Decluttering Your Home Before the Holidays

The fun and happiness of the holidays usually comes with more food, more gifts, more decor, and more stuff in general! I know that the holiday season can very easily leave you feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and burnt out, but it definitely doesn’t have to! We are sharing helpful ways to simplify your load and declutter before the holidays!

Declutter Toys

If you have kids in your home, it is never a bad idea to declutter their toys before the holidays. Assuming that your kids will most likely receive toys as gifts from friends and family, it's easier to make decisions about what toys aren’t being shown as much love or aren’t being played with anymore. With it being the holidays, it is a great time to encourage your kids to donate some of the toys that they don't use anymore to kids that are less fortunate than them.

Declutter Holiday and Traditional Decor

Before you start decorating your home for Christmas, think about going through your current decor and getting rid of items that you are not in love with anymore. After this, you can move on to decluttering your holiday decor! One of the easiest ways to do this is to evaluate your decor while you are decorating and get rid of any unloved items as you go. This will make cleanup after the holidays much easier. If you have an issue with hanging on to items that you don’t necessarily need, try implementing space limits for storing your holiday decor. This boundary makes you less likely to hang on to useless decor or buy more unnecessary items during the after-holiday sales.

Clean Out the Refrigerator and Pantry

If you host holiday parties or just enjoy cooking and baking during the holiday season, you will most likely be needing space to store leftovers. Make your experience a little bit easier by simplifying and decluttering your kitchen before you start prepping for the holidays. Start by throwing anything out that has gone bad or that your household will not eat before it does. If you want to take it a step further, you can do a complete reset by taking the food out of the fridge and wiping down the shelves and drawers before putting everything back in. This will save you a lot of headaches when you're trying to stuff the spiral ham and mashed potatoes into the fridge after dinner!

Condense Your Wardrobe

Clothing items are a quintessential Christmas gift for all ages, and you will most likely be buying the kiddos new holiday outfits for photos and gatherings. This is a great time to condense your wardrobe and make room for the new items. Get rid of the clothes that you have been hanging onto for years and thought you were going to have the perfect outfit for, and donate or throw away the clothes that your kids have outgrown or worn out! This is also a great opportunity to see what your kids need to give family and friends gift ideas.

Declutter and Prepare Guest Linens

Along with hosting parties, many of us are also hosting family and friends over the holidays. A great way to prepare for your guests arrival is to look through guest towels and bedding and eliminate any worn out or unwanted linens. You may also want to air out or wash the linens that you will be using so they are nice and fresh for your guests!

Further Reading and Final Thoughts:

We hope this blog was helpful for you when preparing for the holidays! Serious home buyers may be looking to settle down in a new place during the holiday season, so these tips may be helpful if you are looking to put your home on the market!

If you are listing your home, check out our blog on 5 home staging essentials to have on hand!

Cover photo by Sarah Brown on Unsplash