How to Get Organized and Clean Up After the Holidays

It might be your least favorite part of the holidays, but it needs to be done – cleanup! But don’t worry, Horderly has you covered with the best holiday cleanup tips to make the process quick and easy!

Create a Plan of Attack

Make a list of each room or outdoor area with decorations, supplies or other seasonal items that need to go back to holiday decor purgatory (aka the garage, attic or those finicky hard to reach areas you’re only accessing once or twice a year).

Find Proper Storage Solutions

Creating proper containment for your holiday items is key.

Having a safe home for all your holiday decor will not only make cleanup easier, but it will save you time and money from having to replace broken parts that were stored improperly.

China and Glassware

Store your fine china and glassware in The Container Store’s Twill Storage Cases. We love that each case has textured fabric, giving you a storage solution that’s as chic as it is protective. Every case is structured for durability and can be stacked to save space!

We also really appreciate the labels on the front of each box, so you can easily and clearly know what’s inside without having to unzip each storage case!

The plate and china, stemware and mug sets all fit a service for twelve people.

Silver

When storing silver, you want to make sure it’s kept in packaging that maintains its sparkle in between uses.

Hagerty’s Silver Keeper Bags from The Container Store come in a variety of sizes to safety store utensils, serveware, plates, platters and everything in between.

The tarnish-resistant silversmiths’ cloth protects polished sterling and silver-plate by neutralizing airborne sulfur (the main cause of tarnish). We love that the individual interior pockets of the Place Setting Roll prevent contact between the stored pieces to prevent scratches.

Decor, Ornaments & Lights

Ornaments and lights can be the hardest items to store – from tangling to breaking, these delicate items can become a headache to unpack and repack.

We’re currently obsessed with these ornament storage boxes! The Container Store’s Ornament Storage Box gives each and every ornament a proper home, without the risk of tangling or breaking against its fellow ornaments. This plastic box is the perfect solution to stack or tuck away in your attic or basement.

The Red Farmhouse Ornament Storage Box is another Horderly go-to! We love the holiday colors to make your storage solutions even more festive!

For smaller items, use The Container Store’s Clear Storage Boxes. At Horderly, we use clear bins everywhere! We love that you can see inside, and stack these multi-sized boxes to create a functional space that fits your needs.

We can’t forget about the lights!

Lights are so, so easy to get tangled up, but this Light & Garland Storage Box takes the frustration out of packing up. The easy-loading bag contains three storage reels that will spin as needed, unspooling cords for faster and easier hanging, or retracting to wrap neatly away in the convenient storage bag.

We also love this Flip-Lid Light Wrap Storage Box is another Horderly go-to! Constructed of sturdy plastic, its transparent base holds four cord wraps that remove easily when it’s time to decorate, then slide back in place for neat, upright storage.

Trees & Wreaths

Store your artificial trees and wreaths in solutions that will protect them all year round. The Tree Storage Box keeps everything in place with a locking lid, making transport and storage easy.

Santa’s Wreath Storage Bag attaches directly to the frame of your wreath, preventing the wreath from sitting on the bottom of the bag. This ensures more detailed wreaths will be protected from snapping or breaking during storage season. The Container Store’s Red Wreath Box is another great option! Designed to preserve fullness and shape while sealing out dust, this wreath protector stacks for convenient storage.

The Upright Christmas Tree Storage Bag is the easiest way to store your artificial tree, thus making it super easy to put back up the next year!

Simply attach the bag to your existing tree stand (like a tree skirt) open the skirt, pull it up, compress and zip it closed! A process that used to take forever is now ready for storage in minutes! Depending on your storage options at home, this tree bag can be stored standing up, laying down or hung.

Label

Horderly’s mantra — label, label, label! We always make sure to label all categories and Items around the house. This will save you so much time and energy, while ensuring each and every item you own has a proper home. This is especially useful during the holidays so you can easily find the bins and boxes you’re only accessing during the holidays.

Horderly loves Brother’s P-touch CUBE Plus label maker to help us with all of our labeling needs. The Cube Plus labeler is great because it makes creating labels, easy, fun and super customizable! The printing process is effortless and saves us sooo much time when setting up new systems for Horderly clients.

Last but not least – don’t forget about Horderly’s go-to gift wrapping station tips! Organizing early makes cleanup so much faster!

Set Deadlines

The holidays are always crazy busy and it’s easy to let the chaos get the best of you.

Set deadlines and plan a day or two (once things have calmed down) to pack up and put away all of your seasonal items. Your Christmas tree should not become an Easter tree come Springtime!

Creating a routine – even with the tasks that don’t require daily attention – is so important!

We get that the holidays (and the cleanup that follows) can be overwhelming. If you feel it too, and want help from Horderly’s professional organizers, reach out to hello@horderly.com for a free consultation. Our goal is to make your space effortlessly functional so you can focus on the people you love – and not clutter!

Follow along with Horderly in the New Year to help set resolutions and develop healthy #HorderlyHabits to start 2020 off right!

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