Pre Xmas clean.. Anyone else do loads.

[Snowydaysaregreat]

OK so I am quite particular about how i like our home.. Clothes to be worn just once, towels used once. Hoover and polish daily etc etc.
But before Xmas, birthdays etc I do a ridiculous deep clean.

Today I have...
washed every door, frame and skirting.
All 4 beds washed Inc hoovering mattresses and flipping over.
Big clear out of toys and clothes. Re arranged all dvds.
Disinfected all floors and surfaces. Cleaned out every kitchen cupboard and sorted the food.. Managed to run a load to food bank drop off point.
2 baskets of ironing.
Scrubbed bathroom.
Collected gifts for kids from storage and re hidden at home.
Defrosed freezer and all washed out.

Then went out to dinner.. Wasn't making a mess after that lol.

Home bath baby, had a soak. Others showered then dp just re did bathroom.
Washing machine on now for the towels.

I actually feel ready for Xmas.

OK reading back I'm crazy but I can't rwalx unless everything is done.

Phew not just me. Yes mine are all white and a quite shiny type that seem to show everything.. I properly clean every so often like Xmas. But often a quick spray and cloth ont he worst bits.

Do you ever sit and read the paper?

I honestly have never cleaned a door frame in my life.

No never in my life have purchased a paper.. I see the news on my Google feed or local news app.
Cleaning is my way of unwinding.
But now I can't see I'm not the only one who does frames and doors. It's not like I do it on a schedule. Just either when needed or like now.. Xmas.

I don't seem to have stopped for the last couple of days and I thought I'd done well preparing for Xmas, but I haven't achieved anything like your list. It was tiring just reading it.

Thing is we have a houseful at Christmas and my house will be pristine until 12pm when the hordes arrive - then chaos for 2 days, after which I'll do the same again

This. I often think I shouldn't bother beforehand and just make it pristine afterwards - but I can't.

Lol I remember thinking that before doing dsd a party at home.. Shall I really? I did.. It was indeed pointless. And needless to say it was the last party done at home.. Just about do a birthday family tea for GP and that's it. Lol

So sad.

Stripped and changed the beds
Cleaned all the bathrooms
Sorted out the play room
Sorted out the cloakroom
Fridge has been rearranged and cleaned
Dusted and Polished
Hoovered throughout

Tomorrow is
Steam clean kitchen diner
Last load of laundry and ironing
Dump run

That’s it. Big clean/sort out over 3 days.

op you need to calm it on the laundry! Towels do not need washing after one go- that’s crazy talk!

Have a lovely Christmas in your sparkling home

@Ursula it's not 'so sad' to have a lovely clean house..maybe try having fresh bedding and cleaning your house, then you might understand why we do it!!
As they say 'clean house, clean mind'

No, I don't do a particular clean, I might dust today, not because it is Christmas, because I haven't dusted for weeks!

My house is always an acceptable (to me) standard.

You are bloody nuts

Always do a Christmas clean.. actually starting mine in a couple of hours once DD has gone back to sleep and woken up again

I always do a deep pre Christmas clean and redecorate once it's over.
Christmas Eve eve I deep cleaned 1 bedroom, redecorated, washed carpets. Deep cleaned kitchen, and 1 bathroom. The day before last I had done the sitting room including cleaning rugs and sofa.
Today will be dining room, 2nd bathroom and playroom. I have moved all rooms around too.
Excessive yes. Ex has just moved out and I am washing him out of the house!!

I'm the same as you op although i do have diagnosed OCD.
I'm nearly 41, was only diagnosed 2 years ago after suffering all my life, I also have fibromyalgia and am in constant pain so it's a daily battle over cleaning and resting.

I've always done the pre Christmas deep clean and have been up until 1am in the past but the medication i take to help with the OCD has helped me to slow down a bit.

I've got a 3 bed semi but it's quite big. There is myself, dp, ds who's almost 16 and spotless and dd who's almost 8 and a total
scruff! ( don't know where we got here from! ) and we made a start yesterday after de-cluttering throughout the month and getting new floors throughout the downstairs.

Today I've got to wash the upstairs paintwork including frames/doors/skirting.
Deep clean ds's room, other 2 are done.
Deep clean bathroom and full size bathroom cupboard will be emptied and sorted.

Banisters and up the stairs will be scrubbed, windows washed and whole house dusted then hoovered/mopped.

Dp hoovered the whole house incl stairs yesterday so it shouldn't be too bad. His work uniform and the school uniforms are washed, ironed and hung up.
Beds will be washed today and all remaining ironing will be done.
I iron everything before putting away.

It looks a lot and it probably is but then I will be able to relax once done and start the wrapping tonight I do get a lot of satisfaction out of cleaning and it helps with my horrific anxiety.

My mind must be particularly dirty then.

OP - ignore the jealous posters who are being so rude and judgy!!! I’m a clean freak and my anxiety goes through the roof when things aren’t in order so I understand and take my hat off to you for working so hard on keeping your home a lovely place for your family to live in and enjoy. Have a merry Christmas xx

I get "it" however I cant physically do it now. After a bereavement many years ago I cleaned my house top to bottom every day for about 6 months, then I had a total breakdown. It was my way of dealing with feelings I didn't want to deal with and by making myself so busy that I"had" to complete my full list each day or in my mind "would lose more loved ones" was a way of avoiding dealing with things I really needed to deal with

Seems normal to me. I think what some posters don’t understand is if your house is at a certain level of tidy/cleanliness then those jobs don’t take as long as it’s just a once over.

We've done this, sharing the work between the family (our DC are older).

It's good to settle down in a clean house for Christmas, and I have printed off TOMM so we can keep it that way.

For me I do t do it all the time but did do it this weekend.

However as we broke up Friday it's been a 'normal' weekend too. So would usually do bedding and towels at weekend. (Not daily!). Will always do fridge door and floors and bathroom at weekend.
Always hoover at weekend.

The only 'extras' 1 did were the blankets on sofas and ds towels he uses for swim training as he's in a break.
I also was at a meet with him all last weekend so a big clean didn't happen and also beginning of December so it didn't happen the either.

I usually do a deeper clean the first weekend of every school holidays as I work in education and spend my life at school or ds swim training and competitions.

By Boxing Day it'll be carnage but I think the difference is I won't clean instead of chilling out. I clean around my busy schedule.

I didn’t realise people still had dvds.

Oh, bless your naive little heart. 😂 You sound just like my sixth formers when I'm telling them about "olden times".

Yes, I have done a bit though nowhere near your levels OP

• huge toy and clothes clear out
• deep clean of the dyson handheld
• oven done a few weeks ago
• all washing done
• washed walls inside and outside
• vacuum everywhere
• new storage for toys
• new furniture with storage
• usual clean
• paperwork sort through

Cleaner comes today so hopefully that will have us nice and sparkly.

Few harsh messages aimed at the OP as it is obviously a serious disorder she has. Unfortunately she can’t relax and enjoy Christmas Eve like many others. OP there is help available on these issues if you wish to seek it....

We have a handheld hoover that you wear on your back like a ghostbuster. Once it’s on DH hates taking it off so after asking him to do the stairs yesterday he then went round and hoovered all the walls..... so I guess we have nice freshly hoovered walls
for tomorrow. He then hoovered the doors.....

I’m exactly the same as you OP! Yesterday, I deep cleaned, polished, disinfected surfaces. Wiped down all the doors and skirting boards, cleaned the bathroom. Vacuumed and mopped. Cleaned the animals’ bedding and gave them a bath, ironed and kept away.

Tidied and vacuumed again this morning and I know I will do it again this evening when the children are in bed. It’s exhausting. My mum and Nan were the same.

Ps - I do have anxiety and this all started many years ago following postnatal depression. Now the routine is part of my day and helps me to cope. But still... exhausting! No cleaning tomorrow though OP!