Do you want to have a sparkling clean home for the holidays? Try this 7-day Christmas cleaning challenge to get your home guest-ready for the holiday season.
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The holiday season is upon us, and before we know it our days will be filled with all the fun festivities. As you know, this time of the year can get crazy busy with holiday parties, school activities, work functions, and everything in between.
And, of course, we want to be able to find time to enjoy all the holiday traditions, like watching cozy Christmas movies while enjoying some delicious treats, cookies, and hot cocoa.
What we don’t want to do, is spend all our free time cleaning to get our home ready for the holidays. But, if you have guests coming over for a holiday dinner or for a Christmas visit, then having a clean and tidy home is important. So, the goal is to find ways to achieve this without sacrificing too much of our time this holiday season.
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How to Clean for the Holidays
When it comes to cleaning for Christmas there are a few ways to approach it. You may opt for the quick holiday speed cleaning. This can come in really handy if you are short on time and need your home cleaned fast because you have company on their way over.
The second way is to use a holiday cleaning checklist, which tells you the areas of your home that you should concentrate on so you can get your cleaning done early so you can enjoy the fun holiday activities instead.
Although both of these ways of cleaning will get your home clean for Christmas, sometimes you may need a little more motivation especially because there are so many distractions.
That is why I decided to create this 7-day Christmas Cleaning Challenge, just in case you need that little extra bit of encouragement this holiday season.
The best part of this Christmas cleaning challenge is that you can do it anytime in the month of December. If you have guests coming for Christmas, plan to use this challenge the week before they arrive. Or, if you just want your home sparkling for Christmas day so you can focus on Christmas morning breakfast, or making the appetizers, side dishes, and desserts you need to make for Christmas dinner, then using it the week before Christmas would be ideal.
Christmas Cleaning Tips
Before you get started on this 7-day Christmas cleaning challenge, there are a few things that you can do to ensure success:
Gather your cleaning supplies
The first thing I like to do when I start cleaning my home, whether it be a daily or a monthly clean, is to gather my cleaning supplies. This way I know exactly what I have on hand and what I need to buy to make the job easier.
Here are a few cleaning supplies I like to keep in my cleaning caddy:
- Microfiber cloths
- All-purpose cleaner
- Furniture polish
- Duster with handle extender
- Anti-bacterial wipes
Pick up any clutter
The next thing I like to do is to walk from room to room and gather any clutter that needs to be picked up. You can put things away as you go or you can put things in a basket to take care of at a later time. (this is a great job for the family to help with).
Remember it doesn’t have to be perfect. The goal is to make sure all the visible clutter is taken care of. You can wait until after the holidays to start that decluttering challenge to get your entire home decluttered in the New Year.
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Print Your Free 7-Day Christmas Cleaning Challenge Printable
Lastly, print out your free 7-day Christmas cleaning challenge printable and stick it to your fridge so you can stay on task to complete the challenge.
7 Day Christmas Cleaning Challenge
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7-Day Christmas Cleaning Challenge
This 7-day Christmas cleaning challenge will help you focus on the most important areas of your home so it will be ready for your holiday guests. Although there are some deep cleaning tasks, you won’t be doing a complete deep cleaning of your home. The goal is to get your home sparkling clean but in a more manageable way so you can spend more time enjoying the holiday festivities.
However, if you are interested in doing a complete deep clean for the month of December, you can start my 30-day deep cleaning challenge here.
Are you ready to start this 7-day Christmas cleaning challenge?
Day 1
Bedrooms (and Guestroom)
If your guests are planning to stay the night, spend some time getting the bedrooms/guest room ready so they have a more comfortable stay.
- Wash bedding
- Dust surfaces
- Sweep or vacuum floors
Day 2
Livingroom
Start by dusting all your surfaces so that all the dust falls to the floor when you are ready to vacuum. You can also spot-treat any carpet stains on carpets or area rugs.
- Dust surfaces
- Wash throws, pillows
- Vacuum cushions
- Sweep or vacuum floors
Day 3
Bathroom
Spend some time in the bathroom, cleaning counters, the shower, and the toilet. Keep in mind if you don’t use a daily or weekly cleaning routine, then you may have to do a quick wipe of the counters, sink, and toilet on the last day as well.
- Dust surfaces
- Clean toilet
- Clean bathtub/shower
- Wipe mirrors
Related: How to Clean Your Bathroom in 5 Minutes
Day 4
Kitchen
It’s all about the holiday cooking and baking this time of year, so it’s inevitable that your stove/oven will need a good deep clean before guests arrive. Also, make sure to wipe down your kitchen/dining room set to get it ready for your holiday feast.
- Clean oven, stovetop, and microwave
- Dust surfaces
- Wipe down the table and chairs
Recommended:10 Minute Kitchen Cleaning Checklist
Day 5
Kitchen
Since there are so many areas to clean in the kitchen, I decided to split it into 2 days. On day 5, we will focus on deep cleaning our refrigerator. We need to make space for all of our holiday recipes and leftovers so spend some time getting rid of anything that has expired or you know won’t get eaten and then wipe everything down.
- Clean fridge and freezer
- Wipe counters/front of cabinets
- Clean small appliances
Day 6
Mudroom/ Entryway/ Closet
The entryway/mudroom is the first place that guests will see when they enter your home, so it should be one of the last things you clean before your guests arrive (which is why I saved it for Day 6). This way it’s still clean and tidy for their arrival.
- Tidy shoes/boots/coats
- Wipe down doors
- Sweep doormat/vacuum rugs
- Make room for guest’s coats
Day 7
Last-minute catch-all day
Spend this last day, catching up on any cleaning tasks you didn’t get to finish during the week. You can also focus on any last-minute tasks that you need to complete such as emptying the dishwasher, polishing silverware, or washing holiday table linens.
- Take out garbage
- Put out clean hand towels in the bathroom
- Mop floors
- Quick vacuuming throughout the house (if needed)
- Touch up any areas that need it (bathroom mirrors, etc.)
Hopefully, this 7-day Christmas cleaning challenge will help you avoid feeling overwhelmed when it comes to your holiday cleaning this year. Although Christmas can be a magical time for many, it can also come with added stress from holiday decorating, shopping for the perfect gifts, and juggling everything else that needs to be done.
My hope is that this Christmas cleaning challenge helps you get your necessary cleaning done quickly so you can spend more time with your family enjoying the holiday season.
Are you looking for ways to keep your home consistently clean?
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