Are you ready for the Great Christmas Clean Up?

Even though it should be the most wonderful time of the year, the festive holiday period can also bring some pressures with shopping, cooking and preparing the home in readiness for the big day stretching your finances and your time.

A recent survey reveals that UK home-owners may benefit from taking a leaf out of our North American counter-parts’ book this holiday season, with survey participants reporting that keeping the house clean is the best way to find solace and keep your sanity intact while making room for

Santa Claus, family and friends!

Rather than succumbing to social pressures, most (77%) in North America are wielding mops and dusters to combat holiday stress, transforming the chore of cleaning into a form of festive self-care.

Conducted on behalf of floorcare specialists, Bona, the survey findings challenge the age-old notion that holiday cleaning is a frantic rush to impress the in-laws. Instead, it seems people are tackling holiday stress head-on, increasingly viewing holiday cleaning as a form of self-care during a hectic time of year.

Despite the general drive toward cleaning for self-care, there are still those that feel angst when hosting guests over the holidays. Sixty-five percent of those surveyed ranked their mother in the top three for causing the most anxiety about their home cleanliness.

Surprisingly, friends (27%) ranked just as high as mothers (27%) as the number one anxiety-causing guest. Neighbours (20%) and mothers-in-law (15%) rounded out the list.

Commenting on the survey, Bona UK’s Marketing Manager, Leanne Garvie sayid: “The holiday season is a time for joy and togetherness, but it can also bring stress, particularly when it comes to preparing our homes for guests.

"While many clean for their own peace of mind, there’s still a significant portion who worry about being judged.”

“The survey shows that cleaning isn’t just about appearances. It’s a proactive step people can take to create a sense of order and calm in their lives, with most age groups in the survey viewing holiday household chores as a form of stress management during the busy festive period, rather than purely obligatory ones.”

Across age groups, Gen Z (33%) was most likely to clean their homes to dodge potential guest judgment. Meanwhile, the Boomer generation is sweeping away stress, with 85% of these seasoned cleaners sprucing up their spaces purely for their own peace of mind, proving that with age comes not just wisdom, but self-assurance.

Bona, has over 100 years’ experience in cleaning and caring for wood and hard floors. Committed to helping home owners feel less stressed this Christmas, Bona UK shares its cleaning tips to help you breeze calmly through your festive clean:

Plan ahead With so much to do, it’s easy to put off cleaning chores but don’t, instead relieve the strain of a last minute clean by planning ahead. For example, November’s a good time to book in an oven cleaner as well as check your carpets and upholstery for any unsightly stains that may need removing with a carpet washer or spot cleaner.

Target above the floor grime by dusting light fixtures, clean blinds and windows in the first week of December.

And a daily quick wipe over the kitchen surfaces, hob, sink and small appliances will reduce the strain of a last minute deep clean nearer the day.

Guest rooms Clean the spare bedroom (and ensuite bathroom if you have one) a week before guests are due and close the door. Ban anyone from entering! That’s a big tick off the list. This approach works for any room that isn’t used daily and can be closed off after a clean.

Bathrooms A weekly clean of the bathroom fittings, tiles, mirrors and toilet will keep limescale and odours at bay before your guests arrive. A quick daily wipe round throughout their stay will keep bathrooms smelling fresh, and remind other family members to keep sinks clean and toilets flushed, it will all help.

Floors If you find a weekly vacuum of carpeted floors throughout the house in one go a monumental chore, try just one room a day for a gratifying, quick fix!

For natural wood and hard floors, a grab-and-go speedy spray mop in this year’s Black Friday deals like a Bona Premium Spray Mop (£36.54, Amazon) which removes the chore of using a bucket and water.

Bona’s specialist pH-neutral, GREENGUARD GOLD certified water-based cleaning formulas remove 99% of bacteria from your wood

and hard floor surfaces, and deliver a professional quality streak-free clean that is non-dulling, residue-free and quick-drying.

And finally, “Have fun, feel fitter and stress less,” says Garvie. “You can reap the self-care benefits of a Christmas clean up in three easy ways:

 Polish your floors and your dance moves at the same time by donning pair of headphones linked up to your favourite dance tracks or even a festive play list. Matching your cleaning flow to the rhythm can make cleaning floors an enjoyable treat.

 While it may not replace a gym workout, cleaning can help burn calories and contribute to your daily physical activity goals. Activities like mopping, vacuuming, and scrubbing floors engages multiple muscle groups and can lead to calorie expenditure. Depending on the

intensity, mopping can burn around 100-300 calories per hour, while more vigorous tasks like deep cleaning your bathroom can burn 200-300 calories in an hour. Even lighter tasks, like dusting or polishing, can burn up to 200 calories per hour.

 For some people, a tidy house is a tidy mind and cleaning can bring stress relieving benefits too. The physical activity of cleaning can release endorphins which can naturally improve your mood, and the repetitive action of cleaning, vacuuming and wiping can also help soothe

anxiety by providing a time of focus and mindfulness. A clean, decluttered space can provide a more relaxing environment to live in. When mess starts to pile up, it’s a visual reminder of tasks you still have ahead of you.

"Tackle unsightly hot spots by scheduling a 15-30 minute declutter. By simply returning dumped items back to their rightful place, folding laundry and putting a few shirts away, making the bed, or washing some dishes, you’ll see and feel an immediate sense of accomplishment which can help alleviate some of the stress in your life.”