your worries and put you at ease.

Before you start your Christmas cleaning

Before you jump onto it and take the bull by the horns, we recommend you do a quick walkthrough around your home and take note of what needs to be done in each area of your apartment or house.

Doing this will make cleaning much easier, faster and less stressful. There's no need to waste time guessing on what to do since you already know what to tackle.

If you are as lucky as Santa and have a team of helpers, you can also list and assign certain chores to each family member.

Now, take our advice. Instead of doing all the cleaning in one day, spread out the cleaning process for several days. Following our Christmas cleaning checklist will help you make your cleaning more organised and efficient at the same time while allowing you to perfectly fit in the unwanted cleaning tasks in your busy schedule.

Declutter your household

After listing down the chores and tasks that need to be done; the next step is to put everything that is floating around back in its place. Getting rooms organised beforehand will speed up the cleaning process as you don't waste time rearranging items or moving things from one place to another.

By organising your home, you might even take it to the next level and clear things out. Christmas is the best time of the year to collect everything that you've purchased and never used or things that you no longer use but are decent enough not to be thrown away and can bring joy to somebody less fortunate than you.

Cleaning is already enough of a chore, but having to clean around things you have zero emotional attachment to or even strongly dislike, makes cleaning the house much more stressful.

You'll be surprised how a clean-out can give your house a refreshing look. Doing this will let you enter New Year with a clutter-free house.

Sounds good, doesn't it?

Christmas cleaning tips and checklist

Cleaning your home for the holidays can be done with just a little bit of time each day, or if you want to tackle it all at once, plan one or two power cleaning days.

We recommend spending a few days deep cleaning, and then in the days leading up to Christmas focusing on maintaining a neat and tidy space for when the guests arrive.

The Christmas cleaning checklist has you working backward; cleaning those areas that guests will use only first. If you have a spare room(s) in your home and plan to have guests stay over, start your holiday preparations from there.

Cleaning the guest bedrooms & baths

• Wash windows/mirror surfaces
• Vacuum/sweep and dust rooms thoroughly
• Scrub shower/tub, toilet, sinks, countertops, and polish faucets
• Wash and change linens, rugs, and towels
• Clean the mattress or mattress cover if needed
• Make the bed and cover it with a bedspread to keep it tidy
• Put together a guest basket with hygiene essentials
• Add a touch of holiday decor with seasonal candles
• Check and replace burnt-out light bulbs
• Wash floors (where not covered with carpet)

Once clean, close the door and don't allow family into or to use these rooms. If you don't have a bedroom that guests will use exclusively, clean those rooms closer to when guests arrive to ensure they remain clean.

Cleaning the bedrooms

• Wash windows/mirror surfaces
• Pick up clutter, books, and clothes
• Vacuum/sweep and dust rooms thoroughly
• Wash and change linens
• Straighten drawers, bookshelves, and closets
• Freshen rooms with some candles and essential oils
• Wash floors (where not covered with carpet)

Cleaning the bathrooms

• Wash windows/mirror surfaces
• Vacuum/sweep and dust rooms thoroughly
• Scrub shower/tub, toilet, sinks, countertops, and polish faucets
• Clean out the medicine cabinet
• Wash shower curtains and bath rugs
• Wash and change towels, and put out towels for your guests to use
• Stock bathrooms with extra supplies of toilet paper, soap, etc.
• Add a few holiday decor items
• Wash floors

Cleaning the living areas

• Wash windows/mirror surfaces
• Pick up clutter, toys, books, magazines, etc.
• Clean out the fireplace (if you have one), and decorate with seasonal decor
• Vacuum/sweep and dust rooms thoroughly, including carpets
• Dust and polish all wood furniture
• Wash/dust blinds and baseboards and polish tables
• Vacuum upholstered furniture, cushions, and drapes
• Wash blankets and throws
• Wash floors

Cleaning the kitchen

• Wash windows/mirror surfaces
• Declutter counters and cupboards
• Vacuum/sweep and dust room thoroughly, including drawers and cupboards
• Wipe down outside of cupboards
• Clean out the refrigerator and freezer
• Clean stove and oven, including stove top and oven door
• Wash/wipe down tables and chairs
• Wipe and clean kitchen appliances
• Clean and polish silverware to make your Christmas meal more special
• Wash floors

Cleaning the entryway

• Wash windows/mirror surfaces
• Wash down the front door, walls, and baseboards
• Pick up clutter, shoes, coats, backpacks, etc.
• Vacuum/sweep and dust room thoroughly
• Vacuum/sweep doormats
• Straighten closets and make room for guests' coats
• Wash floors

Have fun using the checklist, and decide what's best for yourself – clean the whole house top to bottom in one swoop or spread the rooms on several days.

Once clean, try to keep the family out of the areas they must not use. You'll likely need to do a little sprucing up in the rooms that get regular use before guests arrive.

Book your holiday cleaning early

If you get too busy or just don't want to do it yourself, hire experts to make your home sparkling clean and ready for the holiday season. When else, if not Christmas, is the time to make yourself a gift?

Make sure to schedule ahead since the holiday season is also busy for cleaners as orders are up. Having cleaners do a thorough clean in your house will not only lessen your stress but also give you more time to take care of other Christmas preparations you are planning.