Resetting Your Home After The Holidays
For many people, the week between Christmas and New Year’s can be chaotic, with the kids home from school, the grown-ups off work and winter weather keeping everyone indoors. New toys may be scattered across the living room, gifts to return piled up in the corner and your kitchen left disorganized.
If this describes you, here are some tips for getting your home back in order for the new year.
Sort and Store Gifts
Gifts are wonderful, but if we don’t periodically purge our possessions they can pile up beyond what is ideal. The holidays offer a great opportunity to let go of your unwanted things.
When storing apparel, consider donating items that you haven’t worn in the last year, are barely stained or don’t fit well.
Also take a close look at personal items you have accumulated such as hand lotion, soap and perfume. If you don’t like the scent or will never use them, consider donating them to a shelter.
It’s easy to become overwhelmed with children’s toys and books after the holidays, especially if you come from a large extended family that gives many gifts.
If your children receive an abundant supply of new toys, consider putting some away and rotating them in later during the year. That way, newer toys will remain fresh and exciting. Also, consider donating any toys and books your children have outgrown.
If you received new household items that you would enjoy using, cut off the tags and use them right away rather than storing or saving them for later. This way, they won’t take up space and you’ll have new items to use.
Organize Your Returns and Donations
Let’s face it: Sometimes even the most well-intentioned gift just isn’t to our liking. Those gifts can clutter our homes for days or weeks if we don’t make the time to return them.
To make the process easier, place all items for returns and their associated receipts in a shopping bag and leave them by your front door, or even in the trunk of your car. Then set a time on your calendar when you can return or exchange them.
Get Your House Back in Order
Odds are, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve you probably spent more time in the kitchen than in the previous 10 months combined. All of that holiday cooking has more than likely left a mark.
Now that you’ve been able to decompress from the holidays a little, it’s time to really get into a deep cleaning of your kitchen appliances. This means cleaning the inside and outside of your dishwasher and oven, giving the sink a good washing, and scrubbing down the exterior and interior of your drawers and cabinets.
During the holiday season, these areas often get stuffed with leftover food and holiday cookies. Take the time to pull out all your containers of uneaten leftovers and survey their freshness. When in doubt, throw it out.
Once you’ve addressed the food, take a few minutes to wipe down the refrigerator and pantry shelves so they’ll be ready for your next grocery trip.
Take a vacuum to not only all of the furniture in your home but also any rugs you may have. And while you’re at it, this would also be a good opportunity to give your carpets and floors a deep clean as well. If you had a lot of people in your home, they probably tracked in a decent amount of dirt.
