Why do we clean like this?

[lipsticklovley]

Surely it's not only me, but in top of everything else I now have this ridiculous urge the the entire house needs to be cleaned, as if Father Christmas will be doing a cleanliness inspection.
Half of me is saying sod it, the other half is saying every inch of the house needs to be scrubbed within an inch of its life.
I have no visitors planned (of course) just DP and kids here.
I'm the same before I go on holiday!
Please tell me I'm not crazy 🤷🏻‍♀️

Mum always did the same before going on holiday, I think because either to save having to do it for a few days when we got back, or as neighbours came in to feed our cat.

I am in a support bubble and am not even home for Christmas - but have taken today off work to clean😂

I think it’s hard wired into me. I remember mum and dad cleaning the house for Christmas. He living room had to be spring cleaned before the decorations went up. Then the whole house furiously cleaned before the big day.

There can be an element of competitive martyrdom to Christmas preparation. Not saying that's you, OP, btw.

Yes, it's nice that everywhere is clean and tidy, of course. And it's easier for most of us, to relax in uncluttered space.

But this year, of all years, don't collapse into Christmas Day exhausted after scrubbing the whole house, or whatever.
And make sure everyone pulls their weight also.

For me its because i'm about to spend a couple of days at home, I want it to be clean and fragrant, why wouldn't you?!

@Jeremyironseverything

I can just relax knowing that the washing is up to date, bathrooms will be ok for a while etc then I can sit back and enjoy Christmas doing the bare minimum and it doesn't matter if it gets messy because at least it's clean.

+1 to this.

And I'm another that likes to return from holidays ( aaaah holidays) to a clean and tidy house.

@Aprilx

I always want a sparkling clean house for Christmas, new year and for when I return from holiday.

So do I! When I clean before a holiday my husband calls it "Cleaning for the burglars".

Yep it's like same if it's a dc's birthday too

Haha fair play everyone, some of us do, some of us don't
Grain of truth in the martyrdom comment, I'm sure there's no need for any of us to clean like crazy, especially 2 days before the place gets messed up more than any other day of the year.... but we do have our funny ways!!

Oh God no. Not just you at all! I did all the bathrooms on Monday, but they'll need a quick going over today. My room is going to be present wrapping and wine drinking headquarters, so I want it to look nice in there. FC Santa Claus (I say both so it sounds like a football team ha!), leaves stockings in dcs' bedrooms (thanks DH family for that inconvenient tradition), so their rooms need to be nice as well. We'll spend the whole day in the living room as dc1 is isolating. So that needs to be nice too. Then we'll spend a long time in the kitchen, so...you see the pattern here! Whole house needs a clean. Probably the only exercise I'll get today, so off I go!

It just annoys me if the house is messy/dirty. I can relax more if it’s clean.

Nope, no urge to clean specially here! Fight it!

@HarrietPotterska

For me its because i'm about to spend a couple of days at home, I want it to be clean and fragrant, why wouldn't you?!

This is the reason. I want to come back home on Boxing Day to a clean, well ordered home. With wfh and work crazy hours and no cleaner the house has become a tip. I spent last night cleaning out my office and am now starting on the kitchen.

A messy house depresses me. And Christmas should be special.

I don't do spring cleaning. In our house it's pre Christmas deep cleaning instead. I've only managed the important rooms like bathroom, downstairs loo and kitchen this year, but the rest are an acceptable level of clean. Sometimes I need an event to get me motivated.

yes! Why do we do it!????? It's like nesting all over again!

Chinese traditionally clean before Chinese New Year, and I think the same is true of Jews before Passover.

Perhaps we all feel the need for a new beginning. A child is born, etc.

In Italian old folklore the old woman that delivers gifts to children’s stockings always sweeps the house on her way out again😂

Oh fuck, I forgot I get this cleaning twitch again on New Year’s Eve as I hate waking up to mess on New Year’s Day. 😆

God damn covid ruining our routine with the cleaner 😭😭😭 no chance I’m doing it myself

I’m the same as you OP! Fuck load of presents to wrap food to prep etc and I just want to deep clean everywhere, kind of like the nesting urge from when I was preggo. We have a small house with two kids I’m just thinking where the hell is everything going to go once it’s opened as we are sardines already 😂

I do quick wipe before Christmas and leave the big clean for after. No point deep cleaning when house is full of decorations and there will be mess made by us with all the nibbles, food, drink and games.

I can't sit still today I've just done the bedrooms, halls stairs and landings and about to start on lounge and dining room...I have no one coming for Christmas just the three of us so why? Its just instinct I think 🤔

We’re pretty slovenly the rest of the year, but today I’ve inexplicably hoovered under the sofa cushions.

Is there any task more thankless than cleaning a kitchen window above a sink? Within half a day it’ll be covered with murky splashes as if the devil himself has jizzed up the glass.

I'm so pleased I don't suffer from this! Pour yourself a baileys coffee or eggnog and the feeling should soon pass .

I totally get this and even though we're having no visitors this year I'm still compelled. DH is helping tidy stuff, but I think this year my heart and my self-motivation don't match so I'm struggling to get on with it myself. Yesterday was a write-off, I spent all day staring at untidy rooms and didn't get my arse in gear at all. Today I HAVE to clean them all. I think the crappy year hasn't helped, we have bags and bags of charity shop stuff but nowhere to take it, so it's sat in the corner of a room looking like jumble. It's just making me sad!

I blame movies... especially ones like Bad Moms Christmas, which have falsely taught me I could trash the house on Christmas Eve and have it perfect and twinkly by Christmas morning.

I did a good clean last Saturday. Apart from the robot vacuum doing the odd turn, I can pretty much leave it until New Year now.