December House Cleaning Checklist: 15 Ways to Survive the Holidays
December is not the month to deep-clean your house. December is the month your house gets used, hard: guests, cooking, packages, wrapping paper, cookie crumbs and a tree shedding needles in the living room like it's paid by the needle.
So forget scrubbing grout. This month's goal is simple: keep the rooms that matter working, stop the clutter at the door, and get to January without needing a hazmat team.
Here are the 15 things that actually matter.
1. Keep the Entryway Under Control
Give it five minutes a day:
- Put shoes, coats and bags where they belong.
- Get packages out of the doorway.
- Shake out or vacuum the mat, then sweep.
- Leave a few empty hooks or hangers for guests' coats.
This is hospitality at its most basic: people can get into your house.
2. Stay Ahead of the Kitchen
After every big cooking session, do a quick reset:
- Run the dishwasher, or unload it so it's empty.
- Wash the pans that are too big to fit.
- Wipe the counters, the sink and the stovetop.
- Sweep up the crumbs.
- Take out the trash.
You're not aiming for spotless. You need a kitchen you can use again tomorrow morning.
3. Clean the Refrigerator Before It Becomes a Storage Crisis
Once a week, pull out spoiled food and leftovers nobody's going to eat. Wipe spills when they happen, before they turn into shelf glue.
Use up or toss cooked leftovers within 3 to 4 days. And label your containers. "Mystery bowl" is not a food group.
4. Keep the Guest Bathroom Ready
Every few days, do a two-minute check:
- Wipe the sink, faucet and mirror.
- Swish the toilet.
- Empty the trash.
- Swap in fresh hand towels.
- Refill the soap.
- Put backup toilet paper where guests can see it, not wherever the spare toilet paper usually hides.
- Give the floor a quick sweep.
- For a deeper clean, visit our Bathroom Cleaning & Organizing Guide
5. Vacuum the Main Traffic Areas
Vacuum or sweep the rooms everyone walks through: the entry, kitchen, living room, hallways, dining area and wherever guests sleep. Do this twice a week, and more often if you have a real tree. Those needles get everywhere.
Skip the rooms nobody's using. Civilization will survive.
6. Reset the Living Room Every Evening
Set a timer for 10 minutes before bed. Return the dishes to the kitchen. Fold the throws, fluff the cushions, and toss the trash. Put the toys back in their bin.
Don't organize. Reset. Tomorrow-you will be grateful.
7. Keep the Holiday Decorations Safe and Contained
Once the decorations are up, get the empty bins and boxes out of the way. Stack them in a closet or the garage so they're ready for January.
Then run the safety check:
- Water a real tree every day. A dry tree catches fire fast. Cut an inch or two off the trunk before you set it up, and check the water level daily.
- Keep the tree at least 3 feet from heat: fireplaces, radiators, space heaters, heat vents and candles.
- Check light strings for frayed wires, cracked sockets and loose connections. Toss any damaged set. Turn the tree lights off when you go to bed or leave the house.
- Keep walkways and exits clear. No garlands or extension cords across doorways.
- Keep breakables, tinsel, and small ornaments with hooks above the reach of little kids and pets.
More holiday safety is in my Home Safety guide.
8. Create One Place for Incoming Packages
Choose one delivery spot: a bench, a shelf or a corner of the garage. Open packages the day they arrive. Flatten the boxes for recycling, or stack the return boxes together so they're ready to go.
Don't let empty shipping boxes build a small cardboard city in the hallway. They will elect a mayor.
9. Set Up a Gift-Wrapping Zone
Put the paper, tape, scissors, ribbon, tags and unwrapped gifts in one bin or one corner. When you're done wrapping, put the scissors back in the bin. Every time.
Wrapping paper has no natural predator. Without a fence, it takes over the house.
10. Do a Toy and Kid-Stuff Sweep
Before new toys arrive, take 15 minutes to clear out the old ones. Pull anything broken, missing pieces, outgrown or unplayed-with. Donate what still works, and toss or recycle the rest.
Kids will help if you call it "making room for new stuff."
11. Keep Laundry Moving
Run one load a day instead of a mountain on Saturday. And finish the whole cycle: wash, dry, fold, put away.
A basket of clean clothes sitting in the bedroom for eight days is not technically a finished load of laundry.
12. Check Holiday Table Linens Before You Need Them
A week before any holiday meal, pull out the tablecloth, napkins, serving pieces and good glasses. Look for stains, wrinkles and that closet smell. Wash or press anything that needs it.
The night before the party is not the time to discover that twelve wineglasses are wearing twelve months of dust.
13. Clean Up Spills and Stains Fast
Holiday spills are a guaranteed attraction: red wine, gravy, cranberry sauce, candle wax, and mystery substances introduced by children.
- Blot. Don't rub. Rubbing spreads the stain and pushes it deeper.
- Treat it with a remover made for that stain and that fabric.
- Check that it's gone before the item goes in the dryer. Heat sets most stains for good.
For stain-by-stain help, see my Laundry and Stain Removal guide.
For specific treatments, see my Laundry & Stain Removal Guide.
14. Do a 15-Minute Clutter Reset
Set a timer, grab a bag and a basket, and sweep the main rooms. Trash goes in the bag. Mail, dishes and anything that lives somewhere else goes in the basket, then back home.
Skip any decision that takes more than a minute. We're clearing the coffee table, not sorting the family photo archive. Stay focused.
15. Do a Post-Holiday Reset
When the big day is over, clear the mess first: dishes, trash, wrapping paper, boxes. The decorations can come down gradually over the next week or two.
The tree is not an emergency. The leftover ham is.
A note on wrapping paper: Don't burn it in the fireplace. It flares up fast and can start a chimney fire. Recycle the plain paper, and throw out the shiny, foil and glitter kinds.
Holiday Safety Check
December has more candles, cooking, space heaters and fireplace fires than any other month. Take ten minutes:
- Test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Push the button. If it doesn't chirp, replace the battery today.
- Blow out candles when you leave the room, and keep them a foot away from anything that can burn.
- Give space heaters 3 feet of clearance from anything that can burn. Plug them straight into the wall, not an extension cord.
- Use a fireplace screen. Put cooled ashes in a metal can with a lid, and keep it outside, away from the house.
- Keep button batteries away from kids. They're in remotes, toys, greeting cards and key fobs, and they cause serious injuries if swallowed. If you think a child swallowed one, go to the ER right away, and call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 on the way.
- Watch the holiday plants and treats around pets. Lilies are deadly to cats. Holly, mistletoe and chocolate are trouble for dogs and cats. If your pet gets into something, call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435.
Your Quick December Cleaning Checklist
• Clear the entryway daily (5 minutes)
• Reset the kitchen after every big cooking session
• Clean out the fridge weekly
• Check the guest bath every few days
• Vacuum the high-traffic areas twice a week
• Do a 10-minute living room reset every night
• Put away decoration boxes and run the safety check
• Set up one spot for packages
• Set up one gift-wrapping zone
• Do a toy sweep before new toys arrive
• Run one load of laundry a day, start to finish
• Check table linens a week before
• Blot spills immediately, and don't dry stained items until the stain is out
• Do a 15-minute clutter reset
• Do a post-holiday reset: mess first, decorations later
• Test the smoke and CO alarms
December House Cleaning FAQ
How do I keep my house clean during the holidays?
Skip the deep cleaning and focus on daily resets. Spend 5 minutes on the entryway, reset the kitchen after you cook, and do a 10-minute living room tidy each night. Give packages and wrapping supplies one spot each, so clutter stays contained.
What should I clean before Christmas guests arrive?
The guest bathroom first, then the kitchen, the visible clutter, the main floors and the entryway. Skip the rooms guests won't see.
How often should I water a Christmas tree?
Check it every day, and keep the water above the bottom of the trunk. A fresh tree can drink a gallon or more a day the first week. If the water drops below the cut, the trunk seals over and the tree stops drinking.
When should I take down Christmas decorations?
Whenever it suits you. Clear the dishes, trash and wrapping paper first, then take the decorations down gradually. Just don't leave a real tree up once it's dry. The needles fall off and it becomes a fire hazard.
Start the New Year Ahead
My book The Daily Home Reset gives you a 15-minute daily routine that keeps the house under control in December, and every other month too.
And when January comes and you're ready to deal with the closets you've been ignoring, Room by Room helps you clear the clutter, let go of the guilt and reclaim your home, one room at a time.
Keep Going
You made it through December. Stay ahead of the mess all winter with these related guides:
• November House Cleaning Checklist: The pre-holiday prep that makes December a lot easier.
• Weekly House Cleaning Checklist: A simple weekly routine for after the decorations come down.
• Elegant Christmas Decorating Ideas: 20 simple ways to make the house look festive without the fuss.
• Kitchen Cleaning and Organizing: Keep the hardest-working room in the house running through the holidays.
• Bathroom Cleaning and Organizing: Keep the guest bath ready for company all season long.
• Laundry and Stain Removal: Get out red wine, gravy, candle wax and every other holiday spill.
• How to Declutter Your Home: Your January plan for the closets, garage and everything else that waited.
• Safe at Home: Fire safety, smoke alarms and keeping the whole family safe through the holidays.
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- December Cleaning Checklist
