Declutter For The Holidays In 30 Days: Simple Tips And Strategy (Free Printable!)

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by Robin

I’m on a mission to declutter for the holidays! Want to join me? I’ve developed this 30-day plan to declutter my whole house by tackling one space a day.

declutter for the holidays plan printable

The last year and a half of never having guests over has led to our house getting overrun with clutter. It’s really out of hand. We need those visitors coming over regularly to stay motivated to tidy up. Are you in the same boat?

This year the pressure is turned up even more than usual for decluttering for Christmas.

You see, last month Ed’s mom moved to our city into a right size home for her. That means all of our parents are living here, in small homes that suit their lifestyles perfectly. This is a good thing, right?! YES!!!!

The one drawback, for me, is that we now have the biggest, most convenient home for holiday entertaining. Maybe you love having a big group in your home for the holidays? I’m happy for you – I wish I felt that way. For me, the idea of hosting everyone is overwhelming, to say the least. So I need to come up with strategies for how I’ll keep my anxiety in check while hosting.

One way that keeps me feeling grounded is when my home feels calm and organized. Clutter drives me batty – and I need my baseline stress level low before the big days ahead. So I’m committing myself to a Whole Home Declutter for the Holidays Challenge!

Each day for 30 days I’m going to spend some time in a space getting on top of the clutter in the pursuit of calm. If you want to join me, I’ve created a free printable Whole Home Declutter for the Holidays Challenge resource that you can use too! (Download below.)

What should I declutter for the Holidays?

It’s totally up to you!

I think you should check in with yourself and declutter the things that are contributing to bad feelings you have about your home. I like to ask myself these three questions to help with decluttering.

My plan this year is to focus on the most visible areas of our house first. Think: the spots where guests are most likely to be.

You’ll see below, my plan starts with the most public areas of the home first. That’s the priority when your plan is to declutter for the holidays in particular. No need to get too perfectionistic! Leave those more private spaces for later, just in case something happens and you fall behind.

You’re going to need a Donation Station

For well over a decade we’ve sworn by our Donation Station to get rid of stuff efficiently. Have you got one? If not, set aside a space now to keep all the items you plan to donate. For more details on our Donation Station check out this post.

Don’t do it alone!

Chances are you didn’t create all this clutter by yourself. Make sure you recruit your family to help get this decluttering done. Even if they do a little bit it will make a difference – and maybe give them a vested interest in keeping your home clutter free? A girl can dream…

simple plan for decluttering for the holidays

Reclaim your home and your peace. Let’s get started!

It’s easy for our homes to get cluttered as we often go months and months adding more stuff and rarely taking anything away.

Before you know it, you’re spending way too much time cleaning and looking for things because there is just way too much stuff.

This can cause quite a bit of chaos, and it looks and feels awful.

Before we head into the season of giving and receiving, let’s do some decluttering so you can reclaim your home and your peace.

This 30-day holiday home declutter challenge will help you do just that.

Use it to help you complete a task or 2 each day until your entire home is decluttered. It’s organized with the areas your guests will see first – so you can get on top of those more public spaces right away.

You can do this!

Declutter For the Holidays: Days 1-10

declutter for the holidays plan day 1 to 10

Day 1: Sort through all of your old Holiday Decor. Get rid of what is broken and set aside what you want to keep. (see page 6)

Day 2: Entryway: Sort through all out-of-season outerwear and shoes. Dispose of everything you don’t need.

Day 3: Dining Room: Clear all the clutter from surfaces. Go through any storage pieces and get rid of things you don’t use/need.

Day 4: Kitchen: Clear all clutter from your kitchen counters. Find thoughtful places for things that accumulate here.

Day 5: Kitchen: Go through pantry. Get rid of expired goods. Donate extra non-perishable food items you know won’t be eaten. Put like things together on shelves.

Day 6: Kitchen: Go through fridge and freezer. Get rid of expired goods.

Day 7: Kitchen: Go through cupboards and sort through contents, get rid of worn out Tupperware and extra mugs, dishes that you don’t use etc.

Day 8: In your First Bathroom, get rid of old and expired products. Get rid of any broken/worn out accessories/towels etc.

Day 9: In your Second Bathroom, get rid of old and expired products. Get rid of any broken/worn out accessories/towels etc.

Day 10: In your Living Room, sort through and get rid of any old and unused games, electronics, magazines, décor, etc.

Declutter for the Holidays: Days 11-20

declutter for the holidays plan day 11 to 20

Day 11: Thoughtfully store the things that are staying in your Living Room.

Day 12: In your Media Room/Family Room, sort through and get rid of any old and unused games, electronics, magazines, décor, etc.

Day 13: Thoughtfully store the things that are staying in your Media Room/Family Room.

Day 14: Guest Room: Clean off surfaces and remove anything that doesn’t belong. Make the bed with fresh clean bedding.

Day 15: Go through First Bedroom closets. Remove and store out-of-season items. Get rid of worn out or poorly fitting clothes, shoes, etc.

Day 16: First Bedroom: Sort through any dressers, nightstands and drop spots. Set aside items to trash and donate.

Day 17: Go through Second Bedroom closets. Remove and store out-of-season items. Get rid of worn out or poorly fitting clothes, shoes, etc.

Day 18: Second Bedroom: Sort through any dressers, nightstands and drop spots. Set aside items to trash and donate.

Day 19: Go through Third Bedroom closets. Remove and store out-of-season items. Get rid of worn out or poorly fitting clothes, shoes, etc.

Day 20: Third Bedroom: Sort through any dressers, nightstands and drop spots. Set aside items to trash and donate.

Declutter for the Holidays: Days 21-30

declutter for the holidays plan day 21 to 30

Day 21: In your Home Office clean out any drawers and sort through books, mail, and paperwork.

Day 22: If you have a Playroom/Toy Area, get rid of broken toys. Consider donating gently loved and aged-out toys.

Day 23: In your Front Yard, get rid of dead plants, out of season furniture, decor and supplies.

Day 24: In your Backyard, get rid of dead plants, out of season furniture, decor and supplies.

Day 25: Laundry Room: Clean & sanitize your laundry appliances. Dispose of old laundry products and accessories.

Day 26: In your Linen and Cleaning Cupboards, get rid of worn out and unused linens, cleaning products, and supplies.

Day 27: Sort through Storage Room contents. Store away any summer related items. Dispose of what is old, broken, & no longer used.

Day 28: Go through Additional Spaces in your home. Get rid of trash, put aside donatable items.

Day 29: Donations: Take your items to the charity drop off of your choice. Or arrange for a pick up time, if available in your area.

Day 30: Do a final sweep of your home and ensure everything is decluttered to your liking.

You’re done! Enjoy your beautifully decluttered home!

Declutter for the Holidays: Get Rid of Those Old Holiday Decorations

Seriously. Stop avoiding those dusty brown boxes. You know all the ones you shoved into your basement corner last year?

We’re taking them all out now and we’re sorting through each box.

Remember, this is a decluttering challenge and we’re tackling all the hard bits that can really become a nightmare.

In just 4 simple steps, you will have organized all of your holiday decorations!

Step 1: Get out all of your Christmas decoration boxes

Step 2: In one pile, set aside decorations that you wish to donate.

Step 3: In a garbage pin, put the decorations that you want to dispose of.

Step 4: Now that you are left with decorations you want to keep, sort & gather all of the decor by ‘type’. Make a list of new decor items you’ll need for your home!