Christmas is just around the corner, and while you’re busy buying presents, planning for the arrival of family and trying to prepare your home for the festive season, you can often get bogged down and end up feeling anything but Christmassy. But fear not, Domestic Innovations is here to help you get on top of those cleaning chores so you can sit down with your feet up and a mince pie in hand.

Spruce up the kitchen

One of the main events of the festive period is the Christmas dinner, meaning the kitchen will be hectic come 25th December. To make sure you don’t reach boiling point when you’re cooking your roast, follow these tips for to get your kitchen ready for Christmas:

• Give your oven a clean - when it comes to cooking your turkey, you don’t want the taste of the meat to be hindered by any leftover bits of burnt food that may be in your oven
• Clean your cupboards and fridge - make sure to throw away any out-of-date or unwanted food so you have plenty of room for those Christmas goodies
• Get your glassware sparkling - be sure to check your glassware in advance of any festive parties, so when you’re serving guests a festive classic, such as wine, sherry or a mulled beverage, you’re not left red faced by dirty, cloudy glasses

Time to declutter

Christmas is the perfect excuse to rifle through your cupboards, wardrobes and drawers sorting out those unwanted clothes, toys and knick knacks - after all where are those new items going to go? When it comes to decluttering, place your items into two piles - anything unusable in one pile for the bin and anything that can be used by somebody else in another for the charity shop.

Get on top of the laundry

There’s no worse feeling than realising your favourite dress or shirt is at the bottom of the basket when you want to wear it for a Christmas party. Before the festive season kicks off, try to empty your laundry basket as best as you can, so you’re not left disappointed when it comes to getting your gladrags on. Make sure you’re stocked up on detergent and fabric softener incase you need to do an emergency wash!

Vacuum the living room

There’s no image quite like children (and sometimes the adults) opening their presents on the floor on Christmas morning and you don’t want your memory tarnished by them sitting around in dirt and dust. Give your living room a good dusting, polishing and vacuuming a couple of days before the 25th of December will eradicate this problem. If you’re lucky enough to have a dry day, open all the windows in your house to give it a good airing, leaving it smelling naturally fresh.

Create a welcoming environment

As much as you try and plan for the Christmas period right down to every detail, something unexpected will always happen, and it usually involves a family or friend having one too many and being unable to drive home. Whether you’re expecting guests or not, it’s worth making sure your guest rooms are in top shape by following these simple steps:

• Put on fresh sheets - everyone enjoys getting into a bed with a set of fresh sheets, so make sure your guests are sent off to the land of slumber in clean and comfortable bedding
• Make sure to dust and polish - most people’s guest rooms only see use over the festive period, so make sure to dust, polish and vacuum before the big day so the room is clean and inviting
• Check wardrobes and drawers - more often than not you’ll use the guest room to store any unwanted items when you don’t have someone staying over, so be sure to check these before any guests arrive

Don’t forget the bathroom

During the Christmas period, the bathroom can be overlooked when it comes to cleaning as you focus your efforts on the living area and kitchen. However, this room will probably receive the most traffic over December as you entertain family and friends, so ensure your bathroom is as clean and hygienic as possible to stop the spreading of germs.