The 12 Mishaps of Christmas and how to Clean Them!

Christmas has got to be our favourite time of year but it can be an accident prone time too! With the bustle of having the whole family gathered round, little sticky sugarcane fingers and huge feasts can lead to a few mishaps!

Here is McCreery Contract Cleaning guide to the most common Christmas mishaps and how to clean them!

On the first day of Christmas – How to clean nail varnish spills

With all those Christmas parties to attend it’s only a matter of time before a little nail varnish spill occurs. Simply blot as much as you can to remove any excess polish. Using a sponge or cloth and apply a small amount of window cleaner to the stain. Scrub in a circular motion. Rinse the affected area with water, and let dry. The stain should disappear.

For fabric, blot the area with nail polish remove and use a cotton ball saturated with nail polish remover to blot the backside of the fabric. Rinse, repeat and launder as usual.

On the second day of Christmas - How to clean chocolate streaks

Christmas is all about the Children, but sticky fingers do find their way on to everything. First scrape off any hard chocolate from the area. Use a stain remover or a bit of dishwashing detergent and a clean cloth to rub the stain in a circular motion. Then let it sit for a few minutes. Rinse the area with cold water again and the chocolate stain should disappear.

One the third day of Christmas – How to clean winter sludge on the carpet

During the holidays is the perfect time to catch up on some exercise as the Irish countryside is looking spectacular, hopefully with a dusting of snow! Even the thickest door mat cannot catch all the mud that trudges back into the house. When mud and winter sludge end up on your carpet the first step is to let the mud dry, when it is dry and flaky vacuum the affected areas to remove the dirt. Once you have removed as much dirt as possible with the vacuum mix one-teaspoon of dish washing detergent to one cup lukewarm water and blot the area. Continue blotting, switching out the towel as necessary until the stain is gone.

One the fourth day of Christmas – How to clean a red wine stain

One of the obvious pitfalls of the festive season – with all the merriment it’s only a matter of time before a splash of red wine lands on a tablecloth or carpet.

First soak up as much liquid as possible with a kitchen towel and cover the spill with salt to absorb any extra moisture. In a small bowl, pour two cups of warm water.

Mix one tablespoon of white vinegar and one tablespoon of dishwashing liquid. Use the liquid to rub the area, rinsing frequently until it has cleared. Work from the outside of the stain in to avoid spreading the stain.

One the fifth day of Christmas - How to clean gravy off the table cloth

“Please pass the gravy…Oops!” Using the dull knife to remove as much spilled gravy off the fabric, next dampen a cloth with soda and blot the spill. Soak the cloth in cold water for several hours to loosen the stain. Then mix a half teaspoon of dishwashing liquid (as they have a good de-greaser built in) with a cup of warm water and sponge the mixture on the stain but do not rub. Wash the cloth as usual.

One the sixth day of Christmas – How to clean up pine needles

We love a real Christmas tree, the smell of pine is synonymous with the festive season however removing the tree without shedding all over the house is one of the biggest Christmas cleaning challenges! We suggest that you wrap it tightly in an old bed sheet. Most of the needles that drop off will be caught in the sheet. Then you can do a preliminary sweep to clear most of the needles and with tape around your brush — sticky side out pat the messy area with the adhesive - repeat this until the floor is pine free!

One the seventh day of Christmas – How to remove lipstick smudges

Restore your fabric by blotting them with nail-polish remover, followed by the detergent solution, and rinse. Alternatively, spray the hairspray onto the lipstick stain and allow to sit for about 15 minutes. Take a clean cloth and dip in warm water, wipe the hairspray off the stain and wash the fabric as usual – avoid mistletoe for the rest of the season!

One the eighth day of Christmas - How to clean crayon marks

Spray some WD-40 onto the marks and wipe with a clean rag. WD-40 will not damage the paint or most wallpaper but we advise that you test the area first. This will also remove marker and crayon marks from furniture and appliances. Another solution is to squirt non-gel toothpaste on the affected area and start scrubbing. The fine abrasive in the toothpaste will rub away the crayon every time!

One the ninth day of Christmas - How to clean up ink

Ink stains are very difficult to remove once they have dried completely, so it is best to treat the area with hair spray or rubbing alcohol as soon as you can. Be careful about dabbing alcohol on the fabric to avoid stripping any colour permanently. After one or two wash cycles you can expect the stain to fade and disappear.

One the tenth day of Christmas - How to clean cranberry sauce

Mix one tablespoon of dishwashing detergent with two cups of cool water. Using a clean cloth sponge the stain with the detergent solution. Repeat this process until the stain is gone – launder in the usual way.

One the eleventh day of Christmas – How to clean cooking spatters

Grease stains are inevitable at Christmas but one of the hardest to remove. Apply a small amount of dishwashing detergent onto the stain and wash as usual. Grease is made up of oils; dishwashing detergent includes de-greaser ingredients that work wonders to break down the oil. The sooner you catch the spatter the better your chances of success!

One the twelfth day of Christmas – How to clean tea and coffee stains

For really tough tea and coffee stains soak the stained item with a pre-wash or stain remover soap. For both coloured fabrics soak for at least of 2 hours, for whites, soak a little longer. Then rinse thoroughly and wash as usual with your detergent.

The team at McCreery Contract Cleaning wishes you and your family a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!