The Advent Calendar Hack That Makes Cleaning A Breeze

As the holidays loom closer, does your household chore to-do list seem to keep getting longer and longer until it contains everything short of a partridge in a pear tree? From decluttering your junk drawer, to throwing out expired stuff in your refrigerator, to finally purging your guest room of excess clutter, it's easy for cleaning tasks to pile up and feel overwhelming. And this is probably especially true during the holiday season, when the amount of chores that need to be accomplished before the new year begins seems never-ending — which, in some cases, leads you to avoid tackling some of those chores altogether.

If this sounds familiar, you may want to try the Advent calendar hack for cleaning your home. If you aren't familiar with Advent calendars, they're basically small calendars for December 1 to December 24, with each day set to reveal a small treat. The term "Advent" refers to the approximately 24-day period before Christmas, which is traditionally a time of preparation and getting ready ahead of the holiday on December 25. Dubbed by some on social media as an "avoidance Advent calendar" or a "cleaning Advent calendar," the Advent calendar hack is all about devoting the month of December (though you can try it during any month, really) to doing one task a day that you've been putting off.

We love this simple home cleaning hack because not only does it counter the excess and overconsumption of the holiday season with some productivity and care for the stuff you already own, but it also gives you the opportunity for a literal clean slate — wiping away chores on your tidying to-do list and refreshing your home before a new year begins. Similar to the 1% rule for cleaning, this hack works well because you'll find it's easier breaking projects up into bitesized, manageable chores instead of feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of tackling everything all at once. Plus, it's easier to find time in your busy schedule for one cleaning task a day rather than trying to squeeze a bunch of them into one day or weekend.  

There are a few ways that you can craft your own Advent cleaning calendar, but one effective feature of this hack is to incorporate some of the daily reveals that conventional Advent calendars are famous for. By "surprising" yourself each day with a different chore, you won't experience the dread that comes with knowing in advance what chore awaits you! And as many of us can attest to, the anxiety of knowing that a certain cleaning task is on the horizon can make it all the more miserable to tackle.

Start by writing down a list of the 24 cleaning chores you want to accomplish (or if you're ambitious and want to stay productive for the whole month of December, write down 31 chores). The chores can be big projects like tidying your garage, or as little as finally wiping off your kitchen counters. From there, assign yourself one chore per day or incorporate the element of surprise.

One of the most entertaining aspects of conventional commercial Advent calendars is not knowing what comes next. While you know each Advent calendar contains 24 doors — one for each of the 24 days leading up to Christmas — it's exciting to reveal what little trinket or treat is behind each door every day. Write each chore on a separate piece of paper, fold the papers up, shuffle them, and place each piece of paper inside an empty Advent calendar to reveal a different chore every day. Or, keep the surprise part simple by placing all of the chores in a jar, shaking the papers inside, and drawing a new chore each day.

Of course, we don't want to kid ourselves too much here. While checking stuff off your to-do list is fulfilling and a clean house is rewarding, an Advent calendar for chores is certainly not nearly as fun or exciting as some of the conventional Advent calendars you'll find on the market. So when your Advent calendar chore is completed each day, feel free to treat yourself for a job well done. Enjoy a warm seasonal beverage on the couch or indulge in a hot bath in your (freshly cleaned?) bathtub — or whatever helps you recharge and brings you joy.