New research found that Brits spend an average of four and a half hours cleaning their homes ready for Christmas day, with just under half saying this was to prepare for guests
As the festive season approaches and many homes are set to welcome guests, there is a pressure to ensure the house is in a spick and span condition. A recent survey of 2,000 people by AO.com found that a whopping 89% of us confess to spending extra time cleaning during the Christmas period. The study showed that Brits dedicate an average of four and a half hours to sprucing up their homes for ready for the big day.
Just under (47%) admitted that they went to these lengths in preparation for visitors, while more than half (56%) confessed that they could only unwind at home once it was clean. However, it seems many of us are pressed for time to do a thorough job, with 40% resorting to hiding mess rather than properly tidying up and almost a quarter (24%) opt for a fabric freshening spray instead of washing their clothes or textiles.
If you’re hosting Christmas this year then there are many jobs around the home to tick off before December 25, from cleaning the bathroom and windows to mopping floors and vacuuming carpets. But there’s one essential job that needs doing if Christmas dinner to run as smoothly as possible – making sure your fridge is clean and tidy. You need to make plenty of space for all the Christmas food going to be kept in the fridge beforehand – a turkey being the big one, literally. It was found that more than half of us (52%) ensure we give the fridge a good clean in time for the festivities.
So it’s time bid farewell to all the half-eaten jars of chutney and jams that have been shoved to the back of the fridge and forgotten about. Sticky condiments like these, for example, can cause a mess in the fridge over time. And while Dr Beckmann’s fridge cleaner is a reasonably priced and food-safe solution for sprucing up your refrigerator, using baking soda instead for cleaning or lemon for deodorising is an alternative and thrifty option, according to Real Homes.
Elsewhere in the kitchen, making sure the oven is clean is also important in preparation for cooking Christmas dinner. Exactly half of us carry out this task, which can seem like a difficult job to do properly – especially if the racks and base have been left with food debris on them throughout the year. However, one simple oven cleaning hack involves using only water. An expert advised: “Fill an oven-safe bowl with water, place inside with the door closed and leave for 45 minutes. Allow your oven to cool and wipe away the loosened dirt with a clean cloth. Shelves can be cleaned by dissolving 250g of soda crystals in hot water, soaking the shelves and scrubbing them with a kitchen foil ball.”
