You’ll be forgiven for shrinking in horror at the sight of this title. But trust us, you’ll also be grateful for preparing for the big post-Christmas clean-up well in advance. So make sure you have everything you need before the big day with the family.
With the right system, cleaning up after Christmas can be a simple, stress-free and hopefully quick exercise!
Get Ready for Epic Waste Disposal
Let’s face it, Christmas generates a lot of packaging waste from all those presents you’ll be unwrapping and the packaging that will be emerging from your kitchen.
There will also be compost waste from the epic meals, and the foodie treats you’ll be consuming.
Essential tip: make sure you create as much capacity for waste disposal as possible
- Stock up on bin bags: you’ll need a lot of bin bags for recyclables and composted food items
- Ensure all your house waste bins have been thoroughly emptied for the last garbage collection date. Ensure as much waste as possible will be disposed of before Christmas day
- If any large or heavy waste items like cardboard boxes or glass bottles must be sent to the Bring Centre, ensure you have disposed of them before the big day. For example, get rid of any accumulating waste glass bottles in the bottle bank
- Clear some space in your shed or garage, if you have one, as backup waste disposal space for any recyclable dry waste
- Have a box on standby for donations. There’ll be an excellent case to remove any old clothes or items to make way for new things if you can do it before the big day to make room in your cupboards. This will also be an opportunity to send toys to charity. Drop these off quickly to make space for a less cluttered home
- Have a storage box ready if you want to store items for the dreaded re-gifting. But a word of caution first: label the items, so you‘ll remember where the gift came from - You don't want the commit the heinous crime of regifting back to the giver
Remember, the post-Christmas period is an excellent time for finally getting rid of clutter and unwanted items.
Get Ready for Epic Laundry
- Make sure you’ve done as much laundry as possible before the big day to have an empty laundry basket ready and waiting. Then, when the celebrations begin, that laundry basket will fill up fast with tea towels, napkins and cleaning rags
- Put away everything and get rid of the ironing, especially if any Christmas outfits need doing. It’s the last thing you’ll want to worry about on Christmas morning
- After the big day - have a spot to hang anything that needs dry cleaning so you can make one big trip to the dry cleaner without forgetting anything
Get Cleaning As You Go On The Day
Cleaning as you go will be your best safeguard against a messy post-Christmas clean-up. So here are some ways to fend off a pile-up of work at the end of the day and prepare in advance.
- Invest in Christmas sacks or large baskets for stowing away Christmas presents once unwrapped so they’re not cluttering up your living room
- Have a bin bag ready when it’s gifting time so you can clear the rubbish as quickly as possible
- Have the bathrooms cleaner ready and do a quick wipe-down at intervals
- Ensure your dishwasher is emptied the night before or before you start working on the Christmas meal. This means you can stow away more dirty dishes out of sight
- Go into each room and declutter at the end of every day or at regular intervals. It just means you’ll feel less stressed each morning when you want to relax and rest after such a hectic week
Get Into the Corners
Once Christmas is over, a more thorough than usual cleanup session will be needed when it comes to your floors. The sheer traffic of multiple guests and visitors will result in a floor crying out for some love.
- Make sure you dust off corners from the top down, starting with removing debris from shelves, then surfaces, and then checking floors
- Stock up on plenty of floor cleaner and vacuum cleaner bags if needed, and invest in some carpet cleaner too
- Give your floors a hot steamy mop and lay on the carpet freshener when cleaning the carpet
- Check underneath furniture and carpets. Check-in every nook and cranny as a busy house filled with food will inevitably lead to spills, food debris and sweet wrappers in the most unlikely places
- Check your soft furnishings for stains as soon as possible, as this may need quick action before anything sets—stock up on a steam cleaner and stain-removing solutions
Get Ready For Ongoing Oven Action
Prepare for this epic day in the kitchen by
- Clean out as much of the accumulated grease and char from inside your oven. It means you won’t have a smoky kitchen when the intense roasting and baking begins
- Give the extractor filters a good clean too
You’ll want to give that oven and stove a quick wipe down at the end of the Christmas celebrations.
Later in the week, it may be worth stocking up on oven cleaner. But first, give it a proper clean, given the volume of roasting and cooking.
Get Deep Into The Fridge & Freezer
A big declutter of your fridge and freezer is in order post-Christmas.
It is worth keeping that fridge in good nick, and the freezer defrosted regularly during rising energy prices. You will be wasting less electricity when there is good airflow within.
- Start by eliminating out-of-date food and recycling leftovers and ingredients creatively to free up space quickly
- Clean up any stinky spills in your fridge and freezer before they become a health hazard
- Defrost the freezer to create more space
- Make sure you’ve stocked up on plastic containers, bowl coverings/lids and cling film or freezer bags so you have all these at hand when stowing away Christmas dinner leftovers
- Re-label any items you decide to keep, especially if marked in non-descript Tupperware or wrapped in clingfilm for the freezer
Get the Speakers On!
Don’t forget clean-up time doesn’t have to be drudgery. Make the time go by faster!
Put on your favourite upbeat go-to album and crank up the volume whilst you work. It could even be audible or a podcast.
Get the Professionals In
If you have any budget for this - it would be the best time to indulge in professional cleaners. Do book them in advance.
It may also be the perfect prelude to your annual spring clean, too—nothing like starting the year with a fresh new clean home.
Got Any Christmas Clean Up Ideas?
What is your post-Christmas clean-up routine?
Fancy sharing them with us! Send us a handy pic on Facebook and Instagram to share your handiwork.