Cleaning Up After Christmas Might Not Require a Dumpster
You’ve had a big holiday house party with your family, neighbors, friends, and more. Now what? There are holiday decorations in the doorways, on the tables, and all about your living space. There are plates and dishes scattered on your counters, leaving the dining room and kitchen looking cluttered and chaotic. While your first instinct may be to grab a big black trash bag and scoop it all inside, there may be other options before throwing it all away.
First, while the large messes left by the whirlwind of people coming and going may be overwhelming, it’s best to attack one space at a time. Take the time in each room to separate trash from recycling, and pull out what is reusable for the next year. Trying to clean each room at the same time will leave you exhausted and feeling pulled in a hundred different directions. Make a list of things you need to do in each room to help you stay focused; this will also help fight the need to simply dump everything in a trash bag and move on.
Second, once you’ve avoided the urge to throw everything away, recognize what is able to be reused. All plastic dishware should be put in the sink for washing, and most Christmas decorations can be put in a box and in storage for next season. Not only is this a more sustainable route to take while cleaning up, it will also save you the need to go out and buy new supplies for the next year. If you find yourself having to dispose of a lot of your holiday material this year, consider looking for more reusable decor for the future!
Lastly, make sure you have a designated place for each item. Knowing where each decoration or utensil item will go as you begin to clean up will streamline your tidying process and eliminate the need for a trash bag completely! If you are done with certain decorations after a year, have a designated place for donation items. Taking these things to be reused and repurposed will decrease the amount of trash you produce and give your items a new home for the next year.
So, before pulling out your big trash bag determined to get the cleaning done as fast as possible, take the time to limit your waste and stay organized for the holiday seasons to come.
Cleaning up After Christmas doesn’t have to bring out your inner Grinch