The Pre-Holiday Declutter I Do Every October

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My pre-holiday declutter plan, room by room, so the house is ready before the first guest arrives.

The holidays never arrive slowly. One week it’s October, and the next there’s a turkey to thaw, a guest room with things nobody has touched since last December, and a front door that has to welcome everyone at once.

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After more than 15 years of organizing other women’s homes, I’ve noticed the season doesn’t make a house messy. It shows you everything that was already there, all at once, with company watching. So I declutter in October, while there’s still time to do it calmly.

This year we’ll host Thanksgiving and spend Christmas at home, so I’ve already put preparations on my calendar. Add a trip to Rio to visit my parents, and the month that always feels too short is cut in half.

To make sure the preparations don’t take the fun out of hosting, I already checked that the linens I want to use are in good shape, that I have enough napkin holders, and that we ran menu ideas by the rest of the family. After several years of “innovating the menu,” we’ll definitely have a turkey on the table this year!

All that said, here is the plan I follow, room by room, in the order your guests will see your home.

Before You Start: Three Bins and One Box

Set up three bins and label them Keep, Donate, and Toss. Add one box for Return: the borrowed dish, the charger that lives in another room, the sweater your sister left behind. Carry the bins from room to room, and you’ll make every decision once.

I like collapsible fabric bins for this. They’re light enough to carry from room to room, and they fold flat when you’re done decluttering.

The entryway is the first thing everyone sees, and it’s usually the fastest win. Clear out coats nobody wore last winter, bags hanging on every hook, and mail on the console. Leave one empty hook and some floor space for each guest.

If shoes are the problem, start there. My shoe rack and shoe storage ideas walk you through deciding which pairs stay.

You’ll cook more in the next two months than at any other time of year. Clear the counters down to what you use every day, and pull out the gadgets you haven’t touched since last season. Then empty the fridge and pantry of anything expired to make room for the big shopping trip.

Toss expired products and the half-empty bottles nobody will finish. Clear the counter so guests have a spot for a toiletry bag, and set out fresh towels and a spare roll they can find without asking.

In most homes I’ve worked in, the guest room becomes the storage room the moment the last guest leaves. Clear the bed, empty one drawer and a few hangers, and leave space for a suitcase on the floor. Your guests will unpack instead of living out of a bag.

Clear the surfaces first: the coffee table, the side tables, and the shelves. Holiday decor looks better and takes less effort when it isn’t competing with everyday clutter.

Before you buy anything new, open your existing bins. Donate what stayed in the box last year, toss what’s broken, and keep what you love. Put what stays back into large, lidded bins with a label on the front, so next year starts with a box you can trust.

What it took me a long time to figure out: a declutter only counts when the Donate bin leaves the house. A full bag in the garage is clutter in a new spot. I like to remove my donation bags right away so they don’t become another item on my to-do list.

Put the drop-off on your calendar for the same week, and donate before December, when other families can use what you’re letting go.

When the Rest of the House Needs More Than October

A pre-holiday declutter clears the rooms guests will see. If the whole house feels like too much, my Decluttering and Cleaning Planner breaks every room into small steps with checklists, so you always know what to do next. Or start free with the Pre-Holiday Decluttering Checklist.

Keep Going

• Too Many Shoes? No Problem!
• How To Declutter An Entire Room In One Afternoon
• The Ultimate Holiday Organizing Checklist

The holidays will be busy either way. When you clear the house in October, December can be about the people coming through the door.

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