Christmas Cleaning Checklist: Printable Area By Area Guide
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Is the idea of hosting your extended family and friends stressing you out? This Christmas cleaning guide will help get your entire home sparkling for the holiday season! Grab my free printable Christmas cleaning checklist below and work through each area so your house is guest-ready and you get to skip the dreaded overwhelm!
With Christmas day just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to start preparing your home for the extra guests, holiday parties, and simply being able to relax when you come home from each and every event on your calendar. This guide covers the essential cleaning tasks, decluttering tips, and quick refreshes to make your home feel festive and inviting.
Keep reading to make your Christmas cleaning as simple as possible to take the stress out of your holiday prep so you can relax, spend quality time with loved ones, and truly enjoy the season’s magic.

Should You Declutter For Christmas?
Before we jump into our holiday cleaning guide, let’s talk clutter. The first step to cleaning is always to delcutter. If you’re kicking off your Christmas clean just a few days before entertaining, let’s be realistic – you don’t have a lot of time to do a full declutter!
Instead, focus on obvious clutter that is stressing you out or creating an ugly mess in the areas you know your family and friends will be seeing.
That means all trash and broken items go straight into the bin. It also means if you’ve got donations sitting around your home that you haven’t yet donated – do it now! Get them out of your house ASAP.
Put anything that you don’t want to declutter into their correct places, such as kids toys in their toy boxes, or sports equipment out of the hallway and back in the garage. For anything that hasn’t yet got a designated place in your house, find a box to put those items and pop them out of sight until after Christmas.
These simple steps will already have your home looking tidier and your stress levels coming down a tad.
Of course, if you’ve got plenty of time, check out my 30-day declutter challenge for a huge pre-Christmas decluttering or my full house room-by-room declutter guide.
Create Your Christmas Cleaning Kit

One of my favourite home cleaning hacks is having a cleaning caddy ready to go with all your favourite cleaning products. This is the perfect way to make your holiday clean even quicker.
Use a little tub with a handle (make sure it’s sturdy) and fill it with all your essential cleaning supplies – all-purpose cleaning, bathroom cleaner, glass cleaner, microfibre cloths, white vinegar, baking soda and anything else you know you will be using as you go room to room around your entire house.
And of course, having your vacuum cleaner fully charged (or extension cord ready for plug-in) and clean mop pads ready to go.
My cleaning caddy essentials include:
- The Pink Stuff Cleaning Paste – For tough surfaces like hot plates and ovens.
- The Pink Stuff Miracle Cream Cleaner – Great all-purpose cleaner for bathrooms and kitchens.
- Magic Erasers – Use magic erasers to scrub scuff marks off walls.
- Scrub Mummy Sponges– These are amazing & can be sanitised in the dishwasher!
- Cleaning cloths – Microfibre and antibacterial cleaning cloths are a great option for cleaning most surfaces in the home. They can be washed and reused.
- Scourer or scrubbing brush – Sometimes you need to put in a little extra elbow grease and these scrubbing tools will help.
- Degreaser & dishwashing liquid – Whichever products you prefer to use to cut through grease.
The Ultimate Christmas Cleaning Checklist
If the thought of cleaning your entire house in time for Christmas sounds incredibly overwhelming, don’t worry—you’re not alone! This Christmas cleaning planner breaks down each task room by room, making it easy to tackle your holiday prep in manageable steps.
Better still, get your family members involved since more hands mean less time for your cleaning process and more time for holiday festivities!

1. Living Room
The living room is the heart of holiday gatherings and one of the areas you will likely be spending a lot of time during the holiday season. Give it some extra attention with these tasks:
- Declutter areas: Remove any unnecessary clutter from the space or anything that does not belong.
- Dust & Wipe All Furniture and Decor: Dust every surface, including shelves, tables, and decorations.
- Organise Display Shelves: Arrange Christmas decorations and tidy up regular items.
- Wash Pillow Covers & Throws: Freshen up soft items for a cozy feel and to get rid of any dust bunnies that might be lurking.
- Clean Mirrors: Brighten the space by cleaning mirrors, television screens and reflective surfaces.
- Clean Rugs & Carpets: Vacuum thoroughly, and spot-clean or steam-clean if needed.
- Dust Ceilings: Use a duster or vacuum extension to remove cobwebs and dust from corners of the room.
- Wipe Doors & Windows: Clean glass surfaces to let in natural light.
- Clean Light Switches & Fixtures: Wipe high-touch areas to remove fingerprints and dust off your light fixtures and ceiling fans.
- Vacuum & Mop Floor: Finish with a thorough floor cleaning for a polished look.
Checklist:
- Dust and wipe furniture, decor, and shelves
- Wash pillow covers and throws
- Clean mirrors, rugs, and carpets
- Dust ceilings and clean doors/windows
- Wipe light switches and fixtures
- Vacuum and mop floor
2. Kitchen & Dining
The kitchen will be bustling during the holidays with lots of holiday food preparation happening and possibly a bit of socialising taking place here too, so make sure it’s clean and ready. There is nothing worse than planning to cook your Christmas feast, only to realise you have a dirty oven. Ick! Even worse if your Mother-in-law is popping her famous Christmas casserole in there to reheat!
You can also check out my kitchen deep cleaning guide for a more thorough step by step:
- Wash Dishes: Start with an empty sink and dishwasher.
- Empty & Clean Dishwasher: Run a cleaning cycle for freshness since you want your dishwasher running at optimal capacity for the extra loads it will be doing.
- Clean Kitchen Appliances: Wipe down the stove, clean the oven (or activate your self-cleaning oven if you have one), clean the microwave, remove toaster crumb trays and wipe down other appliances.
- Clean Fridge: Clear old food, wipe shelves, and make room for holiday items. Do this before you do your Christmas food shop.
- Refill Stock & Organise Pantry: Restock essentials and organise pantry items so you can easily find ingredients within your pantry.
- Clean Sink, Faucet & Drain: Scrub the sink and faucet thoroughly. Use drain cleaner or natural ingredients such as baking powder and vinegar to freshen drains.
- Clean Chairs & Dining Table: Dust and wipe dining furniture. Spot clean any fabric stains or wash chair cushions.
- Empty Trash & Change Bin Liners: Dispose of trash and replace liners. Give your bins a thorough wash and dry if needed.
- Clean Cupboards & Drawers: Give all the kitchen surfaces such as cupboard doors, drawers and handles a wipe down. Do the baseboards and under-cabinet areas too.
- Vacuum & Mop Floor: Finish with a spotless floor.
Checklist:
- Empty the dishwasher and wash the dishes
- Clean appliances, fridge, and pantry
- Scrub sink, faucet, and drain
- Dust and wipe chairs and dining table
- Wipe down cupboards and drawers.
- Empty trash and vacuum/mop floor
3. Bedroom
If you’re short on time, the bedrooms are one of the less important areas to tidy with the exception of your guest room if you have friends or family coming to stay. Give each bedroom a seasonal refresh for a cozy and comfortable feel:
- Strip & Change Sheets: Freshen up linens, especially in guest bedrooms.
- Dust & Wipe All Furniture and Decor: Clean nightstands, dressers, and surfaces.
- Clean Organisers & Bins: Tidy up storage containers.
- Wash Pillow Covers & Throws: Clean fabric items to reduce dust.
- Clean Sheets, Blankets, or Duvets: Launder all bedding.
- Wipe Doors & Windows: Clean windows and wood surfaces.
- Dust Ceilings & Remove Cobwebs: Clear out any cobwebs.
- Empty Trash: Empty bins and replace liners.
- Vacuum & Mop Floor: Vacuum carpets and mop hard surfaces.
Checklist:
- Change sheets and wash bedding
- Dust and wipe furniture, decor, and windows
- Tidy organisers and empty trash
- Dust ceilings
- Vacuum/mop floor
4. Bathroom
Your bathroom is one of those places that gets a lot of use if you’re planning to entertain over the holidays and it’s somewhere that will need to be maintained with regular quick cleans once your big bathroom deep clean is done. Get your bathroom guest-ready with these essential cleaning steps:
- Clean & Disinfect Sink and Faucets: Scrub sinks and faucets to remove grime.
- Clean Shower Walls & Floor: Remove soap scum and mildew.
- Clean Toilet Bowl – Lid & Base: Clean the entire toilet thoroughly.
- Clean Counters & Mirrors: Wipe counters and polish mirrors.
- Wipe Cabinets & Sanitise Knobs: Disinfect handles and cabinet surfaces.
- Clean Shower Curtain & Bathmats: Freshen up or replace these items.
- Replace Towels – Hand & Bath: Clean towels and stock fresh towels for guests to use, including hand towels.
- Restock Supplies & Toilet Paper: Ensure enough essentials like hand soap and tissues and fill your toilet paper storage with extra rolls.
- Empty Trash & Change Bin Liners: Clear out trash and replace liners.
Checklist:
- Disinfect sink, faucets, and shower area
- Clean toilet, counters, mirrors, and cabinets
- Wash bathmats
- Replace towels
- Restock essentials
- Empty trash and replace bin liners
5. Outdoors
Welcome guests with a tidy and inviting outdoor area. This includes your front entry way where guests will be coming and going, as well as any outdoor areas if you plan to entertain outdoors. This is more relevant to those of us who live in the Southern Hemisphere with Summer at Christmas time, but always good to be prepared no matter your climate:
- Declutter & Tidy Outdoor Areas: Put away unnecessary items.
- Mow Lawns: Freshly cut grass makes a great impression.
- Tidy Garden Beds: Remove dead plants and weeds and tidy up garden beds.
- Sweep Front Porch: Clear away dust, leaves, and debris from your porch area.
- Dust/Tidy Outdoor Decorations: Clean seasonal decor for a fresh look.
- Shovel Paths/Driveways: If snowy, clear paths for safety.
- Pack Away Outdoor Toys: Store outdoor toys and play equipment to keep the space neat.
- Wipe Down Front Door: Clean the door to remove fingerprints or dust.
- Clean External Windows: Wipe down windows.
Checklist:
- Declutter and tidy outdoor areas
- Mow lawns, tidy garden beds, and sweep porch
- Clean outdoor decorations and clear paths
- Wipe front door and clean external windows
6. Other Areas
This last section is everything else that doesn’t have its own category above. These are the miscellaneous Christmas cleaning tasks that might not always be relevant to your situation but are good to have. This is also the section to add any extra tasks that you want to add to your Christmas to do list for a fully refreshed home:
- Clean Mudroom/Entryway: Organise shoes, coats, and reduce clutter.
- Make Space for Guest Bags & Coats: Clear an area for guests’ personal belongings.
- Spray Room Freshener/Scented Candle: Add a seasonal scent just before your guests are expected to arrive to add to the festive atmosphere.
- Tidy Other Areas Guests Will Be Using: Double-check common areas to make sure there are no messy surprises.
- Set Up Entertaining Areas: Arrange spaces for holiday gatherings – table settings, extra seating etc.
Checklist:
- Organise mudroom/entryway for guests
- Prepare space for guest belongings
- Freshen rooms with scent
- Tidy common and entertaining areas
Free Printable Christmas Cleaning Checklist

If you prefer a printable checklist you can check off as you go (I sure do), then make sure you grab my free printable holiday cleaning checklist. It has all the to-do list items covered in the room-by-room guide above to help keep you focused and motivated.
You will find this free printable cleaning checklist in my free printable resource library – along with loads of other Christmas printables!
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I hope these tips and the printable Christmas cleaning list make your holiday prep feel easier and more manageable! And for the rest of your Christmas prep, make sure you check out my huge Christmas to-do list too!
Now that you have a complete guide to prep your home for the holidays, you’re ready to kick back and enjoy the festive season with loved ones. Which room will you tackle first?
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