CHRISTMAS hosts worry more about being judged on the cleanliness of their homes than the food they serve, according to a survey.
A recent poll found nearly one in five (19 per cent) Brits fret most about guests judging the cleanliness and tidiness of their abode.
Particularly in the festive season, they worry about it more than how the Christmas dinner tastes or the presents they’ve bought.
As a result, the average Brit will shockingly spend more than two hours cleaning and tidying their house on the big day.
This is compared to just one and a half hours sitting down and eating their Christmas dinner.
Out of 2,000 people surveyed, 15 per cent felt making their home spotless before guests arrive is the most difficult part of the festive period.
The study, commissioned by Unilever, found hosts are most fearful about receiving complaints from their mother (25%) or mother-in-law (22%).
In response, many rely on cleaning hacks to keep their homes spic and span in front of festive guests.
After receiving the “we’re on our way” text, hosts will spend an average of 14 minutes doing a rapid spruce before guests arrive.
For the nervous hosts, the most popular cleaning hack was only focusing on visible surfaces (28 per cent).
Other tips included hiding clutter in cupboards (25 per cent) and using multipurpose cleaner for everything (24 per cent).
Just under two in 10 (18 per cent) prefer to simply close the doors on messy rooms.
Whereas, ten per cent of Gen Zs opt to light a candle and hope for the best, or dim the lights to hide mess (nine per cent).
But when guests do eventually arrive, the cleaning doesn’t stop there.
More than a quarter (26 per cent) will ask guests to take their shoes off upon arrival.
And nine per cent avoid cooking certain foods that might stain, such as cranberry sauce and gravy.
A further 19 per cent avoid buying decorations based on mess potential – choosing to buy fake trees instead of real, needle-shedding ones.
While nine per cent of respondents polled via OnePoll.com have even neglected to invite guests round who have a reputation for being messy.
One of the UK’s favourite Christmas cleaning tasks was also revealed as decluttering cupboards (19 per cent).
Hoovering (16 per cent) and cleaning the fridge (16 per cent) were also popular among hosts.
But the most dreaded tasks were oven cleaning (32 per cent), removing black mould (19 per cent) and scrubbing bathrooms (17 per cent).
Chet Henderson, head of consumer insights at Unilever Home Care, pointed to the importance of using the best cleaning products.
TOP 10 CLEANING HACKS BEFORE GUESTS ARRIVE
- Focus only on visible surfaces
- Hide clutter in cupboards or drawers
- Use multipurpose surface cleaner for everything
- Close doors to messy rooms
- Ask someone else to help
- Skip dusting and just vacuum
- Use cleaning products to create a ‘clean’ feel and fragrance
- Stack items neatly instead of sorting
- Throw clutter into a laundry basket
- Light a scented candle and hope for the best
He said: “Our homes have become increasingly important to us, as they reflect who we are and how we live.
“This is even more evident during the festive period when we invite friends and family round to celebrate.
“Fear of judgement on the cleanliness of our home means we spend more time cleaning than eating Christmas dinner.”
“It’s clear that during this busy time of year people are turning to cleaning hacks for quick results, which is where using the best product for the job also cuts down on cleaning time.”
