share post

Inspired Holidays {Day 17}:: Clean Your House for Christmas (4 Tips!)

by | Oct 17, 2011 | 31 Days: Inspired Holidays, Christmas, Christmas Decorating, Domesticity, Organization, Seasonal Decorating & Entertaining

This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy here

Inspired Holidays {Day 17}:: Clean Your House for Christmas (4 Tips!)Sarah Richardson’s Christmas House Canadian House & Home

We all like to look at pretty pictures and talk about decorating for the holidays. We like to read all the blogs, pin all the pictures, and plan out our holiday decor. Fun fun fun. But for some of us, eh hem, we need to stop dreaming all day about decorating and focus in on something that should come first. I know. Killjoy.

If our home is filled with clutter, too much stuff and is just generally not clean or tidy we should really address those issues first. I know. Hate me. But then we can start holiday decorating with a fresh clean foundation, and that is where the real fun is! Remember one of my favorite little sayings, “You don’t want to put lipstick on a donkey.” That idea cracks me up every time. But it is true. Lipstick on a donkey is not really the look we are going for.

4 Tips: Cleaning Your House for the Holidays

1). Get a jump start.

To get a jump start, I like to grab a box and run through a room of the house, tossing in miscellaneous decor that I don’t need for the holidays. It is fun to make it a game to find maybe 5 to 20 things per room that you don’t need right now. You can do the same thing with clutter, make it a game to run around picking things up. You can even get the kids involved. Getting a jump start is usually all it takes to get me on a roll and motivated to do more.

2). Break it down.

If you wait until Christmas it almost here to start cleaning, you’ll be frustrated and overwhelmed by all you have to do and it will probably make Christmas less than the warm cozy holiday you dream of.

Maybe pick one room to focus on per week (or every couple of days if you need to hurry through) and perhaps work on your bathrooms a little bit each week. That seems doable, right? It does to me and I think I’m going to take myself up on my own challenge. If you don’t need to declutter that many areas, maybe just pick one or two rooms and give yourself a week or so each to whip them into shape top to bottom. However you do it, break it down into a manageable project. You can do this! I can do this.

3). Maintain.

Once you get on a roll with cleaning and decluttering, you’ll be inspired to keep going. You can then work on maintaining each room you’ve cleaned and decluttered so it doesn’t get out of hand again. Spend a few minutes every day putting that clean room back to clean. I’ve noticed with myself that if one of my rooms gets super cleaned and organized, it is much more fun to keep it looking good and I enjoy the process all the more. It is always easier to maintain than to start over again. Kind of like dieting. But let’s not talk about that.

4). Reward.

Once a room is clean and organized, THEN add a little Christmas to the room! You’ll feel an immediate sense of reward for your effort!

Happy Christmas cleaning!

What room do you really need to tackle before the holidays?

We are on day 17 of my 31 Days: Inspired for the Holidays series!
Catch up on the past few posts
:

Day 13: The Most Versatile Seasonal Decoration

Day 14: Holiday Decorating Power of Three

Day 15:  Hot Spiced Cranberry Cider

Day 16: Holiday Decorating: Fresh Inspiration

And be sure to check out the rest of the 31 Day Participants!

****Special deal for you today!****
Save 15% off your entire Shaklee Order!

17 Comments

  1. Imperfect

    I could really stand to clean out my closets. Since we don’t have tons of stuff to fill them up, they don’t have defined purposes and have sort of become catch-alls for random things. I need to sort through them and give each one a specific, more organized duty. Definitely something to add to the to-do list for November.

    Reply
  2. Heather

    Still unpacking after the move in July – have yet to find my winter boots. But this is terrific advice. It really helps to get organized before the madness starts – and it creeps up on us before we know it.

    Reply
  3. Dana

    We’ve been married, um, 14 months and we’re still unpacking and merging households.

    We’ve been giving it a push – trying to get it done. Since we’re cleaning as we go, we are making some good progress. But, we need to keep the momentum for the other rooms.

    Thank you for the reminder to get a head start.

    Reply
  4. Vee

    A very good word! This is another sticky little wicket that a friend of mine (is she really?) always says, “If the windows aren’t clean; the room isn’t either.” I think I might hate her. LOL!

    Reply
  5. Michelle

    Too funny! I just started my “Christmas cleaning” this weekend! I too love to start decorating with the house clean and decluttered. I also find a sparkling clean room much more fun to keep that way. Now off to change the ivory candles to the burnished gold ones…{one more thing done now! and they look great with my harvest decor} love your blog, blessings! Michelle

    Reply
  6. Jessica

    Hi Melissa,

    I’m enjoying your series. I’m just at that point of doing a deep clean before the holidays. I walk through each room and make sure I’ve dusted, picked up, decluttered etc. I feel much better about enjoying my home after I get all that done and it’s not so much a chore but very satifying to know I’ve cleaned it all up.

    They holidays will be here before we know it!

    Reply
  7. Lorrie

    This post is a great reminder to keep uncluttering and cleaning. It never seems to end. My house is usually pretty tidy, but there’s always a nook or cranny that needs some attention.

    I love adding a touch of Christmas to every room, too.

    Reply
  8. Jennifer

    Killjoy? No way!! The reminder to start now was just the motivation I needed! Besides, 6 weeks seems like an eternity, not to mention completely attainable! The teacher in me can’t help but notice this is a realistic and measurable goal!! With the reward being a clean house, free of clutter and ready to decorate for the holidays, the challenge doesn’t seem so bad after all!

    Reply
  9. Mimi

    These are great tips Melissa. Especially like the idea of moving decor items out. Think it will give me a whole new perspective on my rooms. I’m doing 31 Days of Orange. How do I get the list of posts at the bottom of each new post? I use typepad. Do you retype them everyday?

    Reply
  10. Richella at Imparting Grace

    I need to take your challenge! Maybe if I approach it as you suggest, making a little game of it, I’d actually make some progress. I keep my house reasonably clean, but OH MY WORD I’m such a piler of things! (Is “piler” a word?) My husband would probably think he’d died and gone to heaven if he came home to a pile-free house! :)

    Reply
  11. Debbie

    HI Melissa, this is great, I am actually doing this..I read if you spend 15-20 minutes a day on organizing and decluttering or getting rid of the paper pile that at the end of the week you will have spend about 2 hours entirely on the project. I hate filing and decluttering….but I can handle 15-20 minutes a day. And I also know that people love to look in drawers when they visit your home…hahahaha…so with that in mind I am cleaning and organizing ALL DRAWERS….before they get to my house! Big smile.
    Blessings,
    Debbie

    Reply
  12. Debbie

    HI Melissa, this is great, I am actually doing this..I read if you spend 15-20 minutes a day on organizing and decluttering or getting rid of the paper pile that at the end of the week you will have spent about 2 hours entirely on the project. I hate filing and decluttering….but I can handle 15-20 minutes a day. And I also know that people love to look in drawers when they visit your home…hahahaha…so with that in mind I am cleaning and organizing ALL DRAWERS….before they get to my house! Big smile.
    Blessings,
    Debbie

    Reply
  13. Fairfield House

    Melissa,

    Great tips that I will put to use. One suggestion — after getting a jump start and going through each room with a box filling it with things you don’t want, donate it or put it outside for a yard sale.

    Your Friend,
    Deborah

    Reply
  14. StephanieB (KickAssWife)

    I love the advice on Flylady.com when she says 15 minutes at a time to avoid chaos! Thanks for the extra cleaning suggestions to get us ready for the holidays.

    Reply
  15. Kristin

    Loved your reminder to start sprucing NOW for the holidays! I’ve featured your post on my blog this weekend…

    Reply
  16. Taiyanika Vargas

    Just getting started and need ANY and ALL help please!!

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

Decor Finds:

browse categories:

browse archives:

let’s stay connected!

Follow for daily
Home Inspiration:

get my free decorating guide

home decor inspiration, free downloads,
and more, straight to your inbox

css.php