Mission: Declutter after the Holidays

Check out my latest Home Inspirations column in the Fort Myers News-Press for tips on decluttering your home now that the holidays are over!

Step-by-step plan of action will make you feel so much better about your home

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to news-press.com • December 25, 2010

Daily System from Pottery Barn.

In a few days, you will be clearing out the holiday decorations. This is the perfect time to do a quick decluttering. It is easy and will make you feel so much better about your home.Daily System from Pottery Barn. Photo: Gannett.

We all know that clutter makes us feel tired and overwhelmed. Check out my list and see what works for you. This is the time for cleaning out the old so some great new things can come into your life in 2011.

Old magazines: You are not likely to catch up on that stack of 2010 (or older!) magazines. Tip: As a decorator, I keep a year’s worth of magazines to show great ideas to my clients and toss the rest each January.

Furniture: Take a look at your traffic patterns and furniture. If something is obstructing the flow in your space, rearrange it or store some of it. Tip: a U-shaped configuration always works.

Collections: Declutter your collections by grouping like items together instead of having them all over the house. If you have too much, put some away and rotate. Tip: If you don’t love it, donate it.

Quick cleanup: Vacuum under all furniture.

Books: If you have too many, donate them. Tip: If books are taking over your space and you cannot part with them, consider adding shelving that fits in with your decor.

Your closet: Take everything out (this really does not take very long). Anything that you have not worn in a year goes into your car to be donated. Do not put it in another room or it will never make it out of the house and it becomes clutter. Organize your clothes by what you wear most often. Then organize by color. Seasonal items get relocated to the back of the closet. You only want to see what you wear now. Shoes and purses get organized by color. Tip: Do not hang onto clothes that are too big or too small.

Under the bed: Do not store under the bed. Very bad feng shui! Consider vertical shelving in your closet (we will cover closets more next month).

Medicine cabinet: The beginning of the year is a great time to declutter this little gem. Dump old medications and edit your skin care products. Which leads us to your...

Makeup drawer: Say goodbye to old makeup and replace what is almost gone or needs to be retired. We all have too much of this, so think about simplifying things and deleting what you don’t use.

Kitchen: Keep your table clear of clutter and use it for gatherings and eating.

Pantry: If it is not food or paper products, get it out of the pantry. Say goodbye to old food, condiments, anything that you will never eat. Tip: This is a good time to toss old spices and replace.

Refrigerator: Same as pantry. Now that the leftovers are gone, give it a good cleaning.

Happy decluttered home!

— Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator. Visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 949-1808 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog.