How to Prepare Your Home for Christmas

The festive period is just around the corner, and it won’t be long until we are drinking mulled wine, eating mince pies and rocking around the Christmas tree.

But, as the excitement for Santa’s arrival starts to build we need to prepare our homes, so we can sit back, relax and enjoy the time with our loved ones.

Read on to find out exactly how to prepare your home for Christmas.

Prepare for Christmas Checklist:  

1. Remove any clutter 
2. Have an Autumn clean
3. Organise the spare room
4. Do those DIY tasks
5. Shop for the essentials
6. Stock up the kitchen cupboards
7. Make it cosy

Remove the clutter

Things we don’t really need can build up in our home throughout the year and start to take up space that is going to be much needed after you have unwrapped your presents on Christmas Day. So, you want to know how to prepare for Christmas early? Start with these four simple steps:

• Clear out any rubbish
• Donate items you no longer need to charity
• Sell what you can
• Store what you don’t need

First things first, have a clear-out and throw out the rubbish – the items you no longer need and are no good to anyone else. Then, donate the items you don’t want (but that are in good condition) to charity and sell the newer items that you don’t use to make a few extra pennies that you’ll be grateful for come January.

Finally, consider if there is anything you need to remove temporarily – perhaps to make room for guests? This can be put in storage and then you can get it back as soon as you have space for it again.

Have an Autumn clean

We have a spring clean to dust away the cobwebs but what about an Autumn clean so that our homes are spick and span, ready to decorate with tinsel and holly and then welcome our guests. Now you’ve cleared out the clutter this will be much quicker and easier. But, for now, it is time to do the jobs that don’t get done when you clean throughout the rest of the year, such as:

• Wipe down skirting boards
• Clean behind furniture
• Wipe inside cupboards
• Deep clean the oven and microwave
• Clean washing machine and dishwasher

Have a deep clean now and then throughout December, a quick dust and vacuum here and there will suffice.

Organise the spare room

Have you got guests coming to stay over the Christmas period? Then it’s time to organise the spare room. You’ve already cleared out the clutter and cleaned. So, now it’s time to make the bed. If you don’t have a spare bed how about getting a blow-up mattress to make sure they are comfortable?

Then, change the bedding to fresh clean sheets. Layout a set of towels for them to use and anything else they might need during their visit. Finally, add the finishing touches – perhaps a festive display of flowers on the windowsill or a Christmas chocolate on the pillow. 

Do those DIY tasks

Are there small DIY tasks around the house that you have been putting off? Perhaps a lightbulb needs changing in the bathroom or the spare room lamp? Maybe the radiator needs bleeding or the shower plug unblocking?

Do all the things you have been putting off – they won’t take long but you can then forget about it over Christmas and avoid it becoming an inconvenience for your guests.

Shop for the essentials

While you are shopping for presents, don’t forget to pick up the essentials. Everything from toilet roll and toiletries, to make sure the bathroom cupboards are well stocked for both you and your guests and batteries for those toys and gadgets that are gifted on Christmas Day.

This includes making sure you have enough glasses and plates for your guests on Christmas Day – the last thing you want is for someone to have to eat the turkey out of a serving dish and drink wine out of a mug because you are one short.

Stock the kitchen cupboards

There are so many things to do to prepare for Christmas but while trying to keep on top of everything else and you definitely don’t want your guests – or family – to go hungry or thirsty over the festive period.

Start shopping for nibbles early, add a few items to your regular weekly shop leading up to December and pop them in a cupboard that can’t be touched until Christmas Eve. That way you can ensure you have more than enough and won’t have to worry about last minute dashes to the supermarket.

Make it cosy

When it’s icy cold outside, there is nothing better than stepping into a nice, warm comfortable home. So, start to make it cosy not just for Christmas but for the whole of winter. Think festive scented candles, extra blankets, cushions and soft lighting to start with – then when you start adding the decorations and twinkling lights it’ll begin to feel even cosier.  

Prepare for Christmas early and you can relax and enjoy the festive period rather than feeling stressed about it. Start by taking a look at our storage options and get a quote today – then you can get that space you need before doing anything else.