How to de-clutter after Christmas
The festive season brings joy, celebration, and generosity but it also brings a lot of stuff. Once the gifts are opened and the decorations start to lose their sparkle, many of us look around and realise our homes feel fuller, messier and harder to manage. Post-Christmas is the perfect moment to reset. With a focused approach, you can reclaim your space, restore calm, and start the new year feeling organised and refreshed.
1. Start with a quick reset
Before diving into deep decluttering, give each main room a five-minute tidy to clear the visual noise. Start with the areas you see the most like kitchen counters, coffee tables, living room surfaces, dining tables and entryways. Put dishes away, gather stray items into one basket, throw out obvious rubbish, straighten cushions and quickly restore order. Quick wins build momentum and immediately make your home feel lighter.
2. Decorations audit
Decorations usually create the biggest volume of clutter, so start here. Sort everything into, keep, donate, repair and discard. Christmas décor builds up over years, and this is your chance to let go of anything broken, unused or no longer your style.
Invest in good storage. Clear bins, divided ornament boxes and labelled bags will make next year far easier. Group items by type or room and label everything so you’re not guessing next December.
3. Make space for new gifts
New gifts enter the home quickly and without a plan. Avoid instant clutter by using the one-in, one-out rule: for every new item you’re keeping, choose something to donate or recycle. Unpack gifts fully, remove all packaging immediately, and find a permanent home for each item. Packaging alone can take up astonishing space.
4. Create a donation station
Designate one central spot in your home for decluttering: keep a box for donations, a bag for recycling, a rubbish bin and a small box for repairs. As soon as the donation box is full, take it straight to your chosen charity or drop-off point.
5. Tackle the toys
Toys often multiply at Christmas more than anything else. Try toy rotation. Keep some out and store others, rotating them every few weeks to keep playtime fresh and clutter minimal.
Pick toys to keep based on quality, usefulness and condition, and donate anything broken, outgrown or ignored. Use simple storage children can manage themselves, such as low baskets, labelled tubs and shelving within reach.
6. Streamline gift-wrap
Wrapping paper, ribbons and gift bags seem to multiply in December. Now is the time to edit. Keep what you’ll genuinely use, store rolls upright and tuck loose supplies into a dedicated box. Flatten gift bags and sort by size. Don’t keep crumpled or unusable leftovers.
7. Edit seasonal
Before packing away extra glasses, plates and serving dishes, take a moment to reassess. If something hasn’t been used for several Christmases, it’s unlikely to earn its place next year. Store what you keep in protective sleeves or dividers and dedicate one cupboard or shelf to seasonal items.
8. Reset the Kitchen
Holiday cooking often leaves cupboards overflowing. Discard expired snacks or leftover treats you know won’t be eaten. Reorganise cupboards by grouping like items and recycling empty or duplicate containers. If you received new gadgets or cookware, let go of older duplicates to keep cupboards manageable.
9. Refresh the living room
With the decorations down, living rooms can look bare but this is an opportunity. Remove December-specific cushions, throws and accessories, and decide what you want your everyday look to be. A pared-back January style feels calm and lets the room breathe again.
10. Reclaim your wardrobe
Christmas often brings new clothes or temptingly low sale purchases, so now’s the perfect time for a wardrobe edit. Remove anything replaced by new gifts, items that no longer fit, or clothes that are worn out or unlikely to be worn again. Organise by category and use the space to reassess what you truly enjoy wearing.
11. Finish with a quick clean
A light clean will finish the process perfectly. Vacuum floors, wipe down shelves that held decorations, dust surfaces and freshen fabrics. It doesn’t need to be a full deep clean, just enough to create a fresh start.
12. Keep the momentum going
To avoid next year’s clutter creep, try some clever hacks. Keep a donation bag in the house year-round. Declutter clothes and toys seasonally. Reassess storage as your needs change. Do small, regular edits instead of one big annual purge. These small habits keep your home under control long after the festive season has passed.
Photos: Getty
