Recycle the kids toys before Christmas Day. You know they’re going to get a whole lot more on Dec 25 and the old ones will take second place to the new toys anyhow. Therefore to ensure you have enough storage room for the new toys take all the ones they haven’t played with for months now down to the local charity shop. Or sell them on eBay.

Arrange those food cupboards now. Get rid of all the stuff past its sell-by date and make sure you have all the essentials sitting there ready to be grabbed when needed. This includes coffee, tea bags, condiments, sugar, flour etc.

Defrost the freezer in preparation for Christmas dinner. You know things get so busy in the last run-up to Christmas Day that you’ll never have time then. You’re going to need the extra space for the additional food you’ll have to store to feast the rest of the family who are bound to drop in over the festive season.

Get your storage organised. While pulling out the Christmas decorations give the cupboard a little tidy up while you’re at it. It’ll be easier to store Christmas presents there as the days go by and the number of wrapped presents start to mount up.

And on that note, make sure you have enough bin bags with which to throw out all that unwrapped Christmas paper and boxes. No-one wants all that hanging around the house for days.

For more cleaning and tidying tips – or for a professional house cleaning service for yourself (whether a one-of for Christmas or monthly) then do get in touch with the team here at Budget Maids. We provide cleaning services in Reston, a maids service in Falls Church and house cleaning in Arlington and surrounds. In fact, we serve all areas of Maryland and VA.