For most of us, the holidays have passed, and now it’s time to clean, put away decorations, and organize the gifts acquired from friends and family. Just as it can be stressful getting ready for the holiday gatherings, it can also be stressful putting your house back to normal.

We suggest that you take it day-by-day, so you don’t overwhelm yourself and reach out for help where you need it most.

Here are a few suggestions to make your post-holiday cleaning easier for you!

Day One

Sort out the gifts you’ll use and find a place for them.

If you’re anything like our family, the day after Christmas sometimes looks like a tornado came through. Christmas Day is a time to enjoy the day with family and let the kids play with their new gifts – even if that means the house is a mess.

After the fun and excitement have worn off the next day, it’s time to go through everything we received, determine what we plan to return, organize and find a place for everything else we plan to keep. This can be overwhelming, so if it’s too much, ask for help. Make it something fun for the family. Each person is responsible for finding a space for their new things. This way, it doesn’t land all on you.

Extra Tip: We implement a rule that helps each family member reduce the amount of clutter collected. If you received a new toy, we pull out an older toy that’s no longer used. For example, if you receive five new toys, you have to get rid of five old toys. We do this for clothes and toys to keep clutter to a minimum!

Day Two

Put away holiday decor.

After you’ve sorted and put away all the gifts, now is the time to tackle the decor. Depending on how long you like to keep up your holiday decorations, this part can come when you’re ready. However, there are some valuable ideas here that I think might help you declutter after the holidays – so don’t totally dismiss this step.

When you’re ready to take down the tree and put away the decorations, it’s the best time to go through all your decorations, organize, and donate what you no longer need or use. Over time we accumulate more holiday decorations, and the ones we used to love don’t have a place anymore. Now is the time to put away what you’ll use next year and make a donation pile for what you haven’t used in a year or three!

Day Three

Clean the kitchen and the refrigerator.

Either your fridge is completely depleted, or it’s filled to the brim with leftovers from your holiday gatherings. Now is the time to go through and take stock of everything in your fridge and freezer. If we have leftovers, we like to plan our meals around them and try to recreate new dishes to keep them fun and different. Now is a great time to give it a good wipe-down when going through the food. Half vinegar/water mixture is an excellent solution to cleaning your fridge and freezer.

After you’ve tackled the fridge, the rest of the kitchen comes next! After all the holiday baking, cooking, and gatherings, your cabinets, floors, counters, and chairs will likely need a good wipe-down!

Day Four

Clean the guest room and bathroom.

We’re not saying your guests are dirty, but it’s always a good idea to clean up after someone else has stayed to ensure you’re ready for the next guests. It’s also nice to disinfect after the holidays, as it always seems that the cold and flu like to arrive after holiday gatherings.

We recommend washing the sheets, blankets, and any other linens used by guests. Wipe down and disinfect the bathroom surfaces, primarily targeting areas that like to collect the most germs.

Day Five

Vacuum, sweep, or mop the floor depending on the surface.

Even if your tree has been gone for days, you’ll find needles, glitter, and wrapping debris from gifts in all the nooks and crannies. We recommend cleaning your floors after the holidays have been put away and organized. To avoid unpleasant surprises later in the year, make sure you’re cleaning under, in, and around your furniture – or wherever your guests and family hang out.

It can seem daunting to tackle clean-up after the holidays. We hope this little guide helps you stress less so you can feel that New Year refresh!

Know that we are always here to help, and we’d love to take your post-holiday cleaning off your list. Fill out this simple form, and we’ll be in touch!