Christmas is right around the corner and what does it bring with it? Stuff. If there are young kids in your family, it brings a lot of stuff. Decorations, presents, extra food and drink, and additional furniture if you’re hosting this year.
If you’re wondering where everything is going to fit, now is the time to start preparing. If you declutter your house now, you’ll make room for all of the shiny new stuff that’s to come. Here are our top tips on how to declutter your house for Christmas.
Sort through Christmas decorations
A Christmas tree and all the decorations take up a lot of space in your attic or closet. You probably have a staple set of decorations you use every year, and the rest are left rolling around the bottom of the box. Now is the time to clear them out. If there’s a set of lights that never stay lit, throw them out. Any unused decorations in good condition can be donated.
Children’s toys
If you have young kids, they’re about to receive an avalanche of toys for Christmas. Where will they all go? Use the build up to Christmas to sort through their toys and donate any that they don’t play with anymore or that they’ve grown out of. Throw out any that are damaged. You can involve them in this process if they’re old enough, otherwise just be ruthless!
Clothes
The same goes for the whole family when it comes to clothing, especially if you had clothes on your Christmas list. Sort through your drawers and wardrobes and donate any clothes that you never wear and those your kids have grown out of. You could also save some space by putting your summer clothes into storage for the next few months.
Make room in the kitchen
If you’re hosting Christmas dinner, you need to make room for a turkey and all the trimmings. Go through your cupboards and freezer and commit to using as much food as you can over the coming weeks before buying new ingredients. Throw out anything that’s out of date and donate anything that you’ll never eat.
Prepare for Christmas dinner
Plan ahead for what you will need to prepare and cook Christmas dinner. Do you have all the utensils, pans, and trays that you need? Are there enough plates and cutlery for everyone? While sorting, you may find that you have duplicates and excess that you could get rid of. Decluttering your kitchen will make sure that you have enough countertop space for food preparation.
Unwanted presents
While sorting through the clutter, you might find a present from last year that you’ve never touched since Christmas morning. Be honest, you’ll probably never use it. Donate, throw away, or regift it to someone this year to be extra economical. Just make sure you don’t regift it to the same person you received it from!
Books and DVDs
If you have shelves full of books, DVDs, Blu Rays, and games that you never read/watch/play, then it’s time for a clear out. Sort through them and decide which ones you want to keep, store, or donate.
Prepare for guests
If family or friends are staying over at your house, make sure your home and spare bedroom are ready for them. Sort through things like bedding and towels to make sure you have what they need. Throw out anything that’s old and dingy, and replace things if you need to.
Decluttering your house before Christmas won’t only help you save space and make you less stressed. It could also be providing less fortunate families with gifts, decorations, clothes, and food for over the festive period. So you get the bonus of warm, fuzzy feelings this Christmas.
If there’s anything cluttering up your house that you’re not quite ready to get rid of, then STORED can serve as your helper elves this Christmas.
