Declutter These 14 Things Before the Holidays

The holidays are close, and guests are coming. Before you buy a single decoration, do the declutter that makes room for all of it: the pantry shelves for holiday groceries, the linen closet for guest towels, the entryway for coats, and the freezer for the turkey. This list covers 14 things to let go of, one area at a time, so the house is guest-ready without a frantic weekend clean.

Kitchen and pantry (items 1–4)

1. Expired pantry food and spices. Check dates on canned goods, baking supplies, and spice jars. Ground spices lose their punch after about a year — if you cannot smell it when you open the jar, it is done. This also frees the shelf space holiday groceries need.
2. Freezer mystery bags. Anything unlabeled, frostbitten, or older than six months goes. If you cannot identify it, you will not cook it. Clearing the freezer now means room for holiday dishes later.
3. Chipped mugs and containers without lids. A chipped mug is not charming when guests drink from it. Match every container to a lid; the orphans go in recycling or trash.
4. Duplicate kitchen gadgets. Three spatulas, two vegetable peelers, a garlic press you never reach for — keep the best one of each and donate the rest. Holiday cooking is easier when the drawer opens without a fight.

Bathroom and linen closet (items 5–6)

5. Expired medicines and old toiletries. Check the medicine cabinet for expired painkillers, half-used creams, and hotel mini bottles from years ago. Take expired medicines to a pharmacy take-back point rather than flushing them.
6. Threadbare towels and stained washcloths. Guests notice towels. Keep the good sets for the guest bathroom, and cut the worn ones into cleaning rags or recycle them through a textile bin.

Entryway and closets (items 7–8)

7. Worn-out shoes and single gloves. The entryway is the first thing guests see. Shoes with holes, broken zippers, and gloves missing their partner go now — before a pile of guest coats lands on top of them.
8. Coats nobody wore last winter. If a coat stayed in the closet all last cold season, it will stay there this one too. Donate it while cold-weather charities are collecting.

Living areas and drawers (items 9–14)

9. Dead batteries and tangled old chargers. Test the battery drawer, recycle the dead ones, and let go of chargers for phones you no longer own. Keep one spare charger per device type.
10. Broken or unused electronics. That old tablet with a cracked screen, the DVD player nobody plugs in — e-waste recycling takes them. Do not let them sit “just in case” for another year.
11. Old magazines and catalogs. If a magazine is more than two months old and you have not read it, recycle it. Keep only the current issue of anything you genuinely read.
12. Outgrown kids’ toys and clothes. Before new holiday gifts arrive, clear what no longer fits or gets played with. Donate while toy drives are running.
13. Half-used candles, dried-out pens, and dead markers. Test every pen and marker in the junk drawer, toss the dry ones, and let go of candles burned down to the last half inch.
14. Gift wrap scraps and broken ornaments. Dig out the holiday box now, not on decorating day. Toss torn wrap, tangled ribbon too short to use, and ornaments with broken hooks. You will thank yourself in December.

The one-area-a-day plan

Spread the list across a week so it never feels like a chore:

• Day 1: Pantry and freezer (items 1–2).
• Day 2: Kitchen drawers and cabinets (items 3–4).
• Day 3: Bathroom and linen closet (items 5–6).
• Day 4: Entryway and coat closet (items 7–8).
• Day 5: Junk drawer and electronics (items 9–10).
• Day 6: Living areas and kids’ rooms (items 11–12).
• Day 7: Small stuff and the holiday box (items 13–14).

What to do with it all

• Donate: Usable coats, toys, clothes, and kitchen tools — bag them and drop them off the same day, or they creep back inside.
• Recycle: Batteries, electronics, paper, and textiles through local collection points.
• Trash: Broken, stained, or expired items. No guilt — their job is done.

One rule makes the whole list work: the donation bag leaves the house the day you fill it. A bag sitting by the door for a week is just clutter in a new shape.

Closing tips

Do this declutter before you decorate or shop for holiday food — you will buy less, find things faster, and actually enjoy the season. Pair it with the 30-Day Declutter Challenge if you want to keep going, and the 15-Minute Nightly Reset to keep the cleared spaces clear through the holidays.