10 Tricks for Decluttering Your Home Before the New Year

There is no denying that the holiday season is chaotic. There are holiday decorations, gifts, parties, and endless get togethers. The holidays are also a perfect time for decluttering your home. As they say, out with the old and in with the new! Follow these ten tips and tricks for decluttering your home just in time for the new year.  

1. Donate or Recycle When Possible

Before you begin decluttering be sure to keep in mind that gently used or items in good condition can be donated to your local shelter. This will prevent waste and lift your spirits knowing you were able to help someone this holiday season. If some items aren’t in any shape to be donated, consider recycling if possible.

2. Ask Yourself These Questions

As you begin to declutter, ask yourself a couple questions before deciding to discard or keep. Have you used it in the last year? If the answer is no, than you might want to consider discarding the item. Also ask, does this item make you happy or bring value? If the answer is no, than you should consider discarding the item.

3. Take It Room By Room

It can be easy to get overwhelmed when decluttering. The easiest and stress-free way to do this is by breaking it up room by room. This will prevent your from getting overwhelmed and giving up. It’s also a great idea to start with the hardest room first. You’ll feel amazing once it’s finished and motivated to keep going.

4. Get the Family Involved

Be sure to involve the whole family. Ask your hubby to work on the yard or garage while you’re working on another room. Make room for new gifts by discarding old/ broken toys and clothes. You’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to declutter if the whole family is working as a team.

5. Clean Out Your Closets

Clean out both bedroom and coat closets. Old clothes and shoes take up so much space. Are you guilty of hanging on to old clothes way too long? Maybe it’s your old prom dress, favorite jeans with the holes in them, or beat up tennis shoes. Now is the time to ask yourself these questions. If you haven’t worn it in over a year or if it doesn’t bring you value, it’s time to toss it out.

6. Free Up Some Space by Storing Summer Items

This is one of the best organization hacks. Store your summer clothes and accessories in a plastic storage box. Better yet, can even use under the bed storage boxes to save even more space. Then when it’s summer, you can use those same storage containers for your winter items.

7. Go Through the Fridge and Pantry

Now is a perfect time to clean out the fridge and pantry. Start by looking for expired canned or boxed food. While your at it, remove everything and wipe the whole shelf down. Toss out old food, expired condiments and give the fridge a nice, good deep cleaning. This feels great and will open up your fridge and pantry for holiday food prep and storage.

8. Clean out the Junk Drawer

Ah, the good 'ol junk drawer, we all have one right? The drawer where random things get tossed in. Go through and get rid of those old chargers, pens, loose change, and other random things that don’t have a home. Purchase a drawer organizer and organize things in a way that makes things easy to find.

9. Go Through Bills, Receipts, and Old Documents

Go through old bills, mailers, magazines, and receipts. This is a perfect time to organize receipts from the past year for the upcoming tax season. Protect yourself from identity theft by being sure to shred anything that contains personal and sensitive information.

10. Make Sure Everything has a Place

Now that you have a fresh decluttered home. Make sure that everything has a designated place. When you know where to find things it makes everything so much more efficient and comfortable.

There you have it! Ten steps to efficiently decluttered your home and make you feel ready to tackle the new year ahead!