We all know how irritating and time consuming it can be to untangle Christmas lights when they've been shoved back in the box without care. Don’t make the same mistake this year and use this top hack to save you time and effort. Wrap lights around long cardboard tubes, empty wrapping paper ones will do, and ensure a stress-free decorating session next year.
Speaking of decorations, make sure you don't neglect your baubles and tinsel either. No one wants to open a box of broken glass come next Christmas, no matter how pretty the colours might be. Carefully stow away your festive ornaments in tissue paper and designated boxes ready to find in one piece next year. Don’t forget to carefully dispose of those that didn’t make it this time.
You may have cringed when you saw your aunty smooth out her wrapping paper to use again next year, but she was onto something! Say thank you for the new socks and thank you to the planet by re-using old gift wrap and recycling your greeting cards.
Now is as good a time as any to have a good declutter of each room, as you start to put away your Christmas gifts. Make room for the new and sort unwanted items into piles to throw away, give to charity or sell. There'll then be space to organise the things you keep using these clever storage hacks.
Since you’ve decluttered your home, don’t forget to thrift those unwanted gifts and possessions. Your local charity shops are always in need of items in a sellable condition, while nearby animal shelters will appreciate your pet paraphernalia. Rather than throwing away or selling, donate your old coats and duvets to homeless charities.
After waving goodbye to the festive season, it’s high time to say goodbye to the tree, fake or otherwise. Whilst some disagree when the tree should be taken down, Twelfth Night (6th January) is the most standard date used. If your evergreen is the real deal, take care to sweep up any remaining pine needles and dispose of the tree skeleton responsibly with the rest of your garden waste. To get the tree out of the house without carpeting the floor in needles, carefully wrap it in a bed sheet to take it outside.
With guests long gone, it's time to box up your seasonal dinnerware ready for next year. Unfortunately, this does mean wrapping each piece individually, but paper will suffice (try reusing some of that old wrapping paper). Invest in cardboard dividers to help store glassware, or repurpose all those delivery boxes to create your own.
After gleefully launching Santa’s hope-filled letters up the chimney and the rather windy festive season we’ve had, it’s probably time to do a sweep of the fireplace and all that dislodged soot. For stubborn sooty marks on the carpet, try sprinkling baking powder on the stain, and then gently scrubbing it with a mix of cold water and washing up liquid, blotting until the liquid has absorbed and the stain has gone.
In all the merriment and festivities, you may have neglected the rest of your indoor foliage. Give house plants a good dusting to ensure they can still photosynthesise properly. For smaller plants, you can give them a simple water bath in the sink, and for plants with a larger surface area just wipe the leaves with a damp cloth. If your plants are false, put them in a plastic bag with a few sprinkles of salt or baking soda and shake vigorously to knock off dust particles. Shine restored!
Once your guests have dispersed, give your tired hardwood floors a refresh. For a proper clean, remove all of the furniture first, remembering to lift not drag. Give the space a good hoover before taking a damp mop with added floor cleaner. For stubborn stains on real wooden floors, use very fine wire wool followed by your original wood finish applied with a fine brush.
After waving off your in-laws, you can get back to sorting out the spare room. Strip the bedding in the guest room and wash, while fully sanitising all surfaces in the meantime. Now might also be a nice time to refresh the space, breathing new life into the room for the year ahead. Pack away any extra clutter and open the windows to air it out, then add a few statement pieces back in with some bright cushions, wall art and accessories plus a potted plant.
As you empty the refrigerator shelves of festive leftovers, give the racks and drawers a deep clean too with a store-bought spray or a homemade solution of bicarb and hot water. For extra freshness, a housework hack that always works is to leave a small jar of bicarb in the centre of the fridge to soak up unwanted aromas leftover from your cheeseboard.
If you have a coffee machine, it may be time to descale it to remove a build-up of limescale. Then, why not reorganise your coffee station with beans and creamers to hand in neat jars. Save time on cold mornings before work and prep your coffee maker before bed, so all you need to do is press the ‘on’ button. Effortless caffeine when you need it most. Bliss!
Start as you mean to go on this year, and take the time to detox your kitchen. Go through your drawers and remove any rusty spoons or spatulas that have seen better days, then check the expiration dates on your jars of condiments and spices. You may be surprised to learn that your cayenne pepper from 1991 has lost all its spice!
Even a quick 10-minute attack on your bathroom will bring out the gleam on your tiling and give the space a lift. Get started with a heavy-duty toilet cleaner, but beware not to mix cleaning products as you could create a toxic blend of bleach and ammonia. Tackle limescale-ridden taps and shower heads with a simple vinegar solution and give all surfaces a good anti-bacterial spray down. Finish with freshly washed towels and mats.
Your house may be feeling clean and serene, but your electronics can be the worst culprits for harbouring grime. Curb bad household habits and remember to regularly clean your computer keyboard and phone with non-toxic, screen-friendly solutions and wipes such as microfibre cloths.
Love this? Follow us on Facebook for more organising tips and tricks.