Cleaning and Organizing After the Holidays: A Checklist

Christmas time can be a little chaotic, a little messy, and the addition of new toys and other gifts might make your home feel extra cluttered. Having a concrete post-holiday cleaning and organizing strategy can help make the holidays feel less messy and more relaxing! This coming year, I’m determined to do a better job at cleaning and organizing my home. I’m notoriously bad at it, but I know that a tidy home helps me (and my family!) feel less stressed. I like to use lists to keep me on track – if I don’t write down a task, it never happens! – so today I’m sharing with you my post-holiday cleaning and organizing checklist with the hope that it will help some of you, too.

Post-Holiday House Cleaning and Organizing Checklist

The Christmas Decorations
Taking the time to put away your decorations with care will make next year’s decorating so much simpler and more fun!

• donate or discard any old or broken decorations
• label storage boxes clearly
• store decorations by room in durable boxes
• ensure that delicate, breakable ornaments are protected
• wrap Christmas lights around recycled wrapping paper tubes or pieces of cardboard to keep them from getting tangled

The Gifts
Being intentional about gift storage and making room for new things will keep your home clutter-free.

• determine a storage spot for all new gifts
• donate or discard any old toys, books, clothes etc. (purge one or two items for each gift received!)
• recycle Christmas cards after saving all of the mailing addresses; keep some for Christmas crafts for next year

The Food
There’s often excess food after Christmas parties, so make the most of it!

• prepare and freeze any leftovers to use for meals in the new year (i.e. cut turkey into bite-sized pieces for soups and sandwiches)
• make a meal plan for after the Holidays that’s easy and makes use of leftovers (like slow cooker meals and freezer meals)

The Cleaning
Doing an intentional deep clean post-Christmas will get you off to a fresh start in the New Year.

• deep clean the kitchen, paying special attention to the Holiday high-use items:
  • the cabinet doors
  • the back splash
  • the fridge
  • the stove
• clean the guest room after your guests have gone
• clean the main living areas and check for and treat stains from any Holiday parties
• deep clean the bathrooms, especially a main floor powder room that would have received lots of use

The Maintenance
Keep your home protected and safe for your family, as well as energy efficient. 

• clean or replace your furnace air filters as needed
• test your smoke detector and replace batteries as needed
• check the exhaust duct of your clothes dryer and clean as needed
• dust or vacuum your refrigerator coils
• inspect your fire extinguisher and ensure it’s easily accessible

This is a big checklist, but I think it’s a thorough list that will help get us organized, ready, and safe for the New Year! Don’t worry about doing all of the items immediately. Simply go through the list as you have time after your big Christmas get-togethers to help get your home in tip-top shape.