How to Declutter for the Holidays
The holidays are supposed to be a season of love and joy, but for many of us, they also come with feelings of stress and a long to-do list. There are presents to wrap, gifts to buy, and meals to prepare, and it never feels like there is quite enough time to get it all done. If you aren’t organized before the flurry of festivities begin, tasks may take even longer or seem too daunting to even know where to start. Luckily, there is still a little bit of time left to get the clutter under control in your home. Keep reading for my best tips on how to declutter for the holidays!
Tackle Children’s Toys First
The best time to have your children go through all of their toys is before the holidays begin. This will help you prepare for any new toys that may be gifted during the season. It will also make it easier to keep your home in order when you’re preoccupied with holiday preparations.
To avoid overwhelm, I recommend teaching your children from an early age to go through their toys and declutter once or twice a year. They’ll be able to find the toys they want when they want them, and this will also help to reduce the amount of clutter in your home year-round.
You and your children can start the decluttering process by sorting their toys into piles. Make a pile for the toys they want to keep, and a pile for toys that they have outgrown or no longer want. Be sure to throw away broken toys, too.
The holiday season is a great time to consider donating items that your children no longer use. This simple act of kindness may brighten the holidays for a child in need.
Rotating toys is another effective strategy to cut down on clutter in your everyday living spaces. Keep only the toys that can comfortably fit in your children’s bedrooms or playroom, and set aside one container in the garage to store the rest. I recommend storing them in a plastic bin to protect them from dust, water damage, and critters. When your children get tired of the toys in their rooms, switch them with the toys in storage to keep clutter from overflowing.
Sort Through Seasonal Decor
Speaking of overflowing clutter, are holiday decorations spilling out of your storage spaces? That’s a sure sign that it’s time to edit. As you take out your decorations this year, ask yourself if you used them last year. If not, look at it from a practical standpoint and consider why. Is it because you no longer like the item?
Keep in mind that some decorations are simply not made as well as you might hope. Broken or shabby decorations should be tossed, as they are not the best choice to enhance your home or dazzle guests. Remember to test out lights and throw away any that are not working properly, too.
One of the biggest challenges for families is what to do with the decorations you accumulated when your children were small. As they grow older, perhaps these decorations don’t elicit the same excitement from your children anymore. That is your cue to give them away. I know that it is not always easy to get rid of these items because they have sentimental value, but knowing that another family will be able to enjoy them can help to ease the burden of letting go.
Reducing clutter in your home will make decorating and getting ready for the holidays less stressful. You will spend less time looking for the things you need to embellish your home, which means that you will have more time to enjoy the season and focus on making memories with loved ones.
Get Guest Spaces Ready
If you plan to entertain or host overnight guests during the holidays, be sure to devote some time to decluttering guest spaces as well. Focus on areas such as the guest bedroom, guest bathroom, dining room, and kitchen. You can start by sorting through the items in these spaces and removing broken and duplicate items. For example, in the kitchen, you probably don’t need six can openers in the utensil drawer. Choose the newest one, or the one that works best, and donate the others.
In guest bedroom closets and bathrooms, many of you may see those empty areas as opportunities for additional storage space when you can’t fit everything in your own closet . While this is a good place to store some out-of-season items or extra linens, make sure that you leave enough room for guests to comfortably fit their belongings as well. Put yourself in your guests’ shoes and determine how much space they will need during their stay. Use that area as a boundary. If you notice that your stored items are starting to spill into the guest area, spend a few minutes clearing out the items you no longer need.
Request Space-Saving Gifts
By focusing on toys, seasonal decor, and guest spaces, you’ll be on your way to a more organized home for the holidays. However, the best thing you can do to declutter during this time of year is to request space-saving gifts on your family’s holiday wish lists. Instead of gifting you and your children with toys and clothes that will be out-of-date next year, ask loved ones to focus on experiences or something valuable for the future instead. Here are some ideas:
Dinner and a movie with your spouse
An evening at the ballet with grandparents
Tickets to an amusement park for the entire family
A subscription to a language learning app or software
Savings bonds or money for your children’s college funds
A gift certificate is also a thoughtful space-saving gift for a friend or family member. Think carefully about the gift recipient’s specific interests and tailor your choice accordingly.
For busy families and professionals, you can’t go wrong with the gift of organization. Consider giving a gift certificate for an organizing session from Transformare Organizing to relieve loved ones of the stress that often comes with keeping clutter under control. We can show them how to declutter for the holidays and get organized once and for all, so that they have more time to enjoy doing what they love in the New Year. Reach out to us to purchase a gift certificate or schedule an organizing session for your loved ones today!