It is becoming increasingly common that private citizens in Iceland hire professional cleaners to take care of their ritual Christmas cleaning.
Einar Már Gunnlaugsson at cleaning service Thvegill in Reykjavík told RÚV that mostly elderly people and people occupied at work hire cleaners before Christmas.
Iceland has a tradition of cleaning the house thoroughly before Christmas, taking everything out of cupboards and down from shelves, cleaning the walls and ceiling, washing curtains and wiping the dust off statues and picture frames.
On Christmas Eve all the beds have clean sheets, so family members of all ages can read the books they got for Christmas in all comfort.
Gunnlaugsson said that from 1 December and until Christmas the cleaning service is constantly requested for projects at private homes. He said he had even gotten calls on 23 December, the day before Christmas is celebrated in Iceland.
Gunnlaugsson and his colleagues cleaned the apartment of pensioner Thorbjörg Einarsdóttir yesterday, who was happy with the outcome.
She told RÚV that having a cleaning service take care of her Christmas cleaning took a “huge load off her back.” She said she could use the time for something more fun instead, like going to concerts.
On Christmas day itself, the cleaners at Thvegill are on holiday.
