There’s always that moment in late November when reality hits: Christmas is only a month away. Life is already busy enough – kids at school, long days at work, endless to-do lists – and somehow the house never quite stays tidy for more than five minutes. Cleaning slips down the list and, before you know it, things feel out of control.

Then you remember: the holidays are coming. Family and friends will be staying over, you’ll be cooking more, and suddenly every dust bunny and water mark starts to scream for attention.

The good news? You don’t need to deep-clean your whole home in one exhausting marathon. Our home cleaning experts have crafted this simple, realistic Christmas cleaning plan you can use to spread the work over the four weeks before Christmas, get your home guest-ready, and stay sane in the process.

Read also: 5 Things to Clean Before Christmas for a Stress-Free Holiday

Here’s how to do the Christmas cleaning of your home before the holidays without getting overwhelmed.

decluttering is the first stage of Christmas cleaning

Start smarter, not harder. Decluttering clears the space so your deep Christmas cleaning can actually happen.

Week 1: Clear the Clutter in the “Public” Areas

The goal of your first week is to make space so that the actual Christmas cleaning later on is easier and quicker. Before you reach for the mop and bucket, start with the stuff. Clutter makes every cleaning task take longer and feel more stressful, so this week, focus entirely on the areas your guests will actually see and use.

Focus on Key Home Areas 

  • Hallway/entrance: Put away shoes, coats, and bags that have accumulated near the door. Recycle old post and leaflets, and clear any surfaces where things just “land” when you walk in.
  • Living room: Tidy toys, games, magazines, and any random items into dedicated baskets or boxes. Clear coffee tables and side tables completely, and fold and store any extra blankets if they aren’t currently needed.
  • Kitchen surfaces: Clear your worktops as much as possible. A quick check of your fridge and cupboards should include throwing away any expired food. Tidy the cupboards that guests will use to grab mugs, glasses, or plates.

Check also: Green Cleaning Tips – Living Room

Prioritising Your Clutter Clear-Out 

Must-do:

  • Clear visible surfaces in the hallway, living room, and kitchen.
  • Create simple “homes” for everyday items (a basket for toys, a tray for keys and post).
  • Make some space in a wardrobe or drawer for guests to use.

Nice but not urgent:

  • Perfectly organising your own wardrobe by colour or season.
  • Rearranging every single kitchen cupboard – especially the ones guests will never see.
  • Sorting out the loft, garage, or storage unit.

Read also: 30 + Things You Need to Throw Away Before Spring Cleaning the House

With the initial clear-out done, you can then maintain the order over the month.

If you are hosting a Christmas diner your kitchen will see a lot of action, so it is wise to prepare it for the holidays.

Week 2: Deep Clean the Kitchen & Bathrooms

The goal of Week 2 is to tackle the most used, most visible, and often most stressful areas before guests arrive. The kitchen and bathrooms are where guests really notice the difference between a “quick tidy” and a “proper clean,” so this is the week to roll up your sleeves – or let a professional do this stage of the Christmas cleaning for you.

Kitchen Deep Clean Checklist:

Check also: How to Clean Your Kitchen Like a Pro: A Step-by-Step Room Breakdown

Bathroom Deep Clean Checklist:

  • Toilets: Clean inside the bowl, under the rim, the seat, and the base and make sure to remove limescale.
  • Sink & taps: Remove limescale, water marks, and toothpaste splashes.
  • Shower/bath: Scrub tiles and grout, and descale the shower screen and shower head.
  • Floors: Vacuum and mop thoroughly.
  • Textiles: Wash bathmats and towels.

Read also: The Ultimate Bathroom Cleaning Guide: Sparkle from Sink to Shower

Prioritising Kitchen and Bathroom Tasks:

Must-do:

  • Oven and hob (especially if you’re hosting Christmas dinner).
  • Fridge shelves and door seals.
  • Toilets, sinks, showers and baths.
  • Rubbish and recycling areas.

Nice but not urgent:

  • Deep cleaning every kitchen cupboard inside.
  • Perfectly organising your “junk drawer.”
  • Re-siliconing the bath if it is not currently mouldy or leaking.

If you don’t have the time, products, or energy for the heavy jobs, this is a great moment to bring in professionals for heavy chores like oven cleaning, a kitchen deep clean, or bathroom descaling and limescale removal. You’ll start Week 3 with the most challenging Christmas cleaning tasks already done.

Read also: Why Deep Cleaning Matters More During Flu Season

Make sure your sofa is spotless especially if it doubles as a guest bed. Image by senivpetro

Week 3: Floors, Carpets, Sofas & Guest Spaces

The goal of week 3 of our Christmas cleaning  plan is to make the whole home feel fresher, cleaner, and more comfortable. With clutter under control and kitchens and bathrooms deep-cleaned, you can now focus on the things that make your home feel either cosy and fresh or dusty and tired.

Whole House: Floors and Soft Furnishings

  • Vacuum thoroughly throughout the house, including skirting boards, corners, and under furniture where you can reach safely.
  • Mop hard floors – especially the hallway, kitchen, and bathroom.
  • Carpets and rugs: Vacuum slowly to lift as much dust as possible, and spot-treat stains. Consider professional carpet cleaning for a deep refreshing and allergen removal.
  • Sofas and armchairs: Vacuum the cushions and under the furniture. Spot-clean any visible marks. Wash throws and cushion covers if their labels allow.

Check also: How to Properly Clean a Fabric Couch

Guest Bedroom and Sleeping Areas

  • Declutter surfaces – bedside tables, chest of drawers, etc
  • Wipe furniture, handles, and light switches.
  • Freshen the mattress: sprinkle bicarbonate of soda, leave, then vacuum. Check this post for more mattress cleaning tips.
  • Clear some hanging space and a drawer for your guests.
  • Check that any sofa bed or fold-out bed is clean and functioning properly.

Read also: How to Clean and Maintain Your Sofa Bed and Extend Its Lifespan

Prioritising Soft Furnishings and Guest Prep:

Must-do:

  • Thorough vacuuming in all rooms, especially high-traffic areas.
  • Mop hard floors.
  • Basic cleaning and freshening of any room where guests will sleep.
  • Making sure there’s somewhere for guests to put their clothes and luggage.

Check also: How to Keep Upholstery Stain and Odour-Free

Nice but not urgent:

  • Washing curtains in every room.
  • Moving every heavy piece of furniture if it is hard or unsafe to do alone.
  • Reorganising bookshelves purely for looks.

Read also: How to Remove Stubborn Pet Hair From Carpets

If you’ve got children or pets, this is also the perfect time to consider professional carpet and upholstery cleaning, as it refreshes the whole house and helps remove allergens before your guests arrive.

The fourth and final week of our Christmas cleaning plan is reserved for the most enjoyable reward: festive decorations and those essential last-minute welcoming touches.

Week 4: Final Refresh, Beds & Festive Touches

By now, you’ve done the hard work. The goal for the last week before Christmas should be light maintenance and cosy finishing touches, not another full deep clean. Focus on refreshing what you’ve already done and making the house feel welcoming and festive.

Final Refresh Checklist:

  • Quick dust & vacuum in the hallway, living room, kitchen, bathrooms, and guest bedroom.
  • Change bed linens for all guest beds and your own.
  • Towels: Put out fresh towels and a spare set for guests.
  • Mirrors and glass: Clean mirrors in bathrooms and the hallway, and wipe any noticeably smudged glass doors or picture frames.
  • Bins: Empty all bins, and clean the bin lids and the area around them.

Read also: 4 Easy and Efficient Tactics for Deep Cleaning a Small Apartment

Cosy Festive Touches That Make a Big Difference:

  • Add a few candles (real or LED) in the living room.
  • Place a small basket of travel-sized toiletries in the guest bathroom.
  • Lay out an extra blanket at the end of the guest bed.
  • Add a small vase of flowers or a simple decoration to the dining table.
  • Put a couple of magazines or books in the guest room.

Prioritising the Final Push (for your sanity list):

Must-do:

  • Fresh bed linens and towels for guests.
  • Quick bathroom spruce-up the day before guests arrive.
  • Clear, tidy kitchen worktops.
  • One last general tidy and vacuum.

Nice but not urgent:

  • Perfectly organising kids’ toys into labelled boxes.
  • Repainting scuffed walls.
  • Deep cleaning rooms nobody will step into over the holidays.

Check also: 5 Easy 15 Minute Clean Ups for Your Home

Relax! To your guests, clean towels are infinitely more important than the temporary state of your kids’ messy bedroom.

What Your Guests Actually Notice (and What They Don’t)

When you start cleaning, it’s easy to get stuck on things that bother you, but your guests will probably never notice. Here’s a quick reality check to help you prioritise.

Guests usually notice:

  • A clean bathroom and fresh towels.
  • Fresh, nice-smelling bed linen.
  • A reasonably tidy living room where they can sit and relax.
  • A kitchen that looks clean and doesn’t smell of old food.
  • General order – no piles of dirty dishes, overflowing bins, or obvious dust.

Guests usually don’t notice:

  • Whether your wardrobe is organised by colour and season.
  • If you’ve finally sorted out that drawer of old cables.
  • How perfectly neat your airing cupboard is.
  • Whether every toy is in its exact “correct” box.

If a task won’t affect your guests’ comfort (nor yours!) during their visit, it can wait until after the holidays.

Read also: How to Have an Environmentally Friendly Christmas This Year?

By adopting these light, daily cleanup tips, you can effortlessly maintain and prolong the impressive results of your recent Christmas cleaning.

Small Daily Habits to Keep the Results of the Deep Christmas Cleaning

To stop everything from unravelling in the last few days before Christmas, try introducing a few tiny habits into your routine. A little bit every day makes a huge difference to your home’s overall feel.

  • Do a ten-minute family tidy-up every evening – toys away, cushions straight, surfaces cleared.
  • Wipe the bathroom sink and tap once a day.
  • Clear and wipe kitchen worktops every night.
  • Put a basket on the stairs for “things going up” and empty it once a day.
  • Start the dishwasher before bed, so you always wake up to a clear sink.

Read also: 4 Simple Ways to Keep Your Home Clean and Tidy

Don’t have time for deep home cleaning? Let The Happy House Cleaning take care of it!

Need a Hand? Let The Happy House Cleaning Help

If this all sounds good, but you’re still thinking, “I don’t have time for this!”, you’re not alone. The run-up to Christmas is busy for everyone.

At The Happy House Cleaning in London, we can help you with:

You don’t have to do everything yourself to have a clean, cosy, guest-ready home. With a simple week-by-week plan – and a bit of help where you need it – you can welcome your family and friends at Christmas without feeling overwhelmed.