The holidays can be joyful, but they can also be stressful. The last thing you need after your guest go home is a cluttered and messy house causing you even more stress. Usually, giving your space a fresh start is as easy as decluttering. Follow these five steps, brought to you by NSA Storage, to declutter after the holidays and make your home a post-Christmas sanctuary.

What Makes Decluttering After the Holidays Worth Your Time and Effort?

The holiday seasons always brings a lot of stuff with it. Presents, extra furniture, and decorations are just some of the items that can clutter up your space after the festivities are over. That stuff, if left out and about, can get in the way and stress you out. Decluttering eliminates those stressors and provides other benefits also. Here’s how:

• An uncluttered home is a calm home. It brings peace and contentment, especially after holiday chaos. 
• Your productivity will be higher. When your home is decluttered, you can concentrate on more important tasks.
• Your relationships will be stronger. Studies show that a decluttered home is a happier home.

We think you’ll agree, those are some good benefits, and great reasons to declutter your home once the holiday season ends.

Top 5 Decluttering Strategies

1. Create a Simple Decluttering Plan

Before you dive into the task, make a simple plan for what to do, when, and how. Here’s one you can use if you like:

1. Collect, sort, pack, and store all holiday items. 
2. Sort new gifts and find space to store them (and their packaging).
3. Donate, toss, or give away items you don’t want, use, or need.
4. Clean up common areas like your entryway, den, mud room, and guest room(s).
5. Sit back, take a deep breath, and enjoy your decluttered and tranquil home. 

2. Sort and Store Decorations First

Whether you have a small amount of decorations or enough to fill a storage unit, getting everything down, sorted, and stored away is a big job. That makes it the obvious choice to get finished first. The following tips will help:

• Sort everything into categories, including lights, ornaments, garland, etc. Make sure you separate the indoor and outdoor decorations too.
• Label everything clearly.
• If it’s in your budget, use large, clear, plastic bins rather than cardboard boxes. They’re much more durable and also waterproof. If your basement floods or your summers are humid, your favorite decorations will be better protected.
• Store usable bows, tape, ribbons, gift tags, etc., to use next year. Keeping them will save you time and money!

3. Donate Old Things that were Replaced by New Ones

Did you get a new blender for Christmas? Maybe a new sweater or vacuum? If so, consider donating your old things to charity. If they’re still in working condition, somebody out there might love them as much as you once did! Clothes and blankets are especially appreciated during the colder months.

4. Declutter Room By Room

Trying to declutter your entire home all at once is certainly possible but not exactly recommended by organization experts. That’s especially true if you have a larger house. Instead, do this:

• Start in a specific room. Your bedroom might be a good place to start, or any room that you’d like to be able to relax in.
• Using a basket if needed, grab anything that shouldn’t be in that room. Clothes, trinkets, toys, shoes, bathroom items, books, magazines, etc.
• Bring everything to a central location. The kitchen table would work well for this.
• Go through those items and either store, donate, or toss them.
• Move on to the next room and repeat the process. Remember, you don’t have to clean the whole house in one day!

5. After Decluttering, Deep Clean

Performing a deep clean after the holidays isn’t fun but will definitely give your home a fresh, sparkling start. Some areas to remember include:

• The fridge and freezer. Many will be a mess from days (or weeks) of frenetic use.
• Clean and vacuum under the furniture. 
• Strip all beds that were used and wash the sheets and blankets.
• Wash all towels and, if possible, bathroom rugs.
• Dust everything.
• Clean the floors thoroughly, especially if guests have been coming in and out for days.
• Organize your kitchen and pantry.

Consider a Storage Unit to Save Space and Keep Organized

If you’re someone who goes all-out on decorations, or someone who’s hosting their whole family this year, you might need some extra space before and after the holidays. All of your decorations and extra furniture can take up a lot of valuable storage space at home, which is why many homeowners use a storage unit instead. 

Below are a few benefits of storing holiday stuff in a storage unit after you declutter:

• Everything will be safe and secure in a well-lit location. 
• You’ll have much more space at home that you can use for anything you like.
• Your home storage spaces won’t be stuffed full of things you don’t need for 11 months out of the year.
• You can organize your decorations in any way you like, to make decorating next year easier.

You can reserve a storage unit online today for your holiday haul (or anything else), and it will be ready when you arrive. Until then, we at NSA Storage wish you a happy and prosperous new year!