5 Effective Strategies to Declutter Your Home After the Holidays

Once the holiday season chaos is over, it often leaves our homes filled with extra decorations, gifts, and leftover items. While the festive spirit is wonderful, the clutter that follows can quickly become overwhelming, I know it certainly does for me. The holidays are jam packed with blessings, but I am tired after the holidays. Where alot of us seek refuge in our homes to rest and recharge, many of us face the challenge of reclaiming our living spaces to restore peace and order. I’ve found that using clear strategies to declutter makes this process less stressful and more manageable.

Here are five effective ways to declutter your home after Christmas that have worked well for me and can help you create a calm, organized space.

Start with a Clear Plan and Set Realistic Goals

Jumping into decluttering without a plan can lead to frustration and many, many unfinished tasks. Begin by deciding which areas of your home need the most attention. For example, you might focus on the living room where holiday decorations have piled up, packaging from gifts, or left over items from hosting linger.

Set small, achievable goals like clearing one drawer or sorting through holiday wrapping supplies in a single session. Breaking the task into manageable chunks helps maintain motivation and prevents burnout.

Sort Items into Keep, Donate, and Discard

Once you start sorting, create three clear piles or boxes: keep, donate, and discard. This method helps you make quick decisions and can reduces the urge to hold onto unnecessary items.

• Keep: Items you use regularly or have sentimental value.

• Donate: Gifts or decorations you no longer want but are in good condition.

• Discard: Broken, expired, or unusable items.

  
  

For example, after Christmas, I often find duplicate kitchen gadgets, leftover containers or miscellaneous gifts that don’t fit my family’s needs. Donating these items to local charities, or thrift stores gives them a second life and frees up space in your home (and mind).

Our space is an extension of our spirit - if our spaces are cluttered and chaotic, so follows our minds

Organize Holiday Decorations Efficiently

Holiday decorations can take up a lot of storage space if not organized properly. After the season, I recommend sorting decorations by type and storing them in clear, labeled containers. This makes it easier to find what you need when you are decorating next year and prevents clutter from spilling into other areas.

Use ornament boxes or plastic bins with lids to protect delicate ornaments. Wrapping fragile items in tissue paper or bubble wrap adds extra protection. Store lights separately to avoid tangling. Keeping decorations organized also helps you assess what you actually use, so you can declutter items that no longer fit your style or space.

Create Dedicated Storage Spaces for Seasonal Items

Having a specific place for seasonal items reduces clutter throughout the year. I’ve found that designating a storage room shelf, or a shelf in the garage for holiday-related items keeps them out of sight when not in use.

Labeling these storage areas clearly helps everyone in the household know where to put things back. For example, our wrapping paper rolls go in a wrapping paper container with gift bags, while holiday linens are folded neatly in a labeled tote. As things come up around the house, everyone knows where to put them away, properly. This system saves time and keeps your home tidy beyond the holiday season.

Maintain Regular Decluttering Habits

Decluttering after Christmas is a great opportunity to start to build habits that keep your home organized year-round. I try to spend a few minutes each day tidying up and reassessing items that accumulate over time. I call the pockets on my home sweats "Mom Pockets", as I go trough the house day to day I pick up things that are out of place, that I later put in their proper homes, in the trash or appropriate donation bin.

Simple habits like putting things back in their place immediately, regularly donating unused items, and avoiding impulse purchases help prevent clutter from building up again. Everything should have a home, and make it a habit to put things back in their home after you're done using them. If it doesn't have a home, it gets donated or is garbage. You can also schedule seasonal decluttering sessions to refresh your space, make it part of your spring and fall cleaning routine and keep your home feeling calm, open and welcoming.

Let me know in the comments below some of your decluttering techniques, and what works good for you!

Happy Decluttering, Best Wishes in this New Year

With Love,

Katie

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