8 household and cleaning jobs to tackle now before Christmas

As we start to chuck Halloween pumpkins away, attention has quickly swivelled towards Christmas, with shops already packing their shelves with festive gifts and decorations.

Although it might feel too early to put up your Christmas tree, there are plenty of cleaning jobs to tick off this November before the festivities start to ramp up.

Here are eight household chores to tackle now during the quieter season before the fast-approaching holiday rush begins…

1. Make some room in the freezer

It’s common to forget about the freezer until you are confronted with overflowing shelves of mystery food just before Christmas.

“Go into the freezer and have a proper clear-out before all the Christmas food starts to arrive,” recommends cleaning and organising expert and Sunday Times bestselling author Gemma Bray, also known as The Organised Mum.

She suggests getting creative with your meal planning to clear out as much freezer food as possible before Christmas.

“This will help you save money [on food] that you can repurpose towards your Christmas budget, and will also free up room in the freezer for all of the festive goodies that will come in,” explains Bray.

2. Clean the fridge

“Give the fridge a proper clean and check the dates of everything in there,” advises Bray. “Wipe the shelves down and clear some space.

“You might want to consider dedicating a whole shelf or drawer in the fridge for Christmas goodies.”

3. Prepare the guest room for visitors

If you are expecting visitors over the Christmas holidays, make sure the guest bedrooms are ready for their arrival.

“Go into any guest bedrooms that might be used during the Christmas period and sort out anything in there that might have been neglected over the year,” recommends Bray.

Check to see if all the laundry is up to date.

“Make sure you have got enough clean bedding for visitors and you might also need to give the pillows a wash if they need a refresh,” says Bray. “You could also turn the mattress around and give the room a really good airing.”

Plus, don’t forget about the wardrobe or chest of drawers.

“Clear some space so that your guests have room to hang up their clothes,” suggests Bray.

4. Test alarms

“Test all the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in your house,” recommends Bray. “Do it now before it completely goes off your radar.”

5. Get on top of all the festive laundry

If you store all your Christmassy table cloths, napkins and bedding in the attic, they might be a bit musty and in need of a quick wash.

“Get on top of all the festive laundry. For example, if you want to swap out your normal bedding for Christmas bedding, get it out of storage now, refreshen it up and give it a wash,” advises Bray.

You might also want to check everyone’s Christmas jumpers.

“No one wants to discover that their Christmas jumper smells a bit musty from last year the night before Christmas Jumper Day,” says Bray.

6. Go through old toys

Declutter now before the Christmas toy tidal wave arrives.

“Get rid of any broken toys and donate anything that they have grown out of,” recommends Bray. “If you have time, you might also want to consider listing some items on selling sites.”

7. Restock the medicine cabinet

“Restock the medicine cabinet and make sure that you order any repeat prescriptions nice and early to avoid the pre-Christmas rush,” advises Bray.

8. Stock up on batteries and lightbulbs

“Make sure you have got all of the batteries and spare lightbulbs that you might need,” advises Bray. “You don’t want to be rushing out on the 22nd of December to get some batteries or to replace the bulb in the kitchen.”

Furthermore, Bray recommends casting your mind back to last year’s festivities.

“Think about what worked last year and what didn’t,” says Bray. “What did you overbuy? What did you wish you had bought more of? This will help you avoid repeating the same mistakes and might potentially help you save some time and money.”