Guide to Decluttering Your House Before Christmas
Christmas is a time of celebration, but it’s also a time of accumulation. The tradition of giving gifts means that by January we’ve got a slew of new items in our home that we need to find a place for. It’s very easy to discover that clutter has begun to pile up around the house after the festivities have ended.
The best way to combat this holiday untidiness is with planning ahead before you get into the thick of the gifting season. In this blog post I will outline the best ways to purge your house of unwanted items and then organize your home so that new items can be put away easily.
Once your home is clean and organized, you can really allow yourself to settle into a cozy hygge routine for Christmas.
When Should You Start the Purging Process?
The Before Christmas Purge in September
It’s amazing how quickly things begin to pile up without you realizing. The best way to keep a home from filling up with clutter is to do a quarterly purge at the beginning of each new season. That way it’s not such an overwhelming task when the holidays come around. That being said, I would suggest beginning in September or October for a Christmas specific decluttering.
You may think that September and October are a bit early to prep the house for the holidays, but there’s actually a hidden benefit. Once you’ve sorted through all your belongings, you may know what items you are needing and you can add them to your Christmas wishlist. That way you’ll be receiving gifts that you actually want and find useful!
The After Christmas Purge in January
The beginning of the new year is always a time of cleansing and reflection. It’s also a time of starting over and cleaning out our living spaces once again.
After taking inventory of all the new items you received as gifts and possibly taking advance of holiday sales, you may have new items that are ready to be donated. Once you’ve upgraded to newer and better household items, it’s time to say goodbye to the old ones. This is the best way to prevent clutter from making its way back into the house.
How to Begin the Process of Purging?
When you look at the whole house filled with stuff, it seems like an overwhelming and impossible task to review every item. The key is to divide and conquer with a well-laid plan. You want to start slowly and take each closet and room in the house one-by-one. I suggest writing out a schedule and hold yourself accountable by setting weekly goals.
Which Areas of the House Should I Purge?
The short answer to this question is all areas of the house should go through the decluttering process. In order to help you get organized and create a schedule, I’ve listed the most dominant areas of homes where items tend to pile up:
Hallway closets
Bedrooms - dressers, closets, under the bed
Kitchen - cabinets, refrigerator
Linen closets
Pantries
Home offices and spare rooms
Garage
Bathroom cabinets
Junk drawers
Kids playrooms
Livingroom cabinets
Remove All Items from the Closets & Cabinets
When you start the process of decluttering a space, you need to pull EVERYTHING out of the drawers, closets and cabinets. There’s so many forgotten items that get pushed to the very back of the drawers. You may find items that you thought were lost forever, or you may realize that you just don’t want certain items anymore.
Surfaces such as tabletops, countertops, chairs, fireplace mantels, benches, shelves, etc. are also areas where clutter gathers. Grab a box and remove everything from the surfaces in a room and sort through them one by one. This is an easy way to make your home instantly feel lighter and streamlined.
What Items Should I Keep and What Should I Donate?
When you’re sorting through each item, it’s best to have some rules or guidelines in place to help you make quick and easy decisions on what to keep.
Questions you should ask yourself when purging:
Have I used this item since last Christmas?
Can I easily replace this item if I need it again in the future?
Is the item broken or missing parts?
Do you really want the item or are you keeping it out of guilt because someone gave it to you?
Do you have multiples of this item?
What Items Should I Sell and Which Should I Donate?
Sometimes we have a hard time letting go of items because we know they are worth money, but not necessarily because we actually need them. If you have valuable items that have a high re-sell value, you can consider selling them on e-commerce platforms such as eBay, Mercari, Poshmark or Craigslist.
I personally have a lot of experience selling on these websites and apps, I’ve been a top seller for several years. The key to being successful at re-selling products is to have bright and clear photos of the products, keep your shipping costs as low as possible and be willing to negotiate the selling price.
The pros of selling items is that you can make some extra cash while decluttering your house. The main con to selling vs donating is that it can take months for items to sell. Which means you need to hold on to the items until they’ve sold.
Where Should I Donate My Unwanted Items?
It’s important to have a donation plan in place before you begin purging so that you can easily get stuff out the door. Most cities have thrift shops with donation services such as Goodwill and Savers. Many local charities may also be accepting donations.
If you plan on giving items away to your friends or family, just make sure that you’re not holding on to stuff for too long. Make concrete plans to visit them and pass along the items, otherwise the clutter will continue to linger in your house.
How To Organize the Items You’re Keeping
Once you’ve done all the hard work of removing unwanted items, you don’t want to just shove everything back into the cabinets without some sort of organization in place. It may be worth it to purchase new storage bins or containers to establish an organizational system.
It’s helpful to keep everyday items that you use often in the front of your cabinets so they’re easily accessible. And then seasonal or rarely used items tucked away so they aren’t taking up too much space. Sealed and durable garage storage totes can keep your valuables safe and clean, while clearing up space in your closet and cabinets.
Making labels for boxes and bins can also streamline your organizational process and make finding items much easier.
The Hidden Emotions Behind Purging Your Home
Positive Feelings When Cleaning Out Your Home
I personally find it cathartic to do a big home purge and cleanse the house of clutter. It’s a process of releasing the past and moving forward, giving yourself space to breathe and thrive.
Having many possessions doesn’t always amount to having more joy, and in many cases it can detract from your happiness because these items become burdens. Having a home that’s filled with unwanted stuff can feel heavy and give you a feeling of being stagnant.
I do recommend starting the purging process when you’re in a good headspace and you’re open to change and growth. Your state of mind can really make the difference between a pleasant task or an annoying chore.
Negative Emotions That Surface When You’re Purging
I recently did a big house project cleaning out all my daughter’s baby clothes to make room for our new baby. Our second baby is a boy so I didn’t need most of Scout’s baby girl clothes.
Looking at all her baby stuff brought on a flood of emotions that made me feel both sad and nostalgic. It really set in the reality that she’s no longer a little baby. I wanted to give her clothes a second life with another family, but I was still a little heartbreaking to see them go.
Cleaning out areas of the house can stir up past memories, both good and bad. Sometimes we are hanging on to old items because we just don’t want to deal with the feelings that come with letting them go. Remember, it’s okay to cry and grieve, but you should still make an effort to move forward by cleaning out these items.
Decluttering is surprisingly emotionally taxing, but you’ll breathe a big sigh of relief when it’s done.
A bad habit many of us have is letting the holiday stuff linger around the house too many weeks into the new year. Often times the reason for this procrastination is we just don’t know how to pack them up or where to put them.
Having designated holiday storage bins along with a designated place to store them in the house makes the after Christmas clean-up much easier. Many Christmas items are either breakable or irregular shapes (or both!), so having special bins for them is crucial. Luckily you can purchase specialized holiday bins:
