Deleted: Tips for Organizing Your Home After the Holidays

If you’re like most people, your house needs some reorganizing after the holiday season. From discarded boxes scattered around to closets overflowing with newly acquired items, the holiday season invites clutter! When you’re ready to tackle the post-holiday clean-up, make sure you consider the organization tips below!  

Get Rid of Excess Packaging

Packaging from all sorts of gifts and toys can quickly overflow your home. After the festivities are over, open everything up, keep any assembly instructions, and recycle the packaging.

Arrange Disposables

Just the thought of hauling cardboard and plastic down a flight of stairs to the garage may be enough to procrastinate the cleanup. Why not set up a recycling center and landfill trash area on each floor? Then you can gather disposables, sort them, and make as few trips as possible to clear the clutter away.

One In, One Out

Did the kids get new pajamas this year? Donate the pairs they’ve outgrown to keep their drawers and closets from overflowing. Consider doing the same thing for things you don’t wear!

Gather Unwanted Gifts

Don’t stuff those unwanted items at the back of a closet. Designate are-gifting container where you can store things you can give to others over the next year. Alternatively, plan a gift exchange with friends where people swap unwanted gifts.

Sort Returns/Exchanges

Sort through the family’s gifts and make a pile of things that need returning or exchanging. Place everything in a box and store at the front door, along with necessary gift receipts. This will help put returns out of sight and out of mind until the house is organized.

Ditch Christmas Catalogs

If your magazine rack or mail station is overflowing with stacks of fliers and catalogs received in December, recycle them now!

Enjoy Post-Party Wine

Do you have several half-empty bottles of wine left over from the holiday party? You’ve got a limited window to enjoy it after a bottle is opened, so get rid of it somehow. If you can salvage some for cooking, use it up that way. It’s also a great reason to invite some friends over for a casual post-holiday get-together! If all else fails, pour it out and recycle the bottles.

Hit Up Post-Holiday Sales

If your artificial tree is on its last legs, buy a new one now and avoid paying full price next year. Same goes for broken Christmas lights and other décoressentials. It’ll save you money in the long run and make holiday setup next year that much easier.

Do a Christmas Card Inventory

As you receive holiday cards, remove the return address portion of envelopes and tuck them inside each card so you can dispose of the envelopes. Keep track of addresses easily without excess clutter. Then take an inventory of who sent you season’s greetings this year. Just like that, next year’s Christmas card list is ready!

Clean Out the Pantry

Now that you’re no longer in a baking frenzy, return your pantry organization to normal. It’s a great time to remove the holiday baking items from the prime real estate in your pantry up to the highest shelf or another storage location.

Don’t Procrastinate

Take down the decorations sooner rather than later. It’s time to change your mindset and move on from the holidays. Resist the temptation to throw everything, including broken items, back in the box to deal with later. Sort now and you’ll thank yourself next year.

Cleaning up after the holidays is never as fun as setting up. If getting your house back to normal is going to drag on into late January or February, you need help! Consider asking Potomac Concierge for assistance. Have one of our experienced professional organizers set up your home for your family to enjoy the rest of the winter, stress-free.