TL;DR
Home-organizing experts recommend decluttering a few high-use areas before holiday guests, gifts and decorations arrive. Their suggestions include unused coats, worn linens, excess accessories and damaged food containers, while keeping items with personal meaning.
Home-organizing professionals are advising households to clear selected high-use spaces before the holiday season, targeting items such as unused coats, worn linens, surplus gift wrap and clutter in guest rooms. Their guidance focuses on making room for visitors and seasonal supplies without turning a busy period into a whole-house purge.
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The recommendations come from organizers and designers quoted in the source, including Ann Lightfoot of DDH Home Organizing & Move Management, Amelia Meena of Appleshine, Organization + Design, Kerrie Kelly of Kerrie Kelly Studio, and Laura Kinsella of Urban OrgaNYze. They advise starting with the entry, living and dining areas, kitchen, powder room and guest bedroom, rather than attempting to clear every part of a home.
The 12 suggested categories are excess decorative accessories; old magazines and books; coats and boots no one wears; damaged or unused winter accessories; gift wrap supplies that are torn, crushed or too small to use; worn towels and sheets; belongings stored in a guest room; stained or damaged food containers and containers without matching lids; old candles and strong home fragrances; and, as a broader group, items in the main hosting spaces that can be donated, discarded or relocated. The source presents these as expert suggestions, not a formal checklist or a requirement to remove every item in each category.
Several recommendations involve checking what can be reused or passed on. Kinsella suggests taking inventory of wrapping supplies before buying more and keeping usable items together. Lightfoot says donation centers, coat drives and shelters need gently used goods, while advising readers to contact animal shelters before offering old towels or sheets. The source does not name specific organizations or report measured donation demand.
Make room for the holidays without a whole-house purge
Organizing experts suggest focusing on the spaces your household and guests use most. Review what still serves you, what can be passed on, and what should go.
Start where it matters
Choose the areas most likely to affect daily routines or hosting plans.
Review unused coats, boots, winter accessories, books and excess decorations.
Check food containers, towels and other items guests or residents rely on.
Make room for a bed, a clear surface and some closet or drawer space.
Sort by what still works
A selective review can make space for seasonal supplies without turning into a whole-home project.
- Usable coats and accessories
- Gift wrap supplies that are still in good shape
- Sentimental linens, family china and collected ornaments
- Worn linens and damaged winter gear
- Torn, crushed or too-small gift wrap
- Stained containers or lids without a match
Reuse with care
Check before buying more or taking donations to an organization.
- Take inventory of wrapping supplies and keep usable items together.
- Ask donation programs what they accept and need.
- Call animal shelters before offering old towels or sheets.
Make Room for Guests and Gatherings
A limited clear-out can address practical pressures that build during the holidays: coats need somewhere to go, kitchens need usable storage, and visitors may need a bed and clear surfaces. Focusing on the spaces people use may also make the work more manageable than trying to organize an entire home at once.
The advice also links decluttering with reuse. Donating serviceable coats and other goods may help local drives or organizations, although availability and accepted items vary by location. For readers, the central point is to distinguish between usable items to pass along and damaged or unwanted things that should be discarded or recycled appropriately.
That distinction matters for sentimental belongings, too. Kelly cautions against removing something simply because it is old or does not match. In her view, inherited linens, family china and collected ornaments can contribute to a home’s character. The experts’ stated aim is to make space for holiday routines, not to impose a uniform style or reduce possessions for its own sake.
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A Targeted Pre-Holiday Clear-Out
The advice is framed around a short window before holiday activity intensifies. Lightfoot says guests, gifts, food and decorations add to what a household must accommodate; she argues that clearing a little space in advance can prevent new purchases or supplies from being squeezed into already full storage.
Meena recommends one or two decluttering sessions before the busy period and says people should not worry about finishing everything. Kelly suggests allotting 20 or 30 minutes per space and deciding whether items should be donated, discarded or moved elsewhere. That time is her practical suggestion, not a tested rule or a guarantee that each room can be completed within that period.
The source also emphasizes that personal use should guide decisions. A guest room filled with deferred storage may need a bed, a clear surface and some closet or drawer space, while a kitchen may benefit from removing containers that no longer work. The advice is therefore tied to particular household needs rather than a single decluttering standard.
“The goal is to remove the clutter, not the character.”
— Kerrie Kelly, CEO and creative director of Kerrie Kelly Studio
Advice, Not a Universal Checklist
The source does not provide a publication date, identify a particular holiday year, or report a survey, study or outcome measuring whether these steps reduce holiday stress. The list is professional advice attributed to organizers and designers, not a set of requirements that applies to every household.
It is also unclear which local donation programs accept particular goods, or whether they have capacity. The source specifically recommends calling animal shelters before donating linens; readers should check with any recipient organization about condition and current needs. The recommendations do not specify disposal rules for damaged items, which can vary by material and location.
Start With the Spaces You Use
The experts suggest beginning with the entry, kitchen or guest room—whichever is most likely to affect daily routines or hosting plans—and setting a short time limit. Sort items into keep, donate, discard or relocate groups, checking donation guidelines before taking goods to an organization.
For gift wrap and food containers, the immediate next step is an inventory: keep supplies that remain usable together, and remove containers that are stained, damaged or missing compatible lids. The source does not announce a follow-up event or policy; its guidance is to make selective decisions before holiday preparations and visitors increase.
Key Questions
What should I declutter first before the holidays?
Start with high-use areas such as the entry, kitchen and guest room. The experts recommend focusing on spaces residents and visitors will actually use rather than attempting a whole-house purge.
Which items do organizers recommend reviewing?
The suggestions include unused coats and boots, worn winter accessories, old magazines, excess decorations, unusable gift wrap, worn linens, guest-room clutter, and damaged food containers. The source also recommends reviewing old candles and fragrances that may compete with food aromas.
Should I remove sentimental or inherited items?
Not simply because they are old or do not match, according to designer Kerrie Kelly. She says family china, inherited linens and collected ornaments may give a holiday home character.
Can I donate old towels and sheets?
Possibly. Ann Lightfoot says animal shelters often welcome these items, but recommends calling ahead to check whether a shelter accepts them and what condition it requires.
How much time should I set aside?
Kelly suggests spending 20 or 30 minutes per space. Meena recommends one or two sessions and says people do not need to finish every decluttering task before the holiday rush.
Source: veranda.com
