Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not do a massive 'Christmas clean'

199 replies

monicagellerbing · 21/12/2023 08:51

I was always brought up with my mam every year cleaning the whole house top to bottom including things like the oven the fridge, kitchen cupboards, literally everything. I've always done the same every year and stressed myself out but this year I just cannot be arsed. The house is clean and tidy as I do keep the house nice but I can feel the fridge and oven and carpets calling to be cleaned just because its Christmas and I don't want to! I'm busy all of this week but could squeeze in some polishing if I HAD to. What do you think?

YABU - Christmas is for cleaning get it done you lazy cow
YANBU - do the bare minimum as the kids will trash it anyway

Can't enable voting, I'm on the app

OP posts:
AlltheFs · 21/12/2023 16:13

I have never done a Christmas clean, we do bare minimum as it is all year.
We are hosting Xmas day so will do a proper hoover and thorough bathroom clean before they arrive but nothing out of the ordinary. No dusting as I’m not moving all the decorations.

I am doing bed linens this week just so I don’t have to do much washing for the week we are off, and will try to have the laundry baskets empty so we can go 3-4 days without having drying in the house. But that’s it.

Extra cleaning is not festive. If you drink enough wine you don’t notice anyway.

Sorrynotsore · 21/12/2023 16:25

WestwardHo1 · 21/12/2023 14:58

I wonder if any men are discussing this.

My DH is doing ours right now. Personally I like it done so we can relax. Plus it's a bit grim if you're hosting to be in somone else's dirt and du. But then ia do value cleanliness.

phoenixrosehere · 21/12/2023 16:58

Clean after Christmas for the New Year but not for Christmas. More to do with starting the new year off fresh.

JaceLancs · 21/12/2023 17:06

I used to
Then I just did a normal clean before trimming up and kept on top of the basics afterwards
This year if I can summon enough energy to throw the vacuum round on Xmas eve will feel
like a bonus
Right now if I can end the year with no more deaths, minimum of illness and food in the kitchen I will be happy

Goingsunny · 21/12/2023 17:24

YANBU OP, not a thing as far as I am concerned.
If it's going to stress you out don't bother.

usernother · 21/12/2023 17:33

I've never heard of a Christmas clean and even if I had I wouldn't do it because there is no reason to.

AutumnLeaves333 · 21/12/2023 17:34

I always do a big clean the weekend before but mainly because my house is a disgusting mess and I want to be able to sit down and relax at Christmas without looking at the usual pigsty, I also like to get the beds changed and ALL the washing done and away so I can have a couple of days off the never ending laundry cycle.

TheTripThatWasnt · 21/12/2023 17:42

I've been doing a bit each day over the last week.
Cleared out the fridge and cleaned it
Sorted out the crap that lives under the stairs (open staircase, so very visible!)
Had a very satisfying file/bin of all the paperwork on the hall table
Cleared/sorted surfaces in the utility room

All things that are done rarely, but which now make the house look lovely and organised. Christmas/NY is the only time in the whole year when we are both here all the time, so starting the week off with a lovely tidy and clean house feels lovely.

MissMoo2222 · 21/12/2023 17:48

Oh we HAVE to do a big clean on the week of Xmas so we can declutter and make space for the stuff that will need a home once opened on Xmas. So basically throwing crap out only to be replaced by more crap.

We have a tiny house though so really do need to do this on Xmas week and then again before New Year as my Mum instilled in me to start the new year with a clean house and money in your pocket as a way of saying 'this is how my year will go'. Might sound silly but it does make me feel great to have the house clean and tidy for New Year.

SussexLass87 · 21/12/2023 17:52

I'm with you OP...watched my Mum stress clean the house each Christmas, and have done myself every year.

This year I finally realised this was madness...I'm half happier and half torn with wanting to deep clean the bloody oven!

BogRollBOGOF · 21/12/2023 17:52

It's nice to be clean and in order before visitors/ being deluged in stuff/ cooking a big dinner. As I naturally have messy tendencies, it's sensible to have a clear up, but it's not a "Christmas Clean" as a point of ritual. If the house was in order anyway I wouldn't do extra.

I tend to be pretty well ordered by this point of December because we tend to have visitors in mid-December.

tiredandolderthanithought · 21/12/2023 18:06

I like to but we tend to have people for new year too so it means it's easier to keep on top of things!!!!

BenjaminBunnyRabbit · 21/12/2023 18:23

I do a bit a day so it's generally fairly clean here but to be honest, who will notice except you?

Hoover through, clean all the noticeable areas and leave it at that. Far better to be relaxed for the big day and enjoy yourself. You won't wish you cleaned more when you're lying on your death bed!

Amana · 21/12/2023 19:24

I clean more than usual…(not carpets and cupboards particularly) but fridge, ovens and this time a couple of drawers.

Christmas gives me a deadline otherwise it just doesn’t get done.

I love a clean house.

Xmasbaby11 · 21/12/2023 19:27

I’ll be doing a clean tomorrow. There’s 8 of us over 4 days at home so we need to be starting with everything clean and tidy. But we don’t have a cleaner and I’ve been busy so it definitely needs doing!

WickerMam · 21/12/2023 19:32

Christmas is the only time of year I feel any pressing urge to clean anything - I do like to do feel like everything is perfect by xmas eve.

Growing up, new year was more of a big deal for my family and my mum liked the house to be perfect on hogmanay, to start the new year off right.

I feel zero need to deep clean in spring, or before holidays. But when I sit done with a glass of wine on Xmas eve, I like to feel like everything is "done".

Original poster
monicagellerbing · 22/12/2023 14:25

Well I've still resisted, I hoovered the bedrooms but I haven't polished or feather dusted everything in sight.. I haven't stripped the sofa covers off and the carpet cleaner is still in the cupboard so I'm doing well! I've been to visit a friend and her newborn and I took DD to the shops for some sweets and now we are watching a film so I've done better things than cleaning everything. My mam would be horrified 😂😂😂

OP posts:
AlltheFs · 22/12/2023 14:34

To be fair after saying I do nothing apart from a basic visitor clean, I have just washed all the various throws and blankets on the sofas (cat and human) just so they smell a bit nicer.
That’s my effort complete.

AlltheFs · 22/12/2023 14:35

monicagellerbing · 22/12/2023 14:25

Well I've still resisted, I hoovered the bedrooms but I haven't polished or feather dusted everything in sight.. I haven't stripped the sofa covers off and the carpet cleaner is still in the cupboard so I'm doing well! I've been to visit a friend and her newborn and I took DD to the shops for some sweets and now we are watching a film so I've done better things than cleaning everything. My mam would be horrified 😂😂😂

Well done.

You must come back on the other side and let us know if it ruined Christmas or not 😂

Original poster
monicagellerbing · 22/12/2023 15:14

Haha I will @AlltheFs 😂

OP posts:
kingtamponthefurred · 22/12/2023 15:18

HolyZarquonsSingingSeals · 21/12/2023 11:49

Jesus won't mind and neither will Father Christmas.

I'm pretty sure Jesus wasn't born into an immaculate stable.

KnittedPond · 22/12/2023 15:33

kingtamponthefurred · 22/12/2023 15:18

I'm pretty sure Jesus wasn't born into an immaculate stable.

Show quote history

Nonsense, it was grey with teal accents, Hinched and Kondo’ed within an inch of its life, and stank to high heaven of Zoflora.

Otherwise the shepherds and the Three Kings wouldn’t have been allowed in because it wasn’t visitor-ready.

Dutch1e · 22/12/2023 15:46

KnittedPond · 22/12/2023 15:33

Nonsense, it was grey with teal accents, Hinched and Kondo’ed within an inch of its life, and stank to high heaven of Zoflora.

Otherwise the shepherds and the Three Kings wouldn’t have been allowed in because it wasn’t visitor-ready.

Show quote history

😂😂😂

cakecoffeecakecoffee · 22/12/2023 15:53

Nope.
we’ve been so insanely busy that the house is still a mess and I’ll tidy what I can but it’s not going to get a thorough deep clean or tidy.

eatdrinkandbemerry · 22/12/2023 16:04

Nope my kids are off school making more mess than i can keep up with.
I will relax and do a deep clean when they return to school on the 8th of January.