After Christmas Cleaning Checklist: The First 5 Days
The days after Christmas are strange. The house is full, the schedule is empty, and there is a pile of wrapping in the middle of the living room. It is tempting to leave it all until January, and just as tempting to try to fix everything on one exhausted afternoon.
This checklist takes five short days. Each has one focus, and each ends before you are tired of it. Day 1 is 26 December, and by day 5 the house is ready for the January reset instead of buried under it.
Day 1: contain the mess
Do not clean yet. Contain.
- Break down the boxes and put them in the recycling
- Gather all wrapping into one bag. Check your local rules for what can be recycled, since paper with foil or glitter often cannot
- Put gifts that arrived with packaging into one basket or box, so the floor and surfaces clear
- Take out the trash and the recycling
Day 2: the kitchen and the fridge
- Empty the sink, run the dishwasher and wipe the counters
- Move leftovers to the front of the fridge, or start a "use first" box at eye level
- Bin anything that has been open too long
- Wipe the fridge shelves while they are half empty
- Plan the next three dinners from what is already there
Day 3: the linens
- Strip and wash the guest bedding, then make up the bed or put the clean set away
- Wash the towels used by guests
- Wash the tablecloth and napkins, treating stains before they dry
- Empty the laundry baskets so the weekend does not start with a mountain
The rule that applies here: laundry is finished when it is put away, not when it is dry.
Day 4: homes for the gifts
This is the day that stops the January pile.
- Put each new item in a home before you put it on a shelf. If there is no home, make one or let something older go: one in, one out
- Move clothes into the closet and drawers; send out the clothes that no longer fit
- Move toys to the shelves, rotating the older ones into storage
- Keep a "no home yet" box in one place, with a date by which it must be empty
Day 5: the main rooms
- Vacuum the floors, including under the tree area if you have one
- Wipe the surfaces and straighten the cushions
- Return the dining table and chairs to their usual layout
- Pack decorations when you are ready to take them down, in one labelled box so next year starts easy
After day 5
You now have a clear house and a short list of what is still outstanding. That is the right starting point for January.
- The Sunday home reset keeps the house at this level with two hours a week
- The January reset checklist is a four-week plan that starts with the kitchen and pantry: a good fit if you want a structure rather than a to-do list
If you only have twenty minutes a day
Shorten each day to its single most useful job:
- Day 1: gather the wrapping and boxes into one bag and take it out
- Day 2: clear the sink and counters, and move leftovers to the front of the fridge
- Day 3: start the guest bedding and put it away when it is dry
- Day 4: give every new item a home, or let an old item go
- Day 5: a quick vacuum and a surface wipe in the main room
It does not look like much on paper, but it stops the mess building up over the days when nothing is scheduled.
Reset first, deep clean later
If the surfaces are buried, do not start with a deep clean. The deep clean or home reset test is a useful one: if you would have to move piles to reach the surfaces, reset first and clean second. In the days after Christmas, that usually means a reset.
Common questions
When should I take the decorations down? Whenever suits your household. This checklist works with the decorations up or down; the only task that depends on it is packing them, on day 5.
What do I do with gift boxes and packaging? Keep the packaging of anything you might return until you are sure, since return rules vary by shop. Everything else can go.
Should I clean everything before January? No. Contain, reset the kitchen, wash the linens and find homes for the gifts. The rest belongs to the January reset.
What if I am travelling straight after Christmas? Do days 1 and 2 before you go: the wrapping and the kitchen. They are the two jobs that get worse while you are away.