Post-holiday storage and cleaning hacks
With the winter holidays in the rearview mirror, all that remains is the cleanup. Depending on how festive your get-togethers were your home may need just a light going-over or you may be feeling the need for a full-on hazmat suit.
From the grease-spattered range to drips on the backsplashes, the kitchen typically takes the brunt of the holiday messes.
But, today we focus on all that decorative stuff that needs to be taken down and stored and the needle-dropping tree to de-trim and dispose of.
We’ve checked with some of our favorite organization experts and scoured the internet to bring you some brilliant post-holiday hacks to get your home back to its old self again.
Wrapping and ribbons and ornaments, oh my!
If you haven’t yet taken down the holiday décor, it’s best to do so before tackling any other cleaning jobs.
We found a brilliant hack for storing tree ornaments. Here is what you’ll need:
Large plastic storage bin
Tissue paper or newspaper
Large red Solo-brand cups
Cardboard, cut to the interior dimensions of the bin
Fill the bottom of the bin with the plastic cups, standing with the open side up. Wrap each ornament individually in the newspaper or tissue paper and place each in a cup. When you’ve filled all of the cups, lay a piece of the cardboard over the cups and start another layer.
Add a wrapped ornament to each cup and repeat the layers as needed. For extra protection, add fabric ornaments and accessories (such as the tree skirt) to the top of the bin.
If you lack the plastic bin made exclusively for rolls of wrapping paper, no problem!
Head to the nearest Dollar General Dollar Store, or its equivalent, and pick up a tall, plastic trash bin. The rolls can be stored in it, upright and out of the way.
What to do with all those rolls of ribbon? We found a genius hack at Clutter.com. Use an old (or buy one at a discount store) paper towel holder. “Pick up your largest spool of leftover ribbon and toss it onto …” it, instructs Molli Carlson.
“Repeat the process in order of largest spool to smallest spool, and then tape the ribbon ends to their spools to keep them tidy until your next gift-wrapping marathon.” Check out the photo at Clutter.com.
The folks at HouseBeautiful.com suggest winding your tree lights around empty wrapping paper tubes. “Loop the cord around the roll, starting with the side opposite to the plug, then insert the plug into the tube’s opening.”
The cleanup
Cleaning up the tree debris is often a death knell for a vacuum cleaner. Instead, use a rubber broom to sweep needles and other debris into a dust pan. They are also, by the way, amazing for picking up pet hair from carpet.
You can purchase inexpensive rubber brooms at Amazon.com, Lowe’s and Home Depot.
Glitter has a tendency to land and stick to anything upholstered. Use that rubber broom to remove from carpet and a lint roller to remove it from other fabric items – even from lamp shades!
