The Pre-Holiday Purge How-To, Explained

The months leading up to the Holiday Season is ideal for purging and getting organized. Imagine an uncluttered home as your head into one of the busiest time of the year. Furthermore, getting rid of old, broken, unused items helps to make room for new purchases as well as gifts. The pre-holiday purge is almost essential if you have children. Certainly, they have old toys and clothes they have outgrown. It may be tough getting your kids to part with items they claim they love. But why not get everyone on board and do a little good, and donate these gently used items to a shelter? Or tell them anything they sell, they can keep the money. Read on for more tips for the holiday pre-purge how-to.

Tip # 1 The Ground Rules

Once you have established the “rules,” you can apply them to any room in the house. First, have three bins and designate each one with for 1)trash/recycle, 2)donate, 3)sell. Depending on where you live, consider having a yard sale. Or, take advantage of various free online marketplaces. This is a great way to de-clutter and can make some extra money right before the holidays. Plus, you will provide an opportunity for others to pick up unusual gifts or redecorate for their holidays. Use this philosophy any room form the basement and garage to kid’s playrooms or closets, even the kitchen.

How do you know it is time to donate an item? Be honest. Have you used it in the last two years? If not, probably time to move on. How do I know when to throw something away? If it is damaged and cannot be repaired, or for food, anything expired.

Tip #2 Clean During the Chaos

Doing this may sound counterintuitive. But when you clear out shelves or empty closest, wipe down or vacuum surfaces before replacing items. It is the perfect opportunity to deep clean under items that may have been sitting around for years. Consider that cleaning away the old dust could also help alleviate allergy symptoms for those who suffer. As you sort through items then put them back in the proper rooms and designated places.

Tip #3 Avoid These Traps

So many things can distract you during your pre-holiday purge. Avoid the following items that may trap you up:

• Sentimental Items
  Do you really need every piece of artwork that every child made over 12 years? Consider choosing your favorite piece that represents each year. Or what about all your /high school/college memorabilia? Experts say we should whittle it down to a shoe box’s worth of items.
• Gifts
  We have all been guilty of keeping something for year and years although it NEVER gets used because an old Auntie gave it to us. There is zero reason for keeping every single gift anyone has ever given us. It is ok to let go of an item, regardless of who gave it to you.
• Paperwork/Filing
  Ok, this one actually needs a designated day for itself. So, during the pre-holiday purge, gather all scattered items, such as previously paid bills, banks statements, tax returns and place them neatly in a box. Set a date, circle it on the calendar, and tackle this one AFTER The holidays, but well BEFORE tax season.
• Organization Containers
  Avoid the trap of buying up excessive storage items with the intention of organizing all your stuff. This really only amounts to organized hoarding. Stick to the ground rules. Get rid of things first, then reorganize. You will find that with less items you will actually need fewer storage containers.

Tip #4 Stay Accountable

Once you have organized everything, immediately throw items away and donate them. Don’t let them accumulate in another part of the house merely creating a new clutter pile. Items too large to place at your curb on trash day? Call the municipality and arrange a bulk pick up. Most cities offer this service for free. Too busy to head to your local Goodwill Store? Schedule a donation pick-up.

Tip #5 List of Items You Can Get Rid of Right Now

• Expired Coupons
• Old Magazines
• Expired Pantry and Fridge Items
• Old Clothes
• Old Wrapping Paper and Bows
• Excessive Grocery Bags (paper or plastic)
• All Those Broken Items “You’ve Been Meaning to Repair”
• Stained or Torn Linens
• Chipped Dishes and Mugs
• Old DVD’s
• Duplicate Kitchen Gadgets
• Fashion Accessories You haven’t work in Over a Year
• Old/Duplicate Take-out Menus
• Old Sports Equipment
• Expired Medications
• Out of Date Cosmetics
• Tattered, Unused Books

Tip #6 Deep Clean The Entire House

Here is where Maid Healthy can help! After you invest the time for the pre-holiday purge, let us come in and give the house a complete cleaning. You deserve it! Imagine coming home to a fresh, clean, healthy home ready for the holiday season. You have so much you already have to worry about. Let us take this one off your to-do list. Contact Maid Healthy today and schedule your appointment!