A quick guide to de-cluttering your home after Christmas

Part of just about everyone’s New Year Resolutions are decluttering and reorganising the house!

Not only is this an essential task from time to time but can be a deeply rewarding one for a number of reasons. You may find hidden treasures – items you forgot you had that would look great on you or adorning your home – or by having a clear-out you create valuable storage space and piece of mind at the same time!

It is a chance to discard unused, worn or unwanted items and to, perhaps, donate some quality things to charities and people who may appreciate them more.

Here are some tips as to where to focus your decluttering attention:

Old decorations

The one thing you know you do not need for another eleven months are the Christmas decorations – but the temptation is to take them down and pack them ‘en masse’ back in their storage boxes.

Take the time to properly examine your decorations as you remove them – sort out the items that ‘have seen better service’ and look a bit tatty or worn. If items need replacing, then discard them – and look in the storage boxes at the decorations you didn’t put up this year – how many years is it since you actually used a few of them?

If they haven’t been part of your festive scene for a few years, then it is probably time to retire them permanently and throw them out!

Better still, if they are in good condition, but just not your decor style any longer, then you can donate them.

Christmas cards

We all get Christmas cards every year – and the usual result is that we store them away with our decorations. Be a bit different this year and recycle them – use the nicer cards for present thank-you notes, perhaps keep your favourites to convert into your own cards for next Christmas or simply put them into a recycling bin!

Strategic swaps

We often get some nice new things for Christmas – keep the clutter down by swapping them out for your older, similar items. Make space for the newer things with straight one-for-one swaps to avoid cluttering your space.

Unwanted gifts

As well as the nice new things, we inevitably get new things that do not hold quite the same appeal for us! As long as we’re subtle about it, and don’t cause offence, it is a perfectly good idea to ‘redistribute’ these items to others who may appreciate them more or have a better use for them.

Giving these items a better home will please the recipients and save on your valuable storage space.

Reorganise your wardrobes

With the specific Christmas items sorted you can concentrate on de-cluttering other elements and spaces in your home. The New Year is always a good time to purge your clothes wardrobes – if you have winter clothes that have not been used this year, are they likely to be used next winter?

Sort through your clothes and shoes and clear out items that no longer fit nor suit your most recent looks and styles. The items that are in good condition can be donated to charity for better use. Whilst sifting through your clothes you can also consider a similar exercise with towels and bedding items.

Toys

If you have kids, you have storage problems! Sort through their toys and pick out the ones no longer played with or that your children have outgrown. The unwanted toys can be donated to charities and will be greatly appreciated by those less fortunate than your own children!

Kitchen

Again, new year, is a great time to sort out your kitchen cupboards – start with the excess food you bought but did not use over the festive holiday – we all do it! From there, look at the contents of your cupboards – pick out the jars, tins and cans that have been sat there for months or longer and, having discarded the out-of-date items, donate the rest to local food banks or charities.

Storage

Whilst doing all this sorting throughout your house, pack your retained items in attractive storage units. Oak and pine sideboards, blanket boxes, console tables and other furniture items offer not only practical storage but are beautiful and stylish furniture pieces that complement any and every room in your house.

Oak & Pine Online

Oak & Pine Online are suppliers of high quality oak furniture. On our website you’ll find affordable solid oak furniture at competitive prices. All our furniture has been made using real wood featuring solutions and collections available made for all areas of your home. We’ve set our classically modern products at great prices and we’ve made sure we deliver everything with a first class level of customer service.

Please contact us if you need any assistance.