Is your kitchen as clean as possible ahead of Xmas?

Nope. It's about to be battered for three days solid, I'll clean it at the weekend.

I deep clean my house once a week anyway every Saturday. Just moved it to a different day this week.

A deep clean seems to have been what my mother regarded as a clean. Dusting skirting boards. Sweeping into corners, Moving lightweight furniture.

Not the “quick going over” that most of us pass off as cleaning nowadays.

I have never ever cleaned my oven or degreased the door. It’s clean enough and with the time saved I live my life and have fun

I’d suggest if you find the thought of your own children finding something ‘messy’ unbearable then you may need some anxiety help

The day that men start threads like this is the day I will worry about the state of a kitchen.

I was in the middle of vacuuming and washing the floor in the sitting area off our kitchen earlier when DS (aged 23) asked me if I wanted to go for a walk with him. Which never happens. So I wasn’t turning that opportunity down. Had a nice walk and finished the floors when I came back.

And DH was cooking a lamb stew for dinner and has splashed all over the cooker I cleaned before lunch! Oh well. At least I know I was clean at one point today!

No. Its awful. Laundry drying everywhere, including on radiators. School books on table.
Surplus Xmas food on work surface. Trying to chip away at it but my teens don't help and I'm working tomorrow.
We don't have guests though so it can remain messy for a few days.

Oven and hob are clean. Floor hoovered and mopped
Cleaned and buffed sink etc
Worktops clean
Clean enough for me.
I've never " deep cleaned anything"
Still wouldn't if the queen was visiting

I am normally the same as you, OP – I get really stressed about everything being spick and span before guests come, particularly my parents who are so fastidiously tidy their house is like a show home. But in October we got a Golden Retriever puppy and between the balls of floof, the mud she treads in from the garden and chew toys strewn everywhere, this year I really don't care and it feels lovely to be relaxed about it! I will deep clean the bathroom and whip the hoover round downstairs but beyond that everyone can take us as they find us.

If it helps, I can relate to the need for things to be 'right' before I can relax. It's got better as I've practiced doing nice things I want to do even when everything isn't exactly the way I'd prefer it to be.

My exH has no memories of his parents playing with him or cuddling him or much at all. All he remembers is his dad working and his Mom cleaning. I think that’s sad.

Go and soend Some time with your kids OP.

I'm with your DH, I'm afraid. You sound very obsessive to me.

i want to see a picture of this kitchen!

My kitchen could do with a clean. Anyone who can't rest until it's spotless are welcome. Will provide beverages and cleaning equipment.

My MIL was like you.

Her kids used to ask her to spend time with them over Christmas but she preferred cleaning,

It was much more important to her to have clean house and "perfect" food than spend time with family,

Cleaners done hoovering and beds. Just done deeper clean of kitchen and oven whilst listening to Christmas related podcast. Now feel quite smug so not entirely unenjoyable. Have teens though so no one else wanting attention!

I was feeling 'blessed' yesterday that I could wallow on the sofa mumsnetting while DH was thoroughly hoovering the whole house. I think he feels more like you.

Also cleaner in today who leaves kitchen spotless - so hopefully all good when I get in from work.

Nope. No special clean going on here. I am chilling now. I am early 50s and used to run myself ragged with it all.

I am looking forward to making a couple of Delia's yule logs tomorrow and then I will put my feet up.

Mine is at normal clean. I feel absolutely no need to do a deep clean in the two days before Christmas. People who care can go and do their own Christmas.

I agree with your husband.

Some of my childhood christmas memories are of sitting with my Dad and siblings watching a movie on Christmas eve, whilst my Mother scrubbed (by hand) the kitchen floor.

It made me sad at the time, that she had chosen that, to be her priority

I was going to proudly say yes, but having read your full post, I'm thinking that by your standards... no. I am very much not a clean freak

I never clean my kitchen floor if we are having guests because a) no one notices and b) it's always muckier afterwards due to cooking and dogs and guests.

And I didn't even clean my fridge before I put the ocado order away. I might be a bit slovenly, but really OP no one is going to notice your cooker.

It looks pretty spotless but I usually ignore the oven and I only clean inside the microwave occasionally. I know it looks clean because I had an EA over to value the house and he kept saying it was very clean. I don't do much though - probably twenty minutes a day on average.

No one’s going to be inspecting the inside of your oven. If it’s clean enough for you to cook food for your family, why wouldn’t it be clean enough for your guests? Unless, of course, we’re talking about a thick layer of grease dating back to 1999—then that’s a whole different story! 😂

Clean enough is clean enough. A greasy oven/door makes no difference! - any bacteria will be dead from the heat every time you use the oven. Yes it's much nicer to have a clean oven, but it's not a risk for it to not be absolutely pristine. As long as counters and chopping boards are clean and food storage and hygiene rules are followed, you're all right. No one's going to be licking the skirting boards or eating food off the floor.