You may be thinking, “…..but it’s only September,” but I’m here to tell you that now is the best time to start preparing your home for the holidays.  The holidays are a time of great fun and memory making with family and friends, but they can also be extremely stressful if not prepared and planned for.

Take care of these items now so that when mid-November hits, you can enjoy the holidays, the parties, the shopping, the eating, etc.  Check out my five tips on preparing your home for the holidays (that don’t include decorating!)

1. Clean the Fridge/Oven/Microwave

The kitchen is usually the gathering spot in most homes, especially around the holidays.  We gather, we eat, we drink, we make messes, we clean….you get the point.  Give your kitchen a good deep clean before the holidays – clean the refrigerator, the oven, and the microwave.  And while you’re at it, make a list of all the recipes you would like to try this holiday season.

You can click here to go my Recipes page on ToasttoPost.com!

2. Declutter

This is probably the one I will focus on the most this year.  Declutter.  Get rid of it.  Make room for the new stuff that will come in post December 25th.  Clutter literally makes me anxious and nervous.  Then, I get stressed out over what to do with all of it (especially old furniture and large items.)  I stumbled across a company called Junk Queen TX and am in amazement over the services they offer.  Junk Queen removes unwanted junk piling up in your home, apartment, and/or garage.  They offer a full-service, stress-free process where they come to your home, listen to your instructions, and remove ALL of the debris and junk!  How awesome is that?  Just think: mattresses, appliances, furniture, old playroom toys….that old hot tub from college!  Junk Queen has the necessary equipment for a safe, efficient, affordable, and eco-friendly experience.  

If you are more of the DIY type, then getting a company like dumpster rental Plano is for you.  You can rent dumpsters that are 10 to 40 cubic yard sizes – perfect for cleaning out the garage, updating the landscaping, or remodeling your kitchen.

3. Stock Up On Essentials

The last thing you want is to be halfway through baking your favorite dessert to enjoy with family after dinner only to realize you are out of one of the BASIC ingredients you need.  And don’t just stock up on kitchen items, but do bathrooms and guest bedrooms as well.  Here are some staples you NEED not only for the holidays, but year round:

• Flour
• Sugar
• Broth
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• Baking Soda
• Baking Powder
• Pasta
• Salt/Pepper
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Chocolate Chips
• Vanilla Extract
• Honey/Maple Syrup/Agave
• Coffee & Tea
• Milk
• Fresh Produce
• Butter
• Seasonings
• Shampoo/conditioner
• Lotion
• Toilet paper
• Hand soap/sanitizer
• Masks
• Paper Towels
• Paper Products

4. Clean Out Closets (for good!)

I was tempted to combine this with item #2, but feel like it deserves its own category.  There is something so satisfying about cleaning out closets, but I have to be in the mood for it.  I always know it’s time to start cleaning out when I run out of hangers.  I’ve used this as a benchmark for as long as I can remember.  I haven’t bought more hangers in YEARS and it’s because I truly believe that once I get to the point where I need to buy more hangers, I have too much in my closet causing a ) clutter b) I overlook items c) my clothes to wrinkle and d) wasting time and energy looking for items.  The reason why I decided to publish this post in September was to give you plenty of time to have this done by the holidays.  Remember, we want to take care of these items now, so that we can enjoy the holidays later.

5. Smaller Projects

Now is the time to get to all those little projects that continually get moved to the bottom of the list, things like washing windows, washing curtains, blankets, bedding, touching up wall paint, steam cleaning the carpets, etc. Get these out of the way now so you can focus on the bigger projects later (think decorating and shopping!)

BONUS: Baby/Pet Proof Decorations

If you have children or pets, decorating for the holidays can bring on a whole new level of proofing.  And if you don’t have children or pets but will have guests that do, you’ll still need to consider the basic level of proofing and prepping for them.  Make sure wall sockets are protected, nothing breakable or dangerous can be found in bottom cabinets, and that your Christmas tree is sturdy!  Look for loose boards in your fence, because no one wants to spend Christmas morning running around the streets looking for Fido.

What are some things you do to prepare your home for the holidays?  Tell me in the comments :-