How to Clean and Declutter Your House After the Holidays

Last Updated on January 4, 2025 by Tanya Janse van Rensburg

Are you the person who becomes incredibly stressed when you look around your home after the holidays?

Everywhere you look, you see decorations that need to be put away.

There’s also a mountain of new gifts that can’t stay under the tree forever.

If you can’t find room for everything, your house will look even more cluttered than before the holidays – and that’s not how you want to start the new year. 

The best way to approach a stressful situation is to have a plan to address it; this guide will give you that plan.

Decluttering your house might seem almost impossible, but that’s only because you need a logical method for doing it.

You want to clean up after the holidays and get your home spic and span for the new year, and we’re going to explain exactly how to do it.

Image credit: ladydecluttered.com

Make Room for the New Items

You’re probably overwhelmed by the post-holiday clutter around your home.

You might feel as though there is not enough room in your house for all the new things you and your family have acquired.

If that’s the case, it probably means it’s time to part with a few older items you no longer need.

The weeks before and after Christmas can be a great time to hold a garage or yard sale because people are already in shopping mode.

Also, people often spend some extra time driving around their towns during the holidays because they want to see their neighbors’ Christmas decorations.

So, they might be more likely to see garage sales that they wouldn’t have noticed.

If you want to earn the most money for your items, don’t hold a garage or yard sale during the Christmas season.

Your visitors have made a lot of money recently, so they’ll look for deals.

However, it can also be a good time to get rid of things quickly.

Remember that holding a garage or yard sale isn’t the only way to get rid of items you no longer need.

Here are some other options.

  • You can sell items online through a site like eBay or Craigslist.
  • You can place a classified ad in your local newspaper.
  • You can donate items to goodwill or give them to members of your extended family.
  • If you need extra space but don’t want to dispose of your items permanently, you can rent a unit at a self-storage facility.

Remember that the holiday season is also a great time to clean your kitchen and remove old cans, jars, and condiment bottles from your refrigerator and cupboards.

Image credit: minimizemymess.com

Give Your Home a Thorough Cleaning

After you remove your unneeded items from the house, you should immediately put away all your family’s decorations and presents.

You shouldn’t do that just yet because making a lot of new space gives you a perfect opportunity to thoroughly clean your home and freshen up some of the hard-to-reach areas you usually skip.

Here’s a checklist that can help you get it done efficiently.

  • Start with your ceilings and walls. Scrub everything with warm water and mild detergent. This is particularly important if your windows are closed and you have been running the furnace all winter.

  • Remember that you’ll likely need to replace your furnace’s air filter. By the way, if you’ve been smoking in your home, this is a good time to visit a vape shop and commit that you’ll never be indoors again.

  • Take down and wash all of your curtains and drapes. If your home has vertical blinds, wash them with water and mild detergent.

  • Vacuum and mop your floors. Move furniture to the middle of the room so it’ll be easier to clean the edges and corners of the floors.

  • Clean all the new space you’ve hopefully created in your cabinets, closets, attic, and basement.
Image credit: bhg.com

Put Your Christmas Items Away

Now that you’ve cleared out your unwanted items and thoroughly cleaned your home, you’re ready to put all of your Christmas decorations and gifts away.

You don’t want to just throw everything into your closets, though, because that’ll only make it more difficult for you to get the decorations back out next year.

Here are some tips that can help you get it done in the most stress-free way possible.

  • Find storage solutions for your decorations before putting them away. Bins and bags for garlands, lights, tree decorations, and gift-wrapping supplies cost a lot less than you might think and make it very easy to retrieve items when you’re ready to use them again.

  • Speaking of low-cost storage, this is also a great time to consider buying toy storage if you have children. Having ample storage will make it easier for your kids to keep their rooms clean. Items like toy boxes and self-install shelving don’t cost much and can significantly enhance your kids’ bedrooms.

  • Clean your Christmas decorations before putting them away. If you like to decorate your home early in the holiday season, your decorations will probably be pretty dusty when Christmas is over. Get them clean now so they’ll be ready to use as soon as you take them out next year.

  • If you have a fresh tree, you’ll need a plan for disposing of it. If you have a large enough yard, you might have an area where you dump grass cuttings and could add the tree to that pile. If not, check with your city’s solid waste authority to see if a program is available for recycling green waste. Your community may also conduct local pickups for Christmas trees at the end of the season.
Image credit: Pinterest
Image credit: Pinterest

Conclusion

In conclusion, tackling the post-holiday clutter can feel overwhelming, but with a clear plan and a proactive approach, you can transform your home into a tidy and inviting space for the new year.

Start by making room for new items, decluttering what you no longer need, and exploring various options for selling or donating those items.

Once you’ve created space, take the opportunity to give your home a deep clean, addressing those often-overlooked areas.

Finally, when you put your Christmas decorations and gifts away, invest in proper storage solutions to make next year's process more manageable.

Following these steps will create a clean home and set the tone for a fresh and organized year!

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