How to get your home guest-ready for Christmas with minimal time

With plans made for our first Christmas out of lockdown and new research suggesting that increased cleaning standards are a side effect of the pandemic, it’s no wonder than one in 10 of us feel anxious about how much time we have to clean our homes this festive period.

In fact, one third of Brits cleaned their home more as a result of being locked down during the pandemic, with the average person adding 40 minutes to their household cleaning regime, bringing the average to 111 minutes per week.

But fear not, we’ve partnered with cleaning expert and TV personality, Iwan Carrington to come up with eight top tips to help you clean smarter, not harder, as you prepare to host guests once again this Christmas.

1. Clean lines: Take out your vacuum cleaner and use the brush attachment to go over any fabrics such as the sofa, rug or carpet to add those ‘freshly cleaned’ lines.

2. Hide the clutter: Keep a clutter basket that you can take around the house, throwing in anything that looks untidy or is in the wrong place. Pop it into the bottom of a wardrobe to be organised later.

3. Bathroom spruce up: Remove dust and soap scum by quickly giving all the surfaces in your bathroom a quick wipedown with a piece of toilet paper. Once finished, fold over the edge of the roll to give your bathroom that hotel feel.

4. Festive smells: Make your home smell festive by throwing some oranges, cloves and cinnamon into a slow cooker, add water and set to low for a couple of hours.

5. All in one: Make your own multi-purpose spray that can be used to clean most surfaces by mixing white vinegar, water, a dash of washing up liquid and a few drops of essential oil.

6. Speedy dusting: Reduce dusting times by using an old sock as a duster. It can go over your hand, making it easier to remove the dust from ornaments, blinds and the tops of picture frames.

7. Vacuum routine: Ensure you utilise all of the vacuum attachments and start up high at the furthest corner of the room from the door and work your way back out.

8. Dump the dishes: Collect any crockery from the sides and put it in the sink with hot soapy water, ready to be washed at a more convenient time.

When it comes to cleaning your home in as little time as possible, it’s important to have a lightweight, versatile, vacuum cleaner that’s suitable for all surfaces. The Bosch Unlimited Serie 6 is the lightest handheld in our range, weighing as little as 1.4kg.