Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Original poster

Why do I need to clean under the beds for Christmas?

130 replies

LetterBug · 14/12/2021 22:44

I am so bad for this, every year I end up wasting the whole of December trying to make my life perfect by doing stupid things like cleaning under the beds and emptying and wiping the cupboards out instead of just enjoying Christmas with my family.
Is anyone else doing this?
what is it? it feels almost like I'm nesting but I'm preparing for the baby Jesus instead of my own baby Confused!!!!

OP posts:
DSGR · 14/12/2021 22:45

No, this is what I do in the summer not at Christmas!
Christmas is for films, family and food

Peanutmnm · 14/12/2021 22:46

No, you're right. You have to clean under the beds and empty out that cupboard filled with empty jars, wash it and completely rearrange where you put all the food. Ideally you'd do a big clear out of the freezer and wipe all the plug sockets.

For baby Jesus.

Ilikecheeseontoast · 14/12/2021 22:48

No I absolutely do not do this but my insane SIL and MIL do. They go on a cleaning g frenzy and get totally stressed by it all. They think I’m weird (or perhaps lazy?) because I don’t.

hivemindneeded · 14/12/2021 22:50

I do it. I deep clean about three times a year and by mid winter, there is thick dust behind furniture and under beds etc. I love the glow and fresh smell of a house that have been properly cleaned. And with bad weather and less ventilation it's nice for there to be less dust and fewer spiders and moths around.

Also, it is physically hard work at a time of year when I eat my body weight in chocolate and Stilton. Something has to burn it off.

Original poster
LetterBug · 14/12/2021 22:51

Ahh I'm not the only one. I definitely get stressed like your in laws. But I just would feel bad if santa saw my messy house!
even though by 6:47 am the house will be a tip on Christmas day anyway and I know it!

OP posts:
Hairyfriend · 14/12/2021 22:51

No,I don't do this at all! Do you work at other times and its the only time you feel you can do this? Why cant you clean under beds in general cleaning rather than over the Christmas period? Do you have any mental health or OCD tendencies?

Shehasadiamondinthesky · 14/12/2021 22:53

Its because you want everything to be "perfect" or you think christmas will be ruined.
Christmas is bollox in my humble opinion and I do very little cleaning in December.
I concentrate on actually seeing my friends and adult DS, lying about in my PJs and eating.
Life is too short for intensive cleaning in winter.

Nanalisa60 · 14/12/2021 22:58

I do a really deep clean but I do it in November so I can enjoy December!! Just start one one earlier next year so December can be a bit more relaxed.

Original poster
LetterBug · 14/12/2021 22:58

No I've been a sahm for years and I do clean under the beds and do the cupboards fairly regularly. Every few months. But December is hard hitting. everything has to be done.

OP posts:
Alicatz66 · 14/12/2021 23:01

Nah .. this is a new year thing .. ignore it now .. no one looks under beds .. ever .. go and get a Baileys .

SisyphusDad · 14/12/2021 23:04

WTAF! Beds have underneaths that need cleaning? Who knew?

ancientgran · 14/12/2021 23:04

No you have to do it after Boxing Day and have it all done for New Year, well that's what I was always told. I sort of gave up about 20 years ago.

It's about starting the New Year off with everything in good order.

CloverClove · 14/12/2021 23:08

I'm with you OP. Fond memories of my mother painting the downstairs loo and cleaning brasses on Christmas Eve. She wasn't particularly houseproud usually so it was quite amusing to watch and she fully admitted it was slightly mad Smile

DappyApple · 14/12/2021 23:36

I “used” to do this every bloody Christmas, I think it started as I would always do kids rooms Christmas Eve as if I did it any earlier they’d be a mess again before getting their new stuff on Christmas Day, but it wasn’t just a case of tidying and running the hoover round…it would be cleaned and sorted to an inch of its life!

Then as the the kids rooms had been done it followed to the rest of the house. I would spend the whole of Christmas Eve cleaning, tidying & sorting to extreme lengths (the bits no one could see!) as I loved going to sleep and waking up Christmas morning knowing every inch was spotless. I actually got quite obsessive with it!

I would still do this even if we weren’t going to be home for the day.🤔

Then a good few years ago…I saw fucking sense!
Realised that it didn’t actually matter, that I was creating extra stress for myself, knocking my pan out in the process and wasting all that time when I could put it to better use!

I remember the first year I didn’t do the “I’m on a mission” clean, I found myself justifying the reasons why I wasn’t doing it to Dh!
He never understood why I was so extreme with it in the first place and told me a quick clean and tidy was all it ever needed anyway!

My life is so much better for it now!

Scbchl · 14/12/2021 23:39

Yeah we always do it. Deep clean the oven and cupboards in kitchen. Under couches, get carpets cleaned, my husband decorated the bathroom and our bedroom last week as it needed it. Tidy out everyone's cupboards and drawers to make room for new things. Its something I have always done. My son has covid and we have to isolate so il be doing it all this weekend (I work from home during the week).

Babyghirl · 14/12/2021 23:46

I do this once a month 🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈 wood work and all gets it, but them I dust hoover and mop everyday even when I'm working all day dp on nights and no one else in the house.

Scbchl · 14/12/2021 23:49

Most people dust, hoover and mop every day do they not?

JurgensCakeBabyJesus · 15/12/2021 00:00

Get someone in to clean the oven and send the robot hoover under the beds, feet up, watch a film or go and do something festive

TeaAndBiscuitsAndWine · 15/12/2021 00:02

@Scbchl

Most people dust, hoover and mop every day do they not?
Hahahahaha! No they don’t! Not when they’re working 12+ hours a day and (outside of pandemic restrictions) have to commute for hours a day as well!
TeaAndBiscuitsAndWine · 15/12/2021 00:06

I am with @SisyphusDad and @JurgensCakeBabyJesus, if any ‘deep cleaning’ or such nonsense is done in my house, it’s done by the cleaner when I am not here (I will give up almost anything else before I give up my cleaner, and I say this having taken a significant financial hit of late)

Fontella · 15/12/2021 00:10

@LetterBug

I am so bad for this, every year I end up wasting the whole of December trying to make my life perfect by doing stupid things like cleaning under the beds and emptying and wiping the cupboards out instead of just enjoying Christmas with my family. Is anyone else doing this? what is it? it feels almost like I'm nesting but I'm preparing for the baby Jesus instead of my own baby Confused!!!!
To be honest, yes I do!

I always blitz clean the house for Christmas. In fact I've been doing just that today and will be continuing up until Christmas Eve (including a final run round with the hoover on Christmas morning). Confused

Also cleaned the oven/cooker within an inch of its life last weekend, and have my eye on the freezer and fridge as well before piling in all the Christmas goodies.

I just think there's something about having the place all lovely and clean and organised at Christmas.

The only other time I blitz clean is if I'm going on holiday. I always think if anything happened to me while I was away and people went into my house I wouldn't want them to find dust and shit under the beds or behind the furniture. The bonus is you come back off holiday and the place is spotless. Grin

Rest of the time I just flick an occasional duster around, hoover once a week and just keep on top of things. But Christmas and holidays bring out the Kim Woodburn in me.

FinallyHere · 15/12/2021 00:14

Is anyone else doing this?

Nope.

HTH.

We have a cleaner who has one hour a week to do 'one off' stuff. Anytime I notice dust anywhere in the house I don't think 'oh my goodness, I must get than clean'. Instead, my reaction is 'oh, I wonder when she will get round to doing that part'

It really is marvellous.

OnAWinterMorningFarAway · 15/12/2021 00:19

@Scbchl

Most people dust, hoover and mop every day do they not?
No.
Tinsellittis · 15/12/2021 00:20

@Scbchl

Most people dust, hoover and mop every day do they not?
Oh do behave
SpiderinaWingMirror · 15/12/2021 00:30

I had a conversation with a neighbour where she told me how often she wipes out cupboards. I couldn't join in cos she would have been horrified with my truthful answer which is when we move house.