7 places to declutter before Christmas – from streamlining your pantry and playroom, to bringing order to your office for a fresh start to the New Year

With Christmas fast approaching, your mind is probably turning to gifts, decorations and parties. What's less likely, though, is that cleaning, and more specifically decluttering, is something on your agenda.

After all, the last thing you want to be doing is adding more to your to-do list. But, taking the time to declutter before Christmas, rather than afterward, can actually make the run-up to the big day far less stressful, and make the post-holiday clean-up a whole lot easier, too.

Here, we spoke to the experts to find out which hotspots professional organizers always declutter for the holidays, so you can get ahead, and avoid any festive fiascos.

7 places to declutter before Christmas

1. The entryway

Clutter doesn’t make for a particularly festive first impression, let’s face it. Organizing an entryway so there’s space for your belongings, as well as those of your guests, makes for a much warmer welcome, suggests Di Ter Avest, professional organizer and founder of Diisorganized.

She says, 'This is the first impression of your home, and it's about to get a lot of traffic with visitors coming and going. Put away shoes that are out of season, organize your coat rack, and create a spot for guests to drop their bags.

'It's a small area, but it makes a huge difference in how your home feels during the busy holiday season.'

If you’re dealing with a small entryway, you might also want to consider removing non-functional furniture for the festive season, particularly if you’re incorporating extra Christmas hallway decorations or temporary entryway storage ideas, such as baskets, hooks and racks.

As Jennifer Ebert, digital editor of Homes & Gardens, suggests, 'Leave a couple of hooks free for extra coats and position a couple of baskets at the bottom for guests to drop hats, scarves, and shoes into. You could also put one next to the front door for gifts, leaving everyone hands-free for greetings.'

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

2. The guest bedroom

When having guests to stay, you want your guest bedroom ideas to create a relaxing space for them to unwind in – not one filled with all the items you don't have room for elsewhere.

Professional organizer Ter Avest advising using some closet decluttering tips to 'go through the closet and dresser to remove any random items you've stashed in there throughout the year,' which will also give guests space to store their belongings.

If you're still short on space, a humble clothes rail solved my lack of hanging space, and are a great way to add temporary storage on a budget. I recommend the SLEEPING LAMB Heavy Duty Clothing Racks for Hanging Clothes available at Amazon. It's sturdy and comes in four different colorways to blend into your guest bedroom including white, gold and black.

'Then, freshen up the linens (using a fabric refresher such as the Febreze Fabric Spray Downy April Fresh Scent available at Walmart) and make sure the space feels welcoming,' adds Ter Avest, by lighting one of your best candles or using a homemade room spray. 'A clutter-free guest room makes hosting feel less overwhelming, and it's one less thing to worry about when you're busy juggling everything else.'

To go the extra mile, professional organizer Meredith Goforth, founder of House of Prim, suggests adding personal touches around the room. She says, ‘I love to welcome friends and family into my home by adding thoughtful touches, such as holiday decor, luxury toiletries, goodwill notes and anything else that might help them feel at home.'

Don’t forget the bathroom, either; organize a bathroom cabinet so there’s at least one shelf free, and remove any personal products so it’s a neutral space.

3. Food storage

Christmas is a time for indulging, so you’re likely to have a lot of extra food in, whether you’re hosting guests or not. Organizing the refrigerator is a good place to start – do it in tandem with organizing a freezer so you can move items across if you need to, and give both a good clean while you’re at it.

If you're not sure how to clean a refrigerator well, our step-by-step guide breaks it down clearly but in essence, clear everything out, discard out of date products, clean and dry all surfaces before returning your goods. An open box of baking soda, available at Walmart will keep it deodorized.

As organization expert and founder of Not a Boring Box, Lauren Allen, says, ‘A decluttered, well-organized fridge inspires me to want to cook, plus I can keep an eye on things that are about to go off. Grouping ingredients into categories and labeling leftovers makes it even easier – have some zip lock bags (such as the Ziploc Gallon Food Storage Slider Bags available at Amazon) to hand so you can whip them into the freezer if you need to.

The same goes when decluttering a pantry. Once you’ve removed unwanted items (be sure to donate within-date items to your local food bank), stock up on seasonal larder essentials and introduce extra pantry storage ideas, such as bins, risers and under-shelf baskets, to increase capacity and keep shelves clutter-free.

4. Kitchen countertops

If you’re organizing a kitchen in readiness for entertaining, you’ll need as much surface space as you can get. You’ll want it looking neat as guests will end up in the kitchen to socialize in the heart of your home. The less there is to tidy away, the better.

Kate Ibbotson, APDO member and founder of A Tidy Mind, says, ‘It sounds counterproductive, but if you want to clear space on your counters, start by organizing kitchen cabinets that are hard to reach. Items you find in there are often bulky and less-used, so getting rid or moving them outside of the cooking zone will then free up temporary space for those countertop items you use more regularly.'

Then, declutter your countertops, by taking everything off, and sorting through item by item.

5. The playroom

If you have children or grandchildren, pre-Christmas is a great time to declutter any of your toy storage ideas and make playroom ideas ready to receive new toys. Plus, donating them ahead of time means other families in need can pick up great finds for their loved ones in time for the big day, promoting generosity and sharing.

Professional organizer Goforth says, ‘Encourage your children to participate in the decluttering process by having them choose what toys they no longer want or have outgrown. It’s a great opportunity to explain the concept of donating toys to children in need, and allowing them to feel good about their part in the process.'

Our contributing writer Ciéra Cree tried the easy Reverse Advent Calender decluttering method and loved it for easy streamlining that your family members and even young kids can join in on too.

According to cleaning and organization expert Michelle Hansen, owner of Practical Perfection, decluttering toys before Christmas also has the added benefit of providing present ideas. ‘You can filter wish lists a little to focus on items they don’t already have, and include practical items as well – a new coat to replace the one they’ve grown out of or a new set of coloring pens, for example’, she says.

Plus, as professional organizer Ter Avest points out, a streamlined playroom makes it easier to keep things tidy when guests stop by during the holidays, likely laden with gifts!

6. The home office

While the last thing you probably want to think about as we approach the happy holidays is work, organizing your home office ideas and decluttering a home office now will mean you reap the rewards come the New Year, advises Michelle Rosen, certified professional organizer and founder of Hop to It Organizers, LLC.

She says, 'With the new year around the corner, decluttering your workspace sets you up for productivity and clears out the clutter of past projects.'

7. The linen closet

Laura Price, founder of The Home Organization, says, ‘Organizing your linen closet is a sensible idea pre-Christmas – it’s so much easier to grab and change sheets between guests if you're not rummaging through a huge mountain of tatty or mismatched items!

'Get rid of any towels or sheets that are past their peak, then bundle bedding sheets together with matching pillowcases folded into sheets and duvet covers,' to keep everything accessible and easy to find.

FAQs

Should you declutter before or after Christmas?

Ideally, you’d want to declutter before Christmas, in preparation for an abundance of gifts – and guests – making their way into your house. Not just that, but a clutter-free home makes for a much calmer, more relaxed mind, something we could all benefit from at this time of year!

Having said that, there are a few post-Christmas decluttering rules to abide by if you want the house in tip-top shape before the ball drops – there’s bound to be a few holiday clutter hot-spots you’ve missed, so it makes sense to have another whip around.

Equally important to decluttering the home ahead of the holidays is tackling any pre-Christmas cleaning, from deodorizing the fridge to cleaning windows. Making space will help with all those groceries incoming, so these are the things to clear from your fridge to prepare for Christmas.