Christmas decluttering with these 5 simple tips

Does the thought of more stuff at Christmas make you feel just a little overwhelmed? If you’re anything like me you probably can’t face the idea of getting the decorations out until you home is looking clean and tidy.

But let’s face it, going on a full scale Christmas decluttering mission to minimise your stuff right before the holidays hit is unlikely to leave you feeling filled with the joy of the season. In fact, unless you have the time to see your decluttering through, it’s very likely to leave you feeling burnt out.

So how do you strike a balance between clutter-induced overwhelm and decluttering disaster? It’s not all or nothing so read on for my top tips for decluttering before Christmas.

start small

When starting any decluttering I always suggest starting small. Take a look around you right now, can you identify 3 things that you no longer want or need? It’s probably not that hard is it? They don’t have to be big things – a broken pen that no longer works, a book you’ve finished reading a won’t read again, a stack of papers that should have been popped in the recycling.

There are plenty of little items of clutter that take up our space that when put together can feel overwhelming but by tackling them bit by bit you can make a real difference quickly. For your three items either get rid of them straight away or come up with a plan for how to get rid of them by the end of the day.

Hopefully by doing this small exercise each day you can start to clear those surfaces that are hot spots for stuff and get that clutter under control.

clean out your kitchen cupboards

Christmas is always the time when we end up going a little overboard with food isn’t it. In fact, according to YouGov, 75% of Britains enjoy stuffing themselves at Christmas. So you’re more than likely planning a big food shop this month.

But if you are lucky enough to already have cupboards full from your normal shop finding space for treats you may want to buy for Christmas can leave you struggling for space. You may quickly find yourself having to clear shopping off countertops every times you want to use your kitchen worktops, making festive cooking a headache.

So what can you do about it? Here’s a few ideas:

• Anything that is in date and sealed that you know you won’t use can be donated to food banks (let’s remember what a privilege it is to have too much food that you can give to others, because so many are struggling this year). You can find details of your local foodbank via The Trussell Trust.

• Batch cook meals and put them in the freezer – not only is this a great way to make space but you’ll be doing your future self a favour for those days where you don’t have the time or energy to cook from scratch. Try to be creative and substitute any ingredients you are missing for things that you do have. You might be pleasantly surprised by what you create. One of our favourite meals is chicken, chickpeas and rosemary, based on a recipe that asks for lentils.

• Organise you cupboards – sometimes the key to decluttering is to organise and more often than not our kitchen cupboards become filled with things that we’ve just quickly put away rather than actually organised. This means you often buy things you already have simply because you can’t find the thing you are looking for. Depending on the current state of your cupboards this may be a big task but if you get a chance to organise and group together items you may find that you can cross things off your Christmas food shop because you already have them.

start a toy rotation

If you follow me on Instagram you will know that I am a massive fan of a toy rotation. If you’ve ever been to an all-you-can-eat buffet and put too much food on your plate from the excitement of seeing so many tasty options, only to find yourself pushing that food around your plate when you are inevitably too full to finish you’ll have an idea how too much choice can be a bad thing.

Having too many toys available can be incredibly overwhelming for our children. Like making choices at that all-you-can-eat buffet, they will pull out each toy making sure they don’t miss out on any. The result is a lack of deep play for your child and an overwhelming mess for you to tidy when they have gone to bed.

It’s never a bad time to start a toy rotation

As we come up to Christmas, you may feel like now is not the time to start a toy rotation, but it is never a bad time to start a toy rotation! The benefit of doing one now is that you can get your children used to the idea of having less toys out, which means when they have new toys for Christmas they won’t notice so much other toys being swapped out.

Starting a toy rotation doesn’t necessarily create space as you do still need to store the toys that are not in use, but it can make your life easier if you aren’t having to do a massive tidy up at the end of each day.

Other ideas for toys:

• If your children have grown out of toys see if friends with younger children are looking to get the same toys for their children and pass them on.
• Donate good quality toys to charities that are looking for donations of toys.

declutter your books

When I first started minimising it took me a long time to accept that I should clear out all my unread books. I had shelves filled with books I one day planned to read – many picked up from charity shops or passed on to me by friends. But gradually I accepted that actually I was never going to read those books. I sold them using We Buy Books, passed them on to friends and donated to charity shops.

The day I cleared that bookshelf it was link a massive weight had been lifted. Suddenly I could choose to buy myself a new-to-me book and read it without the guilt of having a shelf full of unread books at home.

I think that Christmas is often a time when we like nothing better than to curl up with a good book. But if like me, you have too many, you can start to feel pressure on what to read or see it as an opportunity to read as many books as possible -taking the fun out of reading.

But decluttering bookshelves is actually pretty easy – simply remove any books you have either a) read and won’t read again or b) haven’t read and know deep down you are never going to read.

Now have a look at those books, are there any you can pass on to a family member or friend? Perhaps it could be a Christmas gift to someone. Christmas gifts don’t have to be new and gifting secondhand books is really sustainable. Plus if it’s a personal recommendation based on your own enjoyment of that book, what’s not to love?

sort out your bathroom clutter

always get skincare giftsets at Christmas and much as I love an evening spent pampering with lots of different lotions it’s something I rarely get time for as a mum. Which makes decluttering the bathroom a really great idea before Christmas. 

Make some space in your own bathroom cabinets with these ideas:

• Check dates on the items you have. If it’s unopened it’s normally fine, but you’ll find a little opened lid symbol with a number on most skincare products. The number is the number of months you should keep the item for after it’s been opened. My general rule is that I follow the use by date for liquid eye products (creams, mascara, liquid eyeliner) and medicines but I’m a bit more relaxed about powdered make-up and most skincare (although if I haven’t used a product within that date it suggests to me that I’m not using it and should probably ditch it anyway). 

• If you have lots of the same product eg body lotion, try to consolidate it into a single tub so that it takes up less space. 

• If you have unopened products that you know you aren’t going to use why not regift them? If you package them up beautifully they make a perfect gift and it’s far better than just throwing stuff out. If you aren’t into the regifting idea have a look if local refuges or similar charities in your area need personal care products. 

get intentional about Christmas decorations 

How many years do you finish decorating your home and find you still have decorations left over? Perhaps that’s just me, but I’m sure many of us have decorations that we no longer adore in our Christmas box. Perhaps you changed you colour scheme or decided like me that you’ve had enough of tinsel.

Although those decorations might not be causing any issues, tucked away in a cupboard or an attic, if they aren’t being used it’s time to pass them on to someone who will use them. 

When I decluttered my Christmas decorations I was able to pass them to a local charity shop to use in their Christmas display. There are normally lots of charities and local organisations that need extra Christmas decorations but simply don’t have the budget to buy them so keep a look out in your area. 
Similarly, some people want to decorate their homes but cannot afford lots of decorations so you offering a box on a local Facebook group or gumtree could well make someone’s Christmas. 

Want more tips for Christmas decluttering? Start with my simple decluttering hacks.

Pin for when you need Christmas decluttering inspiration: