You’ve got enough to think about in the run-up to Christmas, and decluttering is usually a task for the New Year when you’re all about detoxing your body, mind and home. But sometimes needs must if you are stressing about turning your cluttered home office into a guest room, or working out where to unpack all the Christmas food
If you missed the window for the key places to declutter before Christmas earlier this month, you've no time for a full declutter-and-reorganise session, what you need is a ‘quick and dirty’ approach that gives you a short-term fix to get through the festive season.
We asked five professional organisers for their hit list of items and areas to blitz when you have a 10-minute chunk of time and a burst of energy…
1. Kids’ toys and books
Abi Macdonald, professional organiser at The Home Sort, says, ‘With the impending influx of pressies under the Christmas tree, now is a good time to cull your children’s outgrown playthings.’
Many shoppers appreciate pre-loved items as a budget and eco-friendly choice: ‘Charity shops are grateful to receive toys and books in good condition for those who may not be able to afford buying new.’
Abi has this advice: ‘Try a speedy, supermarket-sweep-style gathering of donations. You’ll thank yourself on Boxing Day!’
One of the best ways to declutter toys is to get the kids themselves involved – boost the anticipation of good things to come by getting them to choose 10 items to donate.
2. The hallway
Guests are coming. Do you want that shoe-strewn space to be their first impression of your home? Will they struggle to find a place to hang their coat on your overloaded rack?
How to organise a hallway is a bigger project, but for a speedy sort-out, Nicola Fraser, professional organiser at Organised Living With Nicola, has a five-step system:
‘Start by grabbing a basket and quickly gather up everything that doesn’t belong – shoes, bags, unopened mail… and put it somewhere out of sight, temporarily, until you have time to put things away properly.
‘Next, ensure all surfaces are clutter-free. For example, if you’re in the habit of dropping keys or mail on a table, put them in a drawer for the time being.
‘Then hang up any coats that are lying around. Remove the ones you’re not using every day and store them in a wardrobe.
‘If you have a shoe bench or other shoe storage, quickly tidy it up, lining up the shoes neatly. Finally, once the floor and surfaces are clear, give the area a quick clean.’
3. The fridge and larder
You need to be ready for The Big Christmas Shop, plus the inevitable food gifts and leftovers. Laura Price, professional organiser at The Home Organisation also points out, ‘A full fridge or freezer is less efficient at keeping things cold, so by decluttering them you can save space and energy, and keep food fresher for longer.’
When organising your fridge before Christmas start by taking out items that shouldn’t be or don’t need to be there. ‘Ditch the jars lurking at the back growing mould,’ says Laura. ‘Also, remove any unopened condiments which don’t need to be refrigerated until they’re open. Things like eggs and bread don’t need to be in the fridge, so keep them somewhere else during the Christmas period.’
‘If you’re hosting a lot, now is a good time to invest in some good-quality, stackable containers you can use to save space,' adds Laura.
When it comes to the larder or store cupboard, it can be a Jenga-style art form to fit everything in. The last thing you need is to empty it out at a critical moment while cooking the Christmas lunch to find the ingredient you need right at the back. If you have time, the right pantry storage solutions will help.
Laura’s strategy is this: ‘Anything that has expired should go straight away, as well as anything you bought ages ago but are unlikely to ever actually use. These could be donated – food banks are desperate for in-date items at this time of year.’
‘If you’re still short of space, remove anything you’re not likely to use over the festive season and store it in a plastic crate in a utility room or garage.
‘Make the cupboard more efficient by grouping similar items together. Put your tins together and your baking ingredients together, and so on. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it does need to work so you can see at a glance what you have and what you’re running low on.’
Laura also has this tip: ‘Create a back-stock area to separate unopened and opened items, and avoid having multiple packets of the same thing open at the same time. Keep anything new and unopened in one place so you can quickly find it and move it into the pantry when you need it.’
4. Kitchen worktops
‘A pre-Christmas kitchen declutter is a game-changer,’ says Imogen Murphy of The Little Organising Company.
‘The kitchen is the heart of festive celebrations and the less clutter you have, the easier and more enjoyable it’ll be to use. Make life simpler by letting go of what you don’t need and, if necessary, temporarily store items elsewhere over Christmas.’
‘As you go, ask yourself, “Do I use this? When and how often?”' Imogen recommends.
Items to cull include: ‘Excess bags for life, mugs, to-go cups and water bottles, duplicate utensils, appliances untouched for a year or more, children’s tableware they no longer use, recipe books and magazines, bills and paperwork.’
‘Decluttering doesn’t have to take long,’ says Imogen. ‘Try a few, focused 15-minute bursts and you’ll be amazed at the difference.’
5. The guest room
The spare bedroom can quickly become a junk room, or perhaps yours does double duty as a home office or craft room. But Christmas is when your guest room ideas should shine, whether it's for visitors (or friends who’ve partied too hard and can’t get home safely.
Prioritise clearing surfaces, says Nicola Organised Living With Nicola’s Nicola Fraser: ‘Remove surface clutter so the bed, bedside table and any other surfaces are clutter-free.’ Resist the temptation to stuff everything into the wardrobe or chest of drawers.
‘You need to create space for guests to put their belongings,’ advises Nicola. Provide a drawer, shelf and some hanging space.
Office paperwork and stationery or craft supplies can be swept into a crate and put on top of the wardrobe or under the bed until you go back to work or re-start your crafting.
6. The medicine cabinet
Louise Davidson, professional organiser at The Tidy Lark, says, ‘Your medicine cabinet is a small decluttering task that will give you big rewards in terms of peace of mind over the Christmas period.’
‘Dispose of expired items and restock essentials. With bank holiday closures, it’s best to order prescriptions early before surgeries and pharmacies close.’
Make sure you’re stocked with painkillers, antacids and decongestants for the inevitable Christmas colds, flu, indigestion and stress headaches. Add to that basic first aid items like plasters, antiseptics, gauze, bandages and support tubing, burn ointment and a thermometer.
‘And don’t forget your pets,’ says Louise. ‘If they need regular treatments, call ahead to the vet, too.’
7. Gifts
The days before Christmas are the perfect time to view everything in your home with a critical eye with a view to regifting. For example, that bottle of tequila you bought at the airport but never opened, the vase that no longer goes with your décor, the book you were given last Christmas that you’d already read.
‘Regifting can sometimes feel taboo,’ says Louise, ‘but it’s actually a thoughtful way to ensure items don’t remain unused. We all receive gifts that don’t quite fit our needs or taste and it’s common for children to receive duplicate presents that contribute to the excess in our homes. By passing these on we are reducing clutter, supporting sustainability and continuing to give generously. Do it intentionally and just be careful not to gift items back to the person who originally gave them to you!’
FAQs
What can you do with things you’ve decluttered if you can’t get out before Christmas Eve?
Put it in a crate, blue Ikea bag or Amazon box and keep it where you usually store the Christmas decorations. That way it won’t be underfoot, but also won’t be forgotten. When you pack away the decs, it’ll be there ready for a New Year charity shop trip.
Are charity shops open over the Christmas period?
Trading days and hours vary depending on the organisation. Most nationwide charities will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and any additional bank holidays, but open for the normal trading days between Christmas and New Year.
However, check their websites before you set off with a boot full of donations – they often open later in the morning and close earlier in the afternoon over the festive period.
