Festive Cleaning Hacks was paid post in collaboration with Regina Blitz as part of their #TheChristmasClean and #TheStressofMess campaign which has been updated for 2022.  Does getting and keeping the house clean at Christmas cause you stress?  Well, it turns out you are not alone, as according to research carried out by Regina Blitz  63% of UK residents admit they miss out on family time during the festive season because they begin to tidy the house at least a week before the big day. Well, I am here to share some fabulous festive cleaning hacks to reduce the amount of time they spend cleaning the house in preparation for Christmas.

Christmas is a time where my top priority is time to enjoy the celebrations with the rest of the family and getting ahead of the game allows me to be present when we have guests over in the lead-up to Christmas and on the big day itself.  Over the years I have learned that it is not a clean house that people come to see but us as a family, however, I find some planning and preparation gives me peace of mind over the Christmas season.

Focus on areas that will be seen

You certainly don’t need to clean the whole house from top to bottom for the festive season. Instead, just clean the areas that will be used the most over the holidays. This is a busy time of the year and I leave any big clean up until I take the decorations down (all those pineneedles!). I do try to make the door as appealing as possible though.

Get the kids involved

I am a huge fan of delegation and there is no need to be a mum martyr and do it all yourself. Set a timer or put a song on and get the children involved by putting shoes in their rightful place and making sure the toys and games are tidy and their beds are made. If they are cooking or crafting, then they have to help clean up the mess too!

The Decorations

Christmas decorations spend most of their time hidden away in garages or dusty lofts waiting for their five minutes of fame. But there’s no point in having a clean home for Christmas and then hanging up dirty and dusty decorations. So, I make sure I give them a clean before putting them up, that way the dust doesn’t leave the house in instant need of leaning again! Often a quick wipe with dampened Regina Blitz is all that they need. Regina Blitz’s triple layer sheets are super-sized and work brilliantly dampened.

A time for disposables

I am a big fan of using disposables – platters, plates and cutlery if having a family gathering over Christmas (not for Christmas dinner as that is when I get the posh stuff out).  Who wants to be glued to the sink cleaning up after. So I use a foil tray for the turkey and festive disposables for our family Christmas Eve party. In fact this year we are just going to have a pizza party with the pizza cooled in the pizza oven in the garden, paper cups, plates, wooden cutlery and the kitchen roll for cleanups.

Appeal to the Senses

Christmas is all about being a feast to the senses and often it is the smell of mince pies cooking or a pine from the real tree that people will notice about your home first, but that doesn’t mean that you have to be permanently glued to the cooker or have a real tree. I love to use candles to bring the scent of the festive season to our home at this time of year and appeal
to the senses of people as they walk in the door. If you are not keen on scented candles then try popping cinnamon, orange peel, cloves and water to a pan and heating on the stove.

My Number One tip for Cleaning Glitter

I am a big fan of glitter but do know that it can get everywhere, which is why I am willing to share my secret tip for cleaning glitter that stopped me stressing about it. There is nothing worse than cleaning glitter off surfaces most of the time you just end up moving it rather than lifting it, so the secret is taking a piece of kitchen paper and then spraying it with hairspray and using that to wipe the top.  Et voila clean top and all the glitter ends up on the kitchen roll for you to pop in the bin.  It works on clothes too.

Regina Blitz is available to buy from all leading supermarkets as well as independent retailers priced from £2.50 (RRP).