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 🤷🏻‍♀️

I feel the same, that it has to be clean, even though there'll only be me and DP. Though I did manage to start two or three weeks ago, we shampooed most of the carpets (please, please don't let that give anyone ideas ).

I think it's about wanting to recognise that the day is special and different, so for some of us that need goes quite far.

Plus in general I'm not the world's best housekeeper, so it gives me a kick up the behind to have a reason to do everything thoroughly and a target date to have it done. And when I start I actually enjoy it, much more than I would whipping round the house with a duster every day.

@Onedropbeat

Why pack up the decs New Year’s Day? Christmas isn’t over then

Because I like to start back at work with it all done and dusted and back to normal. I usually listen to the New Year's Day concert whilst I do it.

I don't go out to work anymore but, after 40yrs of doing it, it's just habit now. I still really like having everything stick and span on the first day of the year though.

I too do a pre-Christmas clean, but have become less obsessive about it over the years. I do enough to make it feel comfortable - bathrooms, kitchen floor, dust and vacuum.
Someone once said to me about cleaning - “on your deathbed, you will probably have many regrets looking back at your life and things you should have done. But one of those regrets will not be wishing you had done more housework”.
Very wise words indeed and now a personal manta if I get stressed about housework.

I'm the same. I did the deep Christmas clean a week or so ago and today I'm giving it a top to bottom blitz. I can't relax if the house is dirty and know that tonight I will be able to enjoy the Christmas glow in my nice clean house. I know it's bonkers and puts me under a lot of pressure but I'd feel worse if I left it.

I like everything nice and clean and tidy for the Christmas period so I can relax. I don't scrub everything, but to have floors hoovered, sides tidy, rubbish out etc just feels relaxing.

Me too!!!!

In fact it's the plan for this evening!

I just love having the house clean, it makes me feel good, I can enjoy the rooms that I spend a fortune on buying as part of the house, I don't have to sit in a room and try and ignore a mess that irks me.

I finished work yesterday and children are at their dads til tomorrow so do the cleaning and wrapping today so can relax for the three xmas days. Do have family on xmas day but will be quieter this year than usual.

My big clean is usually the week they go back to school but this year they aren't going back til 11th so will have to hope they visit their dads again! Much easier in an empty house.

I watched my mum go into a cleaning meltdown every Christmas when I was growing up and it kind of put me off doing the same.

Same here. Our house was always clean but for some reason still had a massive deepclean. As if baby jesus will check insode the freaking cupboard before giving presents.
Then the same show in January after decs are dowwn. Then in April for spring clean...
Nope. I kerp my house clean all year round. It just gets extra wipe, move some stuff back to where it belongs, nice clean sheets today and... Well that's it🤷🏻 When mum was with me for Christmas she finally didn't have to do anything, what's more, wasn't allowed to do anything and since then she is much more chilled.

"Are we going to do the kitchen cupboards?"
"No mum, we are going for Christmas carol in a cathedral."
"Oh. So when will we do them?"
"I don't know. Never"
It was fascinating to see how it sank in over few days that you can actually enjoy the time rather than run around cleaning bits which don't need it. Now she doesn't deep clean either😂

This is like a companion thread to "if women went on strike Christmas wouldn't happen".

I did a big clean before doing the decorations. But then still did a big clean on Saturday and have done a top up today. I'll probably do very little for next week or so though. I just like it to be nice so I can relax. But I think it's a careful balance so I don't get too stressed with the prepas actually it doesn't matter in the spare room is immaculate!

I’m the same. Just been bleaching the cupboard doors. Now for a little rest ☕️

I've just hit the roof as DD has allegedly been 'tidying her room' since lunch time. I've gone up and hardly anything has changed. I've removed her phone and given her 30 minutes to hammer it. Seriously I could have had it done in an hour, but she refused my help.

The rest of the house is done, and the tumble dryer has barely stopped today but all the washing is done now.

My washing machine chose today to blow a fuse, so I’ve spent all afternoon in the launderette doing the five loads they brought down. Dashing for click and collect between loads. Made tea. Battled the supermarket.
My teenagers promised they’d clean the house while I was out and it would be spotless when I got in.
Well. It’s a bit tidier, and they’ve unloaded a box of Christmas presents my mum brought over, but haven’t touched the hoover, duster or cleaning products, so I’ll have to start with that.
And when I pointed this out, I got ‘well what have you done? Put some washing in a machine and been to the shop?’

Personally i would hate to live in a 'spotless' house, sounds like hell to me.

I just finished my Christmas deep clean today, did upstairs yesterday and downstairs today. Will probably do a quick wipe down and hoover/mop tomorrow too. We have no visitors either so I don’t know why, but i find any big events like Christmas, easter, birthdays, and going on holiday gives me the urge to deep clean. I just wish I enjoyed doing it!

normally I do some serious cleaning because people are coming to stay/ eat. This year... DD said, it's really nice that this year you're not doing a manic clean and getting really stressed. That was a bit of an eye opener. That said, I do want to do some cleaning tomorrow... not crazy style...

I have more interesting things to do with my time than cleaning. My home is clean as in neat, tidy, free of clutter and things are cleaned when they get dirty. Other than that I have no desire to waste my life pointlessly cleaning things that are already perfectly clean enough for any domestic environment.

I just don't get the cleaning obsession. Sod that for a game of marbles !

I know it's bonkers and puts me under a lot of pressure but I'd feel worse if I left it.

The more times you do it, the easier it gets. Work out the time saved and go abd do whatever it is you enjoy doing. Whether that's playing an instrument, reading, playing tennis, cycling, whatever. Then think how many hours you could devote to doing that if you stopped bleaching your cupboard doors (WTAF, surely women aren't wasting their lives and intelligence on this sort of unnecessary shit) or hoovering your hoover

You’re mad. The one advantage of Tier 4 is no frantic clean for the relatives!

I used to be like that, but have calmed down a bit. Anyone coming in would think the place is spotless but I know it's not. Might go round and do the cobwebs tomorrow and the bathroom mirror, and wipe the oven over a bit.

I agree I can’t think if the house isn’t tidy or clean. It affects my mind I can’t think straight.

The more Christmas booze you drink the less you notice the dust, that’s my Christmas cleaning strategy.

I've been putting it off so long it's now nearly 2am and I still haven't done it.

Agree it's a mixture of conditioning and tradition. As PP said it occurs in other cultures too especially ahead of the New Year. Many memories of my mother frantically cleaning in the hours leading up to the Bells on Hogmanay.

Think it's really just superstition - remember my mother saying it was bad luck not to have the house clean for the new year. The one time she hadn't had her bath before the Bells her mother died the next year.
Total superstition yes..but when it's hardwired into you it's hard to ignore.