Ways to Declutter Your Home Before the Holidays

_{If you’re planning to host for the holidays, now’s the perfect time to start deep cleaning your home! Let’s get your decluttering your home from top to bottom before the holidays.}

Ways to Declutter Your Home Before the Holidays

Decluttering your home before the busyness of the holidays arrives can help your home to stay cleaner and keep you more organized making it easier to focus on celebrating with family and friends. 

While it’s good to declutter your home throughout the year, let’s tackle your home head-on before the guests arrive.

First and foremost, it is important to create a holiday cleaning checklist that focuses on rooms where your guests will be, then declutter and organize those rooms first. I have created a monthly cleaning checklist that could be of benefit as well. It is free and you can download it here.

Part of creating this list should include a timeline and your goals. Starting with specific goals will help you reduce frustration and roadblocks. Because having a plan gives you clear directions. And when you get stuck, you can look back at your list to help you out.

Let’s get to work first by doing an entire house decluttering sweep

It is the little things that can add up fast and make a room no longer look like a room, but like a hurricane swept through it. First, grab a few boxes of a couple of laundry baskets.

Then quickly walk around each area of your house looking for anything you no longer use, need, or love. Place them in one box or basket as keep, but put away or donate/toss. This is a great time to get rid of any décor items you don’t use or love.

Especially when you have additional holiday décor out as well. The more items you can do in a quick sweep, the better. Don’t spend too much time thinking about each piece, spend more time doing it.

Declutter Toys and Clothes

Before the holidays is a perfect time to get rid of toys your kids no longer lay with and winter clothes that they may have outgrown. Throw out any broken toys or games and those with missing pieces, and donate those that are still in good condition that your children have outgrown.

This can provide a wonderful opportunity to teach your children about giving to the community and those who are less fortunate. You can also donate any outgrown winter clothing and shoes that may help keep a child warm this winter. 

These Toy organization ideas can help!

Organize the Pantry

The holidays usually mean that there is more cooking and baking to be done than at other times of the year. Make sure that you organize your pantry, and toss out any expired spices or food products, to make room for your holiday items.

This is also a good time to make a meal plan that includes items that may be nearing their expiration date, and it can help to save you some money at the grocery store. 

Refrigerator and Freezer

During the holidays there is always cooking to be done, and if you are hosting, more people than usual will be taking a peek inside of your refrigerator and freezer. Take some time before the festivities start to organize your refrigerator and freezer and clean them thoroughly.

Toss out anything you know you won’t use or that has expired. Make a meal plan for anything that is getting close to its expiration date. Then write down what you have left, especially if you have a chest freezer or extra freezer.

Knowing what you already have at home can save you a considerable amount at the grocery store and prevent food waste. 

Simplify Kitchen Cabinets and Drawers

While you are already in the kitchen, now is a good time to get rid of utensils you no longer need or use, mismatched plates, plastic containers with no lids, etc. You will probably be surprised at how much space those things take up. Do yourself a favor and get rid of what you don’t need.

Then you can reward yourself with more space and an organized kitchen. 

Prepare the Bathrooms for Guests

Before the holidays and cold and flu season arrive, take the time to declutter your bathroom cabinets and drawers. Toss out or consolidate all of those nearly empty bottles of shampoo or cleaning products and free up some space.

Don’t forget to go through your medicine cabinet and get rid of any expired medications. Now is a great time to stock up on cold and flu medications. And don’t forget to stock up on supplements for the winter months. Don’t forget to restock the tissues and cleaning supplies if you need them. 

Declutter Coat and Linen Closets 

Just before the cold weather sets in and the holidays arrive is a great time to purge any items that you no longer use or need from your coat and linen closets. You may find that you have winter coats or boots that you or your children no longer need that could come in handy for someone else.

You may also find an excessive amount of towels, sheets, or blankets hanging around your linen closet. Purging any of those items that you no longer use or need can make the closet look less cluttered and free up some valuable space, too. 

Seasonal Items

Before the holidays or as you are decorating your home for them is a great time to clean out your seasonal decorations. If you have holiday decorations that you don’t plan to use this year or haven’t used in a couple of years, there is no need to allow them to cause clutter and take up space.

If they are in good condition. Consider donating these items to a family who may not have many decorations for their home. Aim to only keep holiday décor items you love or use regularly. If you don’t use or love it, you have no obligation to keep it.

Stress Less This Holiday Season

And don’t forget, let’s try to stress less this holiday season. Being present with your people is important.

Not all decluttering tips are for your household belongings! Be sure to take some time for yourself before your guests arrive to relax. Embrace a “perfectly imperfect” mindset during the holidays instead. And remember to cut yourself some slack.

So maybe you didn’t get a chance to organize all the toys, and they are pushed aside in a closet. They are out of sight and out of mind. Let’s try to keep it out of mind too. Life happens.

After You Purge Your House of Clutter

• Have a garage sale if you can – weather and region permitting
• Donate it or Freecycle it. – I love when we can help others out.
• Recycle – Recyclable glass, plastics and paper can go straight into your recycling bin.
• Rent a dumpster – I like to use this last. I would prefer it if we could pass along or recycle items, but when we can’t – trash them!

Now that you know what you need to do to declutter your home from top to bottom before the holidays. What do you plan to start with?

Do you have any other items that you would add to the list of what needs to be cleaned and organized before the holidays arrive? Leave us a comment below. We would love to hear from you.