Holidays are a wonderful, joyous occasion spent with friends and family. Once they leave, however, you often find yourself facing a messy aftermath. Now that all the holiday cheer is gone, you need to start getting your house back into shape. A big clean sweep is never fun, but with these few tips, you should be well on your way to a clean and organized home.
Pack away the holiday-themed or fine china in dish pack boxes
You probably only take out the holiday-themed or fancy fine china you inherited from Grandma a few times a year for special occasions. The rest of the time, they likely sit in boxes in the basement, attic or garage. Make sure to keep your precious items safe by using a box specifically made for packing away dishes. Use packing paper with a “dish pack” box. They come with separators to keep all your fancy dinner plates and cups from being jostled around, decreasing the risk of breakage.
Pack up the extra linens
Fancy place mats and napkins, guest towels, extra sheets and blankets – these are all items you only need once or twice a year when company comes over. Make sure to launder these items right away, or they’ll sit there for weeks as you procrastinate putting them away. Once they’re clean, make sure to properly store them away. Keep like items together – towels with towels, sheets with sheets, etc. If you don’t have room in your linen closet, you can always pack these items away. Use proper packing techniques – heavier items in small boxes, light items in large boxes, and always remember to label, label, label.
Stack the extra chairs
Chances are you have extra chairs in the basement or garage that you only ever bring out when you have a house full of company. There’s no need to waste space – when you’re done with them, you can just stack the chairs in a corner of the basement or attic.
Put away wrapping paper
If you still have wrapping paper left over after all your gift giving, you’ll want to store it properly. Here’s a trick – use rubber bands to keep the paper wrapped tightly to the roll. Just using tape on the ends isn’t always enough. Tape can sometimes lose it’s stickiness, especially if it’s left in a damp basement for an entire year.
Recycle bags and gift boxes
Don’t throw those gift bags and boxes away! As long as they’re in good condition, you can use them again. Just make sure to flatten them and store them together in a box labeled “Gift Bags” so you don’t forget what’s in there.
Use tissue paper to protect ornaments
Delicate and fragile ornaments are best stored in the original boxes they came in. If you no longer have those, then the next best thing is to use packing paper or tissue paper to cushion those fragile objects when placing them in boxes.