Winter is often a time of togetherness, with Christmas and New Year celebrations heralding the arrival of family and friends.
But, if you’re not prepared for lots of guests in your home, this season can also be a stressful time, filled with endless winter cleaning and organising. So, when you do have time to relax, you should be able to get cosy on the sofa with a book or film, not spend the time worrying about mess or clutter.
To help keep your home looking lovely this winter, we’ve put together a helpful home cleaning checklist. Follow our winter cleaning hacks so you can put your to-do list away and enjoy all the parties, gatherings and cosy nights in to the fullest!
Winter cleaning in the kitchen
Truly the heart of the home during the winter months, your kitchen is likely to become a hub of activity as the weather gets colder – especially once the festive celebrations get under way.
There’s nothing better than preparing and enjoying your favourite warm comfort foods when the weather outside consists only of rain and snow! But eating cookies fresh from the oven or making some homemade soup is a lot easier when you’re working with a clean oven and hob.
Washing your hob, cooking racks and the inside of your oven will make all of your winter cooking so much easier and more hygienic. Ensure that the outside of your oven is as sparkling as the inside, clean out your fridge/freezer and wipe down surfaces to create a truly tranquil, calm space to enjoy some festive cooking and baking.
Ahead of Christmas, cleaning your utensils and organising the ingredients in your kitchen cupboards and drawers will make cooking the Christmas Dinner much easier!
Christmas cleaning in the living room
Your living room is the perfect place to curl up with a good book, enjoy a film night with friends or host some Christmas drinks. Making sure it’s clean and tidy will help you to relax and enjoy.
Give your TV a gentle wipe to rid the screen of any dust, giving everyone the best viewing experience of the best Christmas films. If you have a fitted media wall, now is the perfect time to organise the shelving and dust off any ornaments or photographs you have on display.
Large, soft rugs are great for curating that cosy feel within your home during the winter months, but they can also accumulate dirt over time. Make sure to hoover any rugs or deep-pile carpets and sweep any wooden flooring before guests come over. After all, the feeling of a fluffy rug has never felt better than when the snow is falling outside.
If you live in an older property with a fireplace, it’s important to clean it regularly after use. Soot and dirt will gather in the chimney and hearth, so hiring a chimney-cleaning company or sweeping your fireplaces is essential before the chill of the winter months sets in. Lighting a warming fire will make your home feel even more cosy and is a lovely way to welcome in guests!
Store anything that you don’t use every day inside clever furnishings, such as hollow coffee tables, hidden under-floor storage and stylish fitted furniture. Finally, finish your Christmas cleaning schedule by lighting a candle or two and allowing the aroma of your freshly baked winter treats to float through from the kitchen.
Winter cleaning in the bedroom
Your bed will likely become a haven during the winter months, as the nights get longer and the weather more forbidding. Start your winter house cleaning by making sure you wash your bedding regularly. This will keep your bed feeling fresh and prepare you for long, winter nights curled up with a good book or podcast.
You might also want to add some extra blankets or a hot water bottle to your bed, to keep warm as the temperature begins to drop – don’t forget to add washing any extra throws and hot water bottle covers to your winter cleaning checklist.
Organising your wardrobe is another essential task to tick off the list before winter sets in. Give your wardrobe interior a quick dust to make sure everything inside stays clean and ready-to-wear. If you have lots of clothes, shoes and accessories, you might want to think about selling or donating some of the items you don’t wear very often. This is also a great way to make room for brand-new Christmas gifts or winter sales purchases!
Once you’ve sorted your clothes, create an organisational system that works for you to make sure everything stays neat and tidy.
If you have a fitted bedroom, you might want to use this time to organise the corresponding drawers, shelving and other storage solutions found within your room, making sure everything works perfectly for you.
Cleaning for Christmas guests in the bathroom
Often the room people dislike cleaning the most, making sure your bathroom stays sparkling can sometimes feel like the worst task.
We recommend breaking the room down into manageable sections – tackle the toilet and sink area one day, then move onto the floor and shower or bath the next.
When it comes to the winter months, your shower and bathtub are the areas to concentrate your attention on. Nothing helps beat the winter chill better than a long, hot shower or a lovely bubble bath. Keeping your bath and shower clean doesn’t need to be a difficult task – simply wipe down any glass surfaces regularly to prevent water spots and wash out the inside of your bathtub with your chosen bubble bath after each use.
When cleaning for Christmas guests visiting, a good place to start is with the mirror – making sure it’s free of water spots, toothpaste and dust!
Christmas cleaning in the home office
The festive season is not the best time to be thinking about work, so it’s essential to add home office organisation to your winter cleaning checklist.
Fitted bookshelves and cupboards will help you keep paperwork, files and folders in their rightful place, while a smart desk with added shelving will give you somewhere to store your laptop, work bag and more.
Make sure to dust your desk and hoover any carpets before you break for the Christmas period, so that your home office is perfectly clean and ready to go in January.
Winter cleaning hacks for the hallway
Although it’s first the first room many of us see when we open the door, the hallway is often neglected when it comes to organisation and storage opportunities.
Transform your hallway into a clean, welcoming space with clever under-stair storage to keep coats, shoes, bags, hats and tidy and safe. A subtle coat rack will give you somewhere to hang guests’ coats when they come to visit, while a fitted cupboard under the stairs can also double as a great hiding spot for presents come Christmas.
Contact us
Do you have any questions about our quality range of sliding door and hinged wardrobes? Contact our dedicated team today to discover the right storage solution for you.
