Lisa Moore Owner Lismoore Drapery & Interiors Member of the Window Covering Association of America (WCAA) Email your questions/concerns/comments to cushionbead@hotmail.com Call 731-2133 for appointments Continue to like us on Facebook at Lismoore Drapery & Interiors

As a child, I remember loving Christmas, but dreading cleaning and preparing for it. My mother would have us dismantle the house and start the cleaning in late October, and that went on until the week of Christmas. As an adult living on my own however, I have developed my own traditions and cleaning techniques that eliminate this hassle. It is my belief that if you maintain and clean your house, furniture, carpet, windows, ceiling and tiles on a regular basis there will be no reason to feel overwhelmed come the Christmas season. Homes are filled with clutter these days, because unfortunately, we live in a time where many of us acquire a lot of things we do not need or use. As we all know, cleaning for Christmas can be endless, and most of us will be confused as to where to start and where to end. Getting your Christmas list and all of the other planning for the holidays done in time is one thing, but getting your house cleaned and organised before the holidays overwhelm you, is another matter.

Here are some tips to help you get your house in order, without feeling overwhelmed:

To start with, you need rubber gloves, a couple J cloths or old pieces of cloth or cotton napkin, a soap solution, old tooth- brush and paper towels. Don't try to clean your entire house at one time. Instead, you may want to clean a room a week. Pick a room in your house and clean it then move on to another room. Some items may not belong to the room but would simply occupy space; these will have to be cleared and organised and put in their respective places.  

While you're deep cleaning one room, do general cleaning in the rest of the house once a week (feather dust, vacuum etc). Do just enough to keep the place from getting really dirty — but not enough to be seriously time-consuming.

Pick up any miscellaneous clutter or "homeless" items left lying around your house every night. This will help to keep your home looking decent and keep the serious piles from starting to accumulate. Spend 15 minutes to a half hour every evening cleaning up the house. Have the kids and husband help.

Move, dust and clean furniture; wash or dry clean curtains and drapery; wash blinds, table cloth, table napkins, mats, clean ceiling fans; thoroughly vaccum carpets using the crevice tool at the wall, etc.  Dust and clean the ceiling, windows and walls. If you have tile flooring, use your old toothbrush to remove the fine dirt between tiles. Wooden floors need to be vacuum cleaned and wiped with a damp cloth (if the dirt is sticky)

Wipe your kitchen counters at least once a week. Put some hot soapy water in the sink and wipe down your kitchen counters, microwave, and other appliances. While you may not have time to deep clean the kitchen, just making sure your surfaces are grime-free will make a world of difference as you plow through your holiday baking and cooking.

Go through mail every day. Don't let it pile up. Put your bills in a designated spot, and mark when they are due on the outside of the envelope. Try to pay bills and take care of other pressing paper to-do's once a week or once every two weeks, so they aren't forgotten in the holiday craziness.

Donate decorations you don't want or use anymore, either as you pull them out of the box, or when you prepare to put them away again.

Make a list of all the persons you will be giving gifts and cards to, and purchase them over a period of time as opposed to all at once, which will surely put a dent in your finances.

To maintain a fresh fragrance at home, use potpouri, scented candles and incense sticks. The aroma prevents germs at home, and also smells good. (Check out my past article on scenting your home for more info.)

Cleaning your home for Christmas should not be a painful task to home owners, but a way to lose weight and pass the time. You may want to listen to your favorite music, and remember to include your family in this task. I hope these tips were helpful. It's a simple cleaning plan to help you get a better grip on your holiday cleaning,  instead of a crisis cleaning session on the week of Christmas.

Plan to make this holiday season memorable for the peace you will feel in your home the week before Christmas. You and your family will be thankful you did..........................Enjoy!