Everyone makes new years resolutions, whether they plan to keep it or not.
The most popular new year’s resolutions of 2018 range from fad diets, workout classes, keeping in touch better or reading 35 books. Mine personally is to not shop for new clothes for one year. For me part of this resolution includes wanting to get rid of all the old stuff in my house. Not just clothes and accessories, but also the used couches, mattresses and furniture that I no longer need. So as I begin my 2018 new years resolution, here are the top tips I am going to follow to declutter my life.
If you start off thinking of the decluttering resolution as an opportunity to get a fresh start, next year the resolution could be to finally by that midcentury West Elm couch you’ve had your eye on for a bit too long. Here’s how to get rid of clutter so fast, you can get a head start on that book list that’s leftover from last year.
Your Leftover Christmas Clutter
The holidays are over, but the fun doesn’t have to be. Rather than keeping your tree and decorations up can become a headache that you don’t want to deal with the longer it stays up. Is there a perfect day to take it down? I like to think so. Of course you want to keep up your holiday decorations throughout New Years Eve because – lights, sparkle!
But after New Years Day there is a good 7 day span where it needs to be taken down. If NYE falls on a weekend, the next weekend is fine, because who has time to pack ornaments correctly during the week? Let’s just say Christmas decorations should be down by the 7th at the very latest. Doing a quick sweep of all the stuff that accumulates during the holidays can help you get control of household clutter.
Start by putting all of your new holiday gifts in their proper area. Try on all clothes that you may have gotten an put anything that doesn’t fit into a specific place along with their receipts. Sort and package your Christmas decorations away and take any unwanted treats to your office kitchen so they are free for others to have at. Your coworkers may be outwardly upset you ruined their NYE resolution in the first week, but secretly they will be very happy.
Out with the old clothes, in with the new.
Did you get a new leather jacket for Christmas or maybe a new pair of Christmas PJs, slippers or tennis shows? Get rid of the old ones. You do not need 7 pairs of slippers. If your new cozy skippers will do the work of several old pairs, try tossing out the same number that you received this year. Whatever you can do to free up more space means cleaner, clutter-free living in 2018.
Decide what to do with Unwanted Gifts
Did your aunt give you a throw blanket with Tom Brady’s face on it or a few (5) shirts from Goodwill that look like a distant high school memory? Decide right away what to do with unwanted gifts, not only because you want to get rid of clutter, but also because it leads to awkward gifting in the future (re-gifting can be dangerous if you can’t recall who gave what gifts). Need help deciding? Here’s a start!
OPTION 1: Donate to Charity
How better to keep that good holiday feeling going than to give to others? That doesn’t make it easy though. One of the hardest part of de-cluttering is getting rid of things that are still useful, you just no longer want or need. Why should you have to throw away a young adult trilogy, a second crockpot, games and toys you or your children no longer play or the elephant keepsakes you have twelve too many of?
Instead, keep a donation bag or box on hand year round, so you can set things aside for Goodwill or other charitable organizations. Try to keep it as part of your monthly routine to donate at least one bag of unused items. You can even try to schedule your 2018 decluttering resolution on a monthly basis.
OPTION 2: Recycle & Go Green
Cardboard boxes and wrapping paper can really take over your home during the Holidays. See what you can reuse or what should just be recycled. Don’t forget to set a date for dispensing with all those holiday cards or wacky family photos your friends keep sending you. They already worked their magic the moment you opened them, so why not take an Instagram of the lot and let the originals go with the rest of the clutter in your house?
Now’s the time for a Deep Clean
Once you’ve decluttered after the holidays, you should dive into a deep clean. It might not sound particularly fun, but there is probably a lot of wine stains, grease stains, and chocolate stains after all of the holiday parties. Eco-friendly holiday tips.
Set a Definite Decluttering Date
Hopefully these ideas for getting rid of clutter will be all you need to inspire you in the new year. But the real trick to cleaning up holiday clutter is to simply set aside a specific day to begin. Think of it as a variation on spring cleaning. Start now, or mark your calendar for your “winter cleaning day,” and be ready to take that first step toward clutter-free living in 2018. For a monthly decluttering schedule, follow our handy 12 month guide.
Need help getting started? Set a date and book couch removal with Couch Disposal Plus. We will donate or recycle everything we can to Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, or your local thrift store.
