CHRISTMAS CLEANALONG

[Alsonification]

Hi all. So for the first time ever I will be hosting Christmas Day dinner in my home.

And to that end, I've decided to give my house a massive clean, declutter & reorganisation (very badly needed!).

I've worked out there are 16 weekends to Christmas (well actually 17 but I want to use the last one for food prep) so I'm dividing my house into 16 sections & going to spend one day every weekend on a different section.

I'm starting this weekend. Would anyone like to join?

This weekend DH sorted the garage (I was helping him to start with, but the bloody dog wouldn't leave us alone and just go and sleep somewhere, so I ended up with him upstairs). We've binned some stuff, then there are a few bags to go to the charity shop. We've come to the conclusion that we're never getting a car in there, as there's just too much shit!

I have also cleaned the oven door with JCif. The shelves are fine, as we barely use it really. I cleaned the air fryer door too (it's essentially a cuboid mini oven, not one with drawers), and that looks loads better now.

a. Sort my drawers out and ditch old crappy socks / t-shirts etc to make space. ✔️
b. Tidy up the painting I've done, as some needs touching up. Hallway ✔️ Bedrooms - x3. ✔️
c. Sort the garage of rubbish we moved with. ✔️
d. Hang pictures up. ✔️
e. Tidy, clean and sort DS' bedroom. ✔️
f. Sew damaged seam on sofa. ✔️
g. Sort, tidy and paint the kids' lounge. ✔️
h. Tidy and clear kitchen table. ✔️
i. Rearrange furniture in DD's room to give her more space. ✔️
j. Sorting bedding baskets and amalgamating. ✔️
k. Vacuum bag spare bedding for easier storage. ✔️
l. Clean and sort cutlery / utensil drawers. ✔️
m. Cleaned oven and air fryer glass doors. ✔️

90% recovered from my spill so back on with the rejigged schedule this week. Started the week with some gentle sewing today which has tidied up a few bits and bobs. Proper cleaning will commence tomorrow.

08/9 En suite ✅
15/9 Dressing room ✅
22/9 Master bedroom ✅
29/9 Kitchen part one ✅
13/10 Kitchen part two ✅
20/10 Utility room ✅
27/10 Sitting room ✅
03/11 Larder ✅
10/11 Bathroom ✅
17/11 Indisposed! ✅
24/11 Hallway, stairs and landing, incl airing cupboard
01/12 Spare room
08/12 Study

I've been very bad the last couple of weekends so I really need to get my ass moving this coming weekend. I've got the biggest jobs done which is great but need to keep up the momentum.
I think I'll tackle the hot press this weekend. It's an absolute disgrace right now so will be filling a lot of bags for charity!

Well done to everyone keeping at it. It's hard work isn't it.

I've rearranged DD's bedroom for visitors this weekend. Then, it will be moved into the Christmas arrangement.

I've de-greased 1/2 of the kitchen (thanks for the tip about the Halfords cycle degreaser)

Tonight I need to move the dining room table, and add an extra leaf to it + de-grease the rest of the kitchen.

Tomorrow: scrub the kitchen floor, get out the highchair, wipe around the remaining skirting boards, vacuum and make a couple trays of lasagna.

Tomorrow my DH and DD are both WFH so any tidy up I do will need to be quiet tidy up or else I'll get glared at

I did think I need to clean the bedroom skirting boards so that's quiet . And some damp dusting and laundry .

I am resisting decluttering some money buying a sequinned shirt because I already have enough . Not Liberace levels of sequin but more than an average human should own

I've been really busy this last week. Got a fit of energy so went with it haha.

Got a good bit crossed off the list so I've only got the hall & landing to do. That means hot press on the landing & understairs press in the hall. Both are places I've avoided for too long.

1 Kitchen part one ✅
2 Kitchen part two ✅
3 Sitting room ✅
4 Utility room part one ✅
5 Utility room part two ✅
6 Playroom ✅
7 Downstairs loo ✅
8 Larder ✅
9 Hallway incl under stairs press
10 Stairs/landing incl hotpress
11. Bathroom ✅
12. My room part one ✅
13. My room part two ✅
14. En suite ✅
15. Dd’s room ✅
16. Ds’s room ✅

That means hot press on the landing & understairs press in the hall

Ahh the word "Press" brings back memories of my Glaswegian grandparent @Alsonification

My nana would say "Put that ben in the press" (ben meaning 'next room' like the old two room but and ben holiday cottages that The Broons (Sunday Post) had .

Press=cupboard (just to avoid confusion)

Todays task - my darling DS dropped a tub of milkshake powder , got it vacuumed up then he damp dusted it but it need the steamer on the kitchen floor , so I;ll delegate that to DS .

At least it wasn't a glass bottle of oil which was his last faux pas.
It got everywhere . Much boiling soapy water and cloths later.......

@70isaLimitNotaTarget lol sorry I keep saying press (I'm Irish) but I should say cupboard when I'm on here cos not everyone knows what it is 🙈

Ha! No , keep these much loved phrases , it is such a memory link , gives a warm glow .
My DD says "manky" which is a lovely Glaswegian word too .

Manky is used often here too 😂
So many good words & phrases

Is 'manky' Glaswegian? I'm from the East Mids and have grown up using it! (Though there's a large contingent of Glaswegians in Corby, thanks to the former steelworks, so maybe it came down with them!)

Oh, we're developing new jobs! I have bathroom paint arriving this week to do the en suite. New build woes, in that bog standard, watered down, emulsion was everywhere and the en suite has been going mouldy. Grim. Bathroom paint will sort it out though!

Manky was one my grandad used and he was Glasgow 1901 born......but might've poached it from elsewhere

I use the word 'manky' as well and I am East Midlands born & bred... harder to use down in Suffolk though as they look at you as if you have grown two heads if you say the word.

I have finished cleaning downstairs now. Now onto upstairs which isn’t too bad so hoping I can do all that tomorrow on my day off.

Having the house clean and tidy is doing wonders for my mind, I feel so much better without clutter.

I'm still cleaning along! New bed arriving this weekend and as the spare room is on the cleaning schedule this week upstairs will be ready for it, all clean and tidy with no last minute panic 😄

08/9 En suite ✅
15/9 Dressing room ✅
22/9 Master bedroom ✅
29/9 Kitchen part one ✅
13/10 Kitchen part two ✅
20/10 Utility room ✅
27/10 Sitting room ✅
03/11 Larder ✅
10/11 Bathroom ✅
17/11 Indisposed! ✅
24/11 Hallway, stairs and landing, incl airing cupboard ✅
01/12 Spare room
08/12 Study

The house is as clean as it has ever been, and is as clean as it is going to get before Christmas!

I will now be spending my days off keeping the rooms tidy and clean.

Today, I cleaned the dining room, kitchen and tidied the children's rooms.

Put up Christmas lights at the windows.

Tomorrow, I need to go and collect a present, and find a small Christmas tree.

Thank you @AAlsonification for starting this thread - it has been a real motivation!

I've not quite kept to my timetable but as others have said, the house is just about as clean and tidy as it will get. Carpet washing still on the list but I'll try to get that done before we start putting up Christmas decorations. Or use candles and fairy lights and pretend not to notice!

It felt for a while as if nothing was getting done but checking in here has been a good reminder. Looking back to the start I'm pleased that I've managed to:

Tidied garden for winter
Repaired external paintwork around patio
Planted pots of flowers by the door
Major effort at decluttering!
Donated where appropriate via clothes banks / huge charity shop hub, but some went to household waste site
Painted bathroom
Touched up paintwork in other spaces
Cleaned doors, skirting boards and cupboard doors
Deep cleaned bathroom and kitchen

Hopefully all this makes for an easier December. Next stop, cards and wrapping. (And mince pies, gingerbread, and winter pyjamas while curling up on the sofa without looking around and getting twitchy about stuff lying around, clutter, and mess. I hope!)

Today I've cleaned all the skirting boards and gave my kitchen a good tidy up. I've cleaned my daughter's room and on Tuesday I plan to clean the fridge.

Yesterday we rearranged the living room and cleaned all the skirting boards and under the furniture. It always looks clean but omg it was shamefully dirty. It feels and looks so much better. 90% of the presents have been bought and 70%of them have been wrapped. This coming week will be the kitchen and maintenance cleans everywhere else. I've never been so organised on December 1st. Usually wrapping presents on Christmas eve and putting them straight under the tree!

Ha took me ages to figure out what the hot press was when I moved here!

@Crispynoodle 😂😂

Well ladies. Delighted everyone is doing so well.

I have spent the whole weekend putting up Christmas decorations. I have a lot of fairy lights 🙈 so it takes a while. Took all weekend with the tidy up after too and the tree isn't even done yet.

It's meant that I haven't done anything from my list. However I've decided to just keep the general housework going til after Christmas & then maybe start a new year list ☺️

Hope all are ok & fair play to everyone for keeping going. ❤️

So I have been distracted from forward thinking recently but think I am back on it.

So jealous of progress on here but being jealous isn't going to get anything done it should be used as inspiration.

As Saturday morning football cancelled, it's a trapped in a windy house big push tomorrow morning fingers crossed.

I have done every room apart from a deep clean of bathroom. Feeling pleased and going to try and keep on top of things in the new year so it never takes a massive clean.