After a year of COVID restrictions and no visitors, Aussies are scrambling to get the house and yard ‘party season ready’.

With travel restrictions now lifting, Aussies hosting the family Christmas get together this year are bound to be feeling the pre-party time squeeze. It’s no secret that getting the house and yard ready to accommodate all the family, food and festivities is a mighty task.

With one in ten (12%) Aussies intending to spend more this Christmas , and with families now able to travel within Australia for the occasion, busy Christmas celebrations will soon be upon us.

However, prepping the house, kitchen, and garden to host the family, big or small, can feel like a daunting task for Aussies who work all the way up to Christmas time.

Cleaning tips

Check out these pre-Christmas cleaning must-dos, as well as some sneaky tips and tricks for getting them done.

Clean out and re-organise out yourfridge and pantry:

Shockingly, new research from Fantastic Services Group reveals that one in five (21%) Aussies never clean their fridges or pantries (18%).

With food abound at Christmas time, these areas are set to cop a beating and definitely deserve a pre-Christmas deep clean.

An easy way to clean these spaces more efficiently is to tackle them one shelf at a time. Not only is this method deeply rewarding to see your progress, but also means you have the flexibility to pause and resume as needed rather than having all of your food out and in the way all at once.

Prep the spare room:

Don’t lie, you can’t remember the last time you changed the sheets in the spare room. Sure, they haven’t been used, but there’s nothing your over-night guests will appreciate more than fresh, non-musty sheets after a long day. To win extra hosting-points, make sure you leave towels on the bed and water on the dresser, so your guests don’t have to go hunting for these things later in the evening.

Deep clean your oven:

Concerningly, over a third (38%) of Aussies admit to never cleaning their ovens. Please, the Christmas ham deserves a little more respect than an oven that hasn’t been cleaned since it’s installation! Deep cleaning the oven is far easier than it sounds and can be done easily by mixing a half a cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water to make a thick paste. Spread this paste all over the walls, base and roof of the oven, then leave it overnight. While you wait, you can soak and scrub the trays with warm water and steel wool. Once the solution has sat overnight, wipe off all of the paste with a wet rag, and finish up by spraying the oven all over with white vinegar before replacing the clean trays.

Give the garden some love:

Iconic Aussie Christmas’ often take place in the backyard, but with one in ten (13%) Aussies despising gardening, it’s bound to need some love before the family arrives. It’s been a dry and hot spring and summer promises no better. Thankfully, grass is pretty resilient, and with a good water and some liquid fertiliser, you can definitely have your lawn looking lush again by Christmas. However, if overgrown trees, weeds and shrubs have taken over and are too much to confront alone, there is absolutely no harm in hiring a professional to handle that for you.

Freshen up the bathroom:

With so many people coming and going, the bathroom is going to need to be in tip-top shape to stand up to a busy few days. Also, your Gran deserves a clean loo on Christmas day. Don’t be afraid to get into all the nooks and crannies when cleaning the bathroom, and especially the toilet – it might take a little longer but it’ll be worth it and will give you more time in between cleans.

Hire some help!

Fortunately for the quarter (23%) of Aussies who are just too busy to clean, there is an abundance of cleaning and gardening services readily available to take care of all of these Christmas deep cleaning and gardening must-dos for us. Treat yourself to an early Christmas present – hire a professional to get the house cleaned up for you while you’re at work so you can spend your spare time shopping, cooking and spending time with your family!

With Santa’s sleigh fast approaching, Fantastic Services Group is encouraging Aussies to get on top of their pre-Christmas home preparations
before it’s too late!