With just over 2 weeks to go until Christmas, you may be wondering how you will fit it all in! With the shoping, decorating and parties there is little time left over for getting the house in shape ready for hoarders of visitors.
Learn to Love Lists
A gift list, card list, to-do list, baking list, parties and events list – you name it, if it happens in December put it on a list so that you can check it off and relieve stress as you go. Pop them on the fridge so everybody in the house is aware and can chip in to help where they can.
Clear Out & Donate
Especially if you have children, you will no doubt soon have an influx of items with nowhere to put them. Go through existing toys and clothes and figure out which need to go into storage and which should be donated.
Make a Big Welcome
Anyone who comes over to celebrate or drop in with gifts has to come in through your entry way, so make a good impression here and it’ll have a knock-on effect throughout your house. It doesn’t need to be clean enough to eat off, just neat and tidy, so even 5 minutes spare will do the trick. Remove all cobwebs with a flat mop or broom and quickly wipe down dusty surfaces on the door and any windowsills with an all-purpose cloth. For extra welcome, hang a wreath on the door by fixing the hook to the top of the inside of the door and attaching the wreath using a ribbon.
Be Strategic with Lighting
Use candles or Christmas lighting to highlight focal points inside and outside the home while taking attention away from the areas you want to disguise.
Pay Attention to Dining Areas
If you’re hosting a meal at Christmas time but are short on cleaning time, it makes sense to exert more of your effort on the area people will be spending the most time – the dining area. Whether it’s a formal dining room or an outdoor area, the biggest impact can be made if you work from the top down to catch all cobwebs with a broom or mop, clean all windows and glass doors and mop the floors. Bringing in greenery with a selection of pot plants outside or a bunch of fresh flowers inside can help to disguise any less than perfect areas.
Use Scent to Create the Christmas Mood
A harmonious Christmas is on everyone’s wish list, which is why calming scents like cinnamon and cloves are so popular at this time. Either is great to use in scented candles or in baking so the smells will waft throughout your home.
Bust into Bathrooms
Just like the entry to your home, the bathroom is probably one area of the house that everybody will pass through at some point in their visit. Make sure it passes the test by using an all purpose cleaning tool like the Vileda Bath Magic to tackle the shower, bath, tiles and glass at all once. Using the right equipment will mean the entire room can be done in the time it takes to bake a batch of Christmas cookies!
Wrap it Right
Eliminate last minute panic by wrapping each gift and writing out the tag as it is bought. This will stop prying eyes discovering their surprise early and makes sure you don’t run out of wrapping paper or tape at 11:55pm on the 24th! Many people struggle with making gifts look presentable when wrapping, but following a few pointers makes the job simple. The first tip is to only use as much wrapping paper as the gift needs and no more – extra paper results in extra bulk and makes the package look untidy. Double sided tape also ensures clean lines and, if your package still looks worse for wear, there’s nothing a bit of ribbon won’t fix!
Shop Smart – Shop Online!
If there was a perfect time to shop online, Christmas is it. With the crowds, limited parking spaces and the never ending carols playing over the loud speaker, it can actually make it more difficult to pick out that perfect gift. By heading online to places like eBay for great gift ideas like robot vacuum cleaners and dusting mops, you can enjoy taking the time to find the right gift from the comfort of your own home. Just make sure to get in early to give the gift plenty of time to arrive, otherwise that will be a tricky one to explain to the kids on Christmas morning!
Reference – http://www.helpmeclean.com.au/christmas-home-preparation-tips/
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