For many people, the new year is a time for a fresh start. A lot of us take this moment to evaluate our past goals and make new ones. Some also use this period to organize and clean their home. There is just something with a clean place that makes us feel great and ready to take on the new year. Besides that, having an organized space actually supports us in achieving our new year goals. We will discuss more on this later, but for now, let’s proceed with our first agenda.
Take Down Christmas Decorations
After cleaning for the holiday seasons, decorating the whole house to make it feel like it’s Christmas and spending the holidays with our loved ones are the top priority. Once the celebrations are over, it’s time to clean up. putting Christmas decors away is first on the list. Traditionally, if we are following the Christian calendar, we should take down the Christmas decors on the 5th or 6th of January, known as the “Twelfth Night” or the “Three Kings Day.” This is the commemoration and celebration of the Three Wise Men following the Star of Bethlehem and bringing gifts to the baby Jesus and of his baptism by John, which mark the eve of Epiphany, the official end of the season. Some people consider other factors such as the energy cost in packing away the decorations. Keeping them longer means using more energy for the string lights and the like. Others choose to keep them up to beat the post-Christmas blues. There are more reasons. However, ultimately, it depends on your personal choice. You can keep the decorations up for a little bit more time until you wish to put them aside.
Ways to Store Holiday Decors
Once you have decided to take down your tree and ornaments, storing them properly will help keep them in good condition and ready once the Christmas season rolls in again. Consider the following methods to preserve your decors.
- Lights: Take a piece of cardboard and wrap the lights around it. Doing this avoids any tangles that may break and damage the lights. Another way is to roll them in a loose circle, put a zip tie or bread tie, wrap with a newspaper, and secure in a plastic bag or a container. This process provides the same protection as the first one.
- Ornaments: According to your preference, organize your Christmas accessories by types, colors, themes, or even room. Wipe each one gently to get rid of dust and put them in boxes. You may reuse delivery boxes for storage or buy some Christmas ornament containers from Amazon. Be careful in stacking to avoid breaking the ornaments. For fragile items, the best way to protect them is to use bubble wraps. However, wrapping papers and old newspapers or magazines are a good solution too.
Pro Tip: Label the cases and boxes, so it’s easy to find them for the next season.
- Christmas Tree: Packing a Christmas tree can be a delicate task if the tree is live, homemade, or an heirloom. Use a disposal bag for a real tree. Many cities have guidelines on how to dispose and even set dates for pickup and recycling. For a fragile, antique one, a compartmentalized case will be best to protect it. Artificial trees may be stashed away in a tree bag. Pick up something that’s durable, so it won’t be easily ripped off by protruding branches. Make sure to unplug all lights and detach them from the tree carefully before storing.
Cleanup in the New Year
Now that you have packed away your Christmas ornamentation, your place is ready for a cleanup. Starting the year with a clean home always creates a great feeling in us. It has a way of making us feel that we are on track with a strong start. You don’t have to do this right after taking down the Christmas decors. Schedule it on other days, so you won’t feel overwhelmed.
Declutter Your Home
The cleanup process starts with decluttering. It’s probably been a while since you have sorted through your stuff. In order to give yourself a fresh start, you might need to clear some clutter out. It’s easier to focus on your new year goals when your environment is free of mess.
We understand that it might be hard to say goodbye to some things, so we have here a few questions that might help you decide whether to keep an item or not.
- When was the last time you used the item? If it was a year ago, it might be worth thinking if you still need it.
- How often have you used it since buying it? It can be a product of impulse buying.
- How many of the same item do you have? You might have multiples of the same thing. You don’t need three straighteners. It might be worth donating.
- Does this item make you really happy? Does it still serve a purpose in your life?
At times, we have to forgo things that no longer serve us. We don’t really advise people to let go of these things until they are ready. However, we believe that there’s a way to organize what we have chosen to keep.
Pro Tip: When decluttering, it helps to have three bins with labels “keep,” “donate,” and “toss.” This way, it will be easier to sort out your things and know which ones stay and go.
Deep Cleaning
Once done with decluttering, you are now ready to do a deep clean. If you have done this before Christmas, there’s no need for a deep purge. You can do away with a simple dusting, sweeping, and vacuuming. However, if you think that you need a deep clean, you can check this for some guidelines.
If you need help with deep cleaning, let our team from Clean On assist you. We can provide you with a professional residential cleaning service at a very affordable price.
Organize Your Space
This is the part when you put everything in its proper place. As mentioned, we should organize those things that are staying to steer clear of clutter.
Tips for Organization
- Consider organizing by area or room. Start with something easy to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
- Maximize space and storage solutions. Think how you can use a space in your house. Can it be a home for an item? Plan how you can utilize an area while making it look presentable and according to your décor.
Pro Tip: (1) There are many storage bins with different types, size, shapes, and styles for different purposes. These can be wonderful solutions to organize every room and space. (2) If you need inspiration, you can look up on Pinterest, Tiktok, Instagram, and the like. You’ll be surprised at the creative things people came up with when organizing their home.
- Create processes that work for you. Set up your place in a way that helps you and enables you achieve your goals. If you are aiming to eat healthy this year, clear out your fridge with junk food and set up a meal prep station in your kitchen. If you are planning to start yoga, set a time that fits your schedule and designate a place at home with all the needed equipment. Create cleaning schedules. Assign a place where you can put your keys, hang your coat or jacket, and so on. Going forward, set rules and systems that will support you with your goals.
Pro Tip: (1) To make weekend cleaning lighter and easier, do two light pickups a day — one in the morning and another one in the evening. In the morning, put things away such as breakfast and toys and make beds. Before going to sleep, do the dishes, sweep, and put things in the storage zones. This way you don’t have a huge cleaning project to tackle on the weekend. If two tidy-ups seem heavy, you can do a 5-minute sprint cleaning before going to bed daily. (2) Clean as you go. As you use things, make it a habit to put them back in their proper place right away. Doing this also helps you avoid addressing a large mess during the weekend. (3) With small spaces, the trick is to give every item enough space, so the place won’t look crowded. Putting so much will make it look smaller than it already is.
Cleaning and getting organized in the new year are admittedly not an easy chore, but it can be rewarding. Give yourself some time to feel ready, and you will be good to go. When you see that something is taking longer than usual, don’t get discouraged, but be patient with the process. Establish a regular cleaning routine to lessen the clutter. Finally, don’t forget to take breaks when you feel tired. It will be all worth it in the end. Happy organizing!