Do the deep clean in early November and only a light tidy in the week before Christmas. That is the whole strategy. People who deep clean in late December lose the part of the year they most wanted free, pay peak prices if they book help, and end up doing it badly anyway because there is no time.
November works because nothing has happened yet. The house is not full of decorations, deliveries, wrapping paper and food, and cleaning companies still have availability at normal rates.
Early November: the deep clean
This is the session that covers the annual jobs. Guests notice these far more than you expect, because they use rooms differently from you and they look at things you stopped seeing years ago.
Kitchen
The kitchen is about to do more work than at any other point in the year.
- Oven interior, racks and door glass. Two hours if it has been a while, and worth every minute
- Extractor hood and filter degreased or replaced, since it will be running constantly
- Hob, including under the burner caps
- Inside cupboards, particularly the ones you will be reaching into in front of people
- Tops of cupboards
- Fridge emptied and washed, which also frees the space you are going to need
- Freezer defrosted, same reason. A defrosted freezer holds noticeably more
- Dishwasher filter and spray arms, before it runs three times a day
- Descale the kettle and taps
- Bin washed inside and out
Bathrooms, especially the guest one
- Full descale of taps, shower head and screen
- Grout scrubbed
- Mouldy sealant cut out and replaced, which takes thirty minutes and transforms the room
- Extractor vent cleared
- Cabinet interiors, since guests do open them
- Toilet including hinges, base and behind the pan
- Fresh towels set aside, washed and ready
Living and dining rooms
- High level dust: light fittings, picture rails, door tops, coving
- Behind and under the sofa
- Upholstery vacuumed properly, including under the cushions and down the sides
- Carpets professionally cleaned at £35 to £60 a room, or hire a machine
- Window interiors, because December light is poor and dirty glass makes it worse
- Dining table and chairs, including the legs and underneath
- Any glassware and serving dishes that have been in a cupboard all year
Guest room, if you have one
- Mattress vacuumed, turned and aired
- Bedding washed, including the spare set nobody has used since last Christmas
- Wardrobe and drawer interiors emptied and wiped, so guests have somewhere to put things
- Under the bed
- Window and curtains
- Check the radiator works, before the night someone is sleeping there
Late November: the boring but useful jobs
- Wash or clean curtains and blinds
- Clean windows, inside and out if weather allows
- Sort the coat cupboard, because eight extra coats need somewhere to go
- Clear the entrance hall, which is where the first impression happens
- Wash spare towels and bedding
- Clean the bins and the bin store
- Check and clean outdoor lighting and the path, since people will arrive in the dark
- Service or at least dust the vacuum: filter washed, brush bar cleared
Two weeks before: logistics rather than cleaning
- Clear the surfaces you will actually need: the dining table, kitchen worktops, the hall table
- Make space in the fridge and freezer now
- Find the decorations and check what still works before the week you need them
- Bulk buy cleaning basics, because running out of bin bags on 27 December is its own small crisis
- Check you have enough tea towels, which is always the shortage nobody predicts
- Empty the vacuum and wash its filter so it works when you need it most
- Order anything you need delivered, before delivery slots disappear
The week before: light touch only
Resist the urge to start a project. At this point you are maintaining, not resetting.
- Bathrooms properly, the day before guests arrive
- Kitchen surfaces and floor
- Vacuum throughout
- Fresh towels and bedding
- Mirrors and any glass
- Wipe the front door and clear the doormat
- Quick wipe of light switches and door handles
That is a two hour job in a house that was deep cleaned in November. It is a two day job in one that was not, and that is the entire argument for the November session.
Christmas Eve
Three things, and they matter more than any amount of polishing:
- Worktops clear
- Dishwasher empty
- Bins empty, with spare bags to hand
An empty dishwasher on Christmas morning is worth more than a spotless skirting board.
Between Christmas and New Year
The kitchen takes a battering, so a few habits keep it manageable:
- Wipe the hob and oven while still warm. Roasting fat that is wiped warm takes seconds. The same fat baked on for a week takes an hour
- Deal with the tablecloth promptly. Red wine and gravy set permanently if left
- Get recycling out early, since collections are disrupted and cardboard accumulates alarmingly fast
- Run the dishwasher on a hot cycle with a cleaner after a week of heavy use
- Ventilate. Houses full of people, cooking and closed windows get stale quickly
Early January
This is the natural time for the reset that carries you to spring. Decorations down, everything vacuumed underneath them, and a proper airing of the house after weeks of closed windows and heating.
It is also the cheapest and most available time of year to book a cleaner, since demand collapses after the peak.
If you are booking help
Book in October for a November slot. December is the busiest month of the year for domestic cleaning and the last two weeks are often fully committed by mid-November.
A deep clean for a typical family home runs roughly £165 to £350 and takes a team of two five to seven hours. Carpets are separate at around £35 to £60 a room, and hot water extraction wants a couple of days to dry fully, which is another argument for November rather than the week before guests arrive.
If the budget is limited, prioritise in this order:
- Oven, because it is about to work hard and because it is the worst job to do yourself
- Carpets, because they are the largest visible surface and the hardest to improve without equipment
- Guest bathroom, because it is the room visitors are alone in with time to look around
- High level dust, because it is what makes a room feel genuinely clean rather than tidy
The thing that matters most
Guests form their impression in the hall and the bathroom. Not the kitchen, not the lounge. The hall, because it is the first thing they see, and the bathroom, because it is the only room they are alone in.
If December gets away from you entirely and you have two hours, spend them there.
Frequently asked questions
When should I book a cleaner for Christmas? October for a November slot. December availability is usually gone by mid-November.
Is it worth cleaning carpets before Christmas? Yes, if done in November. They need two to six hours to dry properly, and longer in winter with windows shut.
What if I am hosting at short notice? Bathrooms, hall, kitchen worktops, floors. In that order. Skip everything else.
Should I clean before or after decorating the tree? Before. Vacuuming around a tree with presents under it is miserable, and needles will keep falling regardless.
How do I deal with the post-Christmas kitchen? Wipe things warm rather than waiting. Run the dishwasher hot with a cleaner. Get the recycling out early.
