7 Simple Ways to Declutter Before the Holidays Arrive

As the holiday season approaches, the excitement of festive gatherings can quickly be overshadowed by the stress of cluttered spaces. Whether you’re hosting guests or want to enjoy a more peaceful environment, here are 7 ways to declutter your home before the busy holiday rush.

During autumn we host a Fall Home Organization Challenge to prepare the entertaining spaces of our home for the holidays.

But what if you don’t have time to organize that many spaces before Thanksgiving?

We have the answer, just declutter these 7 prioritized spaces instead!

Clearing out unnecessary items creates a more welcoming atmosphere, and makes it easy to prepare meals, and decorate for the holidays.

Declutter meaning

Did you know there’s a difference between decluttering and organizing?

The two are related, but each has a distinct process:

• Decluttering involves removing unnecessary items from a space. It’s about deciding what you no longer need, use, or love, and letting go of those things, whether by donating, selling, recycling, or discarding them. The goal is to reduce the number of items in your space to only those that serve a purpose or bring value to your life.

• Organizing is about arranging the remaining items to make them easy to find and efficient to use. After decluttering, organizing involves finding a place for everything and implementing systems to keep your space functional and tidy.

In short, decluttering is about reducing the amount of stuff, while organizing is about arranging what’s left in a useful way.

At this time in your life, you may only have time to declutter and that’s okay!

7 Simple ways to declutter

Here are 7 simple ways to declutter and bring calm to your home before the holidays arrive.

The Entryway

Decluttering the entryway can make a huge difference in how welcoming your home feels.

You don’t want your guests tripping over piles of shoes on their way inside.

Relocate shoes, bags, coats, mail, backpacks, sports equipment, and other miscellaneous items.

Whenever you’re ready to organize this space check out this post: The Best Ideas to Create an Organized Entryway

The Bathrooms Guests use

Decluttering a bathroom makes the space more functional and comfortable to use.

Minimize countertop clutter and keep essentials like soap, tissues, and a toothbrush holder on the counter.

Next, purge unnecessary items by checking expiration dates on medicines, makeup, and skincare products.

Then, toss broken items and products you no longer use.

When you get a chance to organize the bathroom this post sharing 15 Awesome Storage Solutions for Your Bathroom might be helpful!

The Living Room

Decluttering your living room before having company can quickly refresh the space and make it inviting.

First, clear off surfaces and tidy up the coffee table, side tables, and shelves by removing excess items like books, papers, or knick-knacks.

Next, relocate personal items that belong elsewhere in the house like shoes, clothes, books, toys, etc.

Then, pick up loose items like remote controls and magazines and store them in a drawer or a basket.

If you have time to organize the living room check out this post titled: Tips to Get Your Living Room Holiday Ready

The Dining Room

Follow these steps to ensure your dining room is decluttered and ready for enjoyable holiday dinners.

If you use the table for everyday items like mail or paperwork, find another spot for these things before the holiday event.

Clear off the top of your sideboard, buffet, or hutch, and only keep what’s needed, such as serving utensils, napkins, or drinkware.

Remove anything that makes the room feel crowded, such as excess knick-knacks or bulky decorations.

Be sure serving items are easy to access and ready for use, so you’re not searching for them last minute.

Ensure walkways are clear, so guests can move easily around the room, especially if you have a buffet-style setup.

When you have more time, use this post to help you organize your dining room.

The Refrigerator/Freezer

By decluttering your refrigerator before holiday dinners, you’ll create ample space for all the extra food, making meal prep and storage much easier and more efficient.

Work shelf by shelf, then drawer by drawer, looking at the expiration dates and tossing anything expired or spoiled.

Get rid of items you won’t use like jars, sauces, or ingredients you bought for a one-time recipe and haven’t used since.

If you have multiple jars of the same condiment combine them into one.

Do a final check to see if you’ve made enough space for the holiday dishes, leftovers, and any additional groceries you’ll bring in.

Repeat the steps in your freezer.

When time allows use these Easy Ideas To Organize Your Refrigerator and Freezer!

The Pantry

If you declutter your pantry before holiday dinners, you’ll make meal prep easier, reduce food waste, and ensure you have the space to store all the extra holiday ingredients!

First, check the dates on canned goods, spices, baking ingredients, and other pantry staples and discard expired items.

Next, toss out stale food, anything that’s been open for too long or doesn’t look or smell fresh should go.

If you haven’t used something in months and it’s still good, donate it.

And if your pantry is full, consider donating items to a local food bank to make room for the extra ingredients and snacks you’ll need for holiday cooking and entertaining.

Remember to leave some space for holiday staples like canned pumpkin, cranberry sauce, and extra baking supplies.

This post, Clever Ways to Organize Your Pantry, will be helpful when you’re ready to organize this space.

toys and games

Decluttering kids’ toys and games before the holidays is a great way to make space for new gifts and reduce clutter in your home.

Begin by tossing broken toys, puzzles, or games that can’t be repaired or are missing important pieces.

Next, set aside toys your child has outgrown or they don’t play with anymore.

These can be donated, sold, or passed on to younger family members.

A good rule is that if your child hasn’t played with a toy in the last 6 months, it’s likely they’ve outgrown it or lost interest.

Depending on their age, consider involving your kids in the process.

Explain that new toys are coming, so it’s a good time to make space and possibly donate toys they no longer use.

Let them help decide which toys to keep, donate, or discard.

This can teach them valuable lessons about decluttering and giving to others.

If your child has a lot of toys and is hesitant to give them up, consider implementing a toy rotation system.

Keep some toys out and store others away in bins or boxes.

After a few weeks, swap them out.

When you have extra time, here’s a fabulous way to organize board games!

In Conclusion

Believe it or not, Thanksgiving will be here before we know it!

Incorporating these 7 simple ways to declutter before the holidays will help you create a welcoming space for your family and guests.

By taking a little time to clear out unnecessary items, you’ll make room for new memories, reduce stress, and enjoy a smoother holiday season.

Get started today and enjoy the peace that comes with a decluttered home!

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Blessings, Donna and Rich

More Organization Inspiration

• Plan Now for the Best Thanksgiving Ever
• Organize a Guest Bathroom with These 11 Essentials
• How to Get Organized For Holiday Entertaining

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