Short on time? Christmas guests arriving any minute? Make your house as calm, clutter free and tidy as possible over the festive season this year.
Christmas is coming, but it's not too late to have an organised house with these quick tidying tips!
Set the timer on your phone for 10 minutes whilst you focus on each of these 6 tips and an hour later I promise, you'll see a big difference!
Clutter basket - find a basket or lightweight box. Move from room to room in your house filling it with any item that doesn't belong in that particular room. As you move into a room where something does belong, put it away. A place for everything and everything in it's place!
When you've visited every room (at least once), everything will be back where it should be, your house will be clutter free (and you'll have done your steps for the day in the process!).
Kids Toys & Games - this is a great one to do on the first day of the school holiday. I'm guessing that your kids are going to be receiving a few new toys, books or games over the Christmas period? In that case they need to make some space for them! Why not make a game of it? Explain to them that you are going to set a timer for 10 minutes and during that time you would like them identify a few toys, games or books from around the house that they no longer use and which could be donated to children who don't have as many toys. Hopefully the result will be a bag of items to be donated which can go straight in your car to be dropped off.
Set the timer again for a ten minute tidy to organise the remaining items - as Father Christmas only delivers to tidy bedrooms, right?
Kitchen - as soon as the timer is set, pull everything visible on your kitchen work surfaces together. Next sort it into four piles:
Things that need to stay out because you use them everyday (and/or you plan to use them over Christmas).
Items that can be put away in a cupboard, because they won't be in use over the festive period.
Things that you no longer use and can be donated (start a charity box or bag and when it's full, transfer straight to the boot of your car for drop off).
Rubbish to be recycled or disposed of.
Once you've moved everything that's not staying, out of the kitchen, give the surfaces a good wipe before organising the remaining items. When you organise these items keep Christmas cooking/celebrating/general use over the Christmas period in mind, as it makes sense to have these items organised so that they're easily to hand over the next few weeks.
If you find you have extra time, do more than a surface declutter, check out my Chaos to Calm Kitchen DIY Guide, it contains everything you need to get your kitchen optimally organised for the festive period.
Bathrooms - once your timer is set, spray some cleaner in the toilet, basins, bath and shower. Leave and move on.
Give any visible shelves a quick tidy, removing or discarding items that you don't need and wiping the surfaces. Empty the bin. Clean toilet and give basins, bath and shower a wipe. Replenish toiletry supplies and put out fresh towels. For a more thorough bathroom declutter and organise read What's Lurking In Your Bathroom?
Bedrooms - these will already be clutter free following step one so ten minutes will be plenty of time to give surfaces a wipe, empty the bin, make up bed with clean linen and do a quick hoover. My blog Be Our Guest! gives more tips on preparing rooms for guests.
Entrance Hall - this will be the first place your guests will see when you open your front door, so use the ten minutes to go through coats and shoes, putting away any that you won't be using over the next week. Make sure that there is enough space (and spare hangers if required) for your guests to store their items. Give the area a quick dust and hoover.
Finally, remember to water your plants (and your Christmas tree if you have a real one). It's so easy to forget about plants over the Christmas period with so many extra things going on, but this is exactly the time with log fires and the central heating on for longer, that they're likely to dry out faster.
Would each of these tasks take you much longer than ten minutes?
Does this quick fix feel like just putting a sticking plaster on a much bigger issue?
If the answer to either of these questions is yes and you'd like a fresh start in the New Year, please Contact me to fix up a no obligation chat.
Jo Hall is a Professional Home Organiser and Clutter Free Living expert 🏠
If you would love to have a really good sort out but don't know where to start, or maybe you've made a great start with it, but have since lost your way, Jo can help!
Jo works online with clients worldwide 🌍 via 1:1 sessions, DIY resources and group courses 👩💻 Guiding overwhelmed people to break free from the burden of stuff.
Get in touch to fix up a no obligation chat: Less Is More