October is here and with it comes the inevitable onset of the Christmas period. Now that the supermarkets are selling mince pies, and you’ve had a little moan because you can’t believe that the festive season is approaching again so soon, you can actually use it as an opportunity to get organised. You don’t have to have all of your presents bought and wrapped by the weekend, but figuring out the logistics of it all can help to keep you sane whilst everyone else is in a panic.
For me, my personal nightmare is when guests show up unannounced and I haven’t had a chance to properly clean the house. They’re only being kind by dropping off a present or two, but I’m always silently hoping that they don’t need to pop to the toilet during their visit! This year I resolve to do it differently, and have a relatively clean and tidy home the whole way through the festive season. Here’s how I’ll do it…
Vacuum daily
I always find it takes longer to vacuum the dirtier the carpet is. That means I’ll give the house a once-over each and every day – it shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes and will give me a bit of exercise too! I’ve actually just bought a new Hoover; I spent a bit of time looking at lightweightvacuum cleaner that would be up to the job so I didn’t have to lug a heavy appliance up and down the stairs. You could also use a handheld mini-vac but you’ll need to charge it up in between uses.
Use laundry hampers
When you’ve got a house full of kids, clothes seem to be everywhere. I’ve just bought some laundry hampers which are now in every bedroom, as well as the bathroom. This means that dirty clothes and towels are put somewhere discreet rather than being chucked all over the place. It’s also a lot easier to grab the hamper and take it straight to the washing machine rather than bending down under beds to collect dirty socks.
Refresh the bathroom
Our bathroom is in use nearly all the time with three teens and pre-teens in the house. That equates to a lot of empty toilet paper rolls, almost empty shampoo bottles, and countless products everywhere. From now on, empties get put straight in a new bin, and the products get hidden in a cupboard unit we’ve installed. That means I simply have to wipe the sink, bleach the loo and spritz the shower after use. It looks much better and shouldn’t worry me so much when we have guests over.
Keep an eye on the dog
With everything else going on, I’m going to have to pay special attention to the pooch. He loves to go out in the back garden and dig to his heart’s content. I won’t be tolerating muddy paws with my clean carpets so Dougall will have to be cleaned and towelled each time he comes back indoors. He’ll also have a weekly bath!