The holidays bring a special kind of chaos. Between planning menus, decorating, and managing guest lists, the pressure to have a perfectly clean home can feel immense. It’s easy to get swept up in a cleaning frenzy, tackling every nook and cranny. But what if some of that effort is better spent elsewhere?
Freeing yourself from a few deep-cleaning tasks can give you back precious time and energy to enjoy the season. Giving certain chores a temporary pass allows you to focus on what truly matters: making memories with the people you love. Here are five things you can skip cleaning during the holidays.
Where We Got This Information
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These recommendations are backed by expert cleaning and home organization guidance, showing that tasks like moving heavy furniture, scrubbing baseboards, or reorganizing pantries add little value before holiday gatherings. Professional advice consistently emphasizes focusing on guest‑facing spaces, where cleanliness has the greatest impact on comfort and experience.
1. Under Large Furniture and Appliances
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Moving heavy furniture like sofas, beds, or entertainment centers to clean underneath is a major undertaking. The same goes for pulling out the refrigerator or oven. These areas collect dust bunnies and the occasional lost sock, but they are completely out of sight.
Some guests may be the judging type, but no guest is going to peer under your sectional or check behind your stove. This task requires significant physical effort for a result that no one will ever notice. Save your back and your time for more visible areas.
2. Inside Closets and Cabinets
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The temptation to organize every closet and cabinet before the company arrives is strong. We imagine guests accidentally opening a door to reveal a mountain of mismatched containers or a wardrobe in disarray. In reality, your guests are unlikely to be exploring your private storage spaces.
Unless you are planning a detailed tour of your linen closet, this is a task you can safely postpone. A quick tidying of the coat closet, where guests will hang their belongings, is more than enough.
3. Windows
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Crystal-clear, streak-free windows look great, but achieving that perfection takes time and effort. Depending on the weather, your hard work might be undone by a single winter storm. Most holiday gatherings happen in the evening when it’s dark outside, making window cleanliness a low-priority issue.
A quick wipe-down of any obvious smudges on glass doors that people will actually use, like the one everyone troops through to get to the backyard, is sufficient. Don’t stress about making every pane of glass sparkle like a diamond; your guests will be too busy admiring your questionable Christmas sweater to notice a few fingerprints.
4. Walls and Baseboards
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Scuffs on walls and dust on baseboards are part of living in a home. While a pristine wall is nice, most minor marks are not noticeable to visitors. Holiday decorations, furniture, and the general festive atmosphere will draw the eye.
Your guests will be focused on the conversation and the food, not inspecting your trim for dust. Tackling a few very obvious scuffs in high-traffic areas is fine, but a full wall-washing and baseboard-scrubbing session is unnecessary.
5. The Pantry
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A perfectly organized pantry with decanted grains and alphabetized spices is a beautiful sight, but it is not a prerequisite for holiday hosting. As long as you can find the ingredients you need to cook your holiday meals, the state of your pantry is your business.
Guests are not going to be evaluating your food storage systems. Focus your energy on the cooking itself, not on creating a picture-perfect backdrop for your flour and sugar. Experts recommend deep-cleaning your pantry every three to six months.
Focus on the Areas That Matter Most
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Instead of trying to do everything, try a different approach this year. Focus on “guest-facing” cleaning. Tidy up the areas your visitors will actually see and use, like the entryway, living room, and guest bathroom. Wipe down surfaces, clear clutter, and make these spaces feel welcoming.
By letting go of the deep-cleaning tasks that have little impact on your guests’ experience, you give yourself the gift of time. Use that extra time to relax, bake another batch of cookies, or simply sit back and enjoy the festive glow of your home.