Simply Tidy
with Jane
Tidying Christmas Decoreation
Simple Tips for clearing away your Christmas decorations.
Start by making a decision when you will take down your decorations, tradition is twelfth night, for me that means 6th January – or have you done it already!
The time it takes will depend on how many decorations you have put up! If you have children or grandchildren then let them join in as putting away should be just at joyful as putting them up, with gratitude for giving you joy at Christmas. You can ask them what they have loved the most about this Christmas.
Top Tips:
· Set the date for decorations to come down. Traditionally this is twelfth night. For me that means 6th January.
· Get out all your Christmas storage boxes and bags.
· Gather all your decorations and ornaments that you have placed around your home.
o Put like items together.
o Decide if you still want all of them for next year, are they clean and in good condition? Did you have too many?
o Remove batteries. You can save these with a note saying ‘part used from Christmas’ as you will find they are usually still good to go back in the same ornaments the year after! However, if you leave them in, they could corrode.
o Wrap any delicate ornaments in kitchen paper or tea towels to protect them.
o If possible, store in boxes as these are easier to store than bags. Label the boxes.
· Remove the Christmas tree decorations. Gather like with like. Clean off any dust that has gathered. Place them together in a box and label it. You can purchase storage boxes that are specifically made for baubles. Clearly label the box.
· Remove the tree lights. Wrap these around a piece of card or empty kitchen roll to stop them tangling. You will be glad come December that you did this!
· Time to take down the tree. If it’s a real one then it’s a good idea to throw over it a large bag or inside out duvet cover or sheet tied at the bottom to get it out of the house without spreading needles all over the place.
· If you have an artificial tree, you can get rid of any dust by blowing with a hair dryer on a cool setting. Start at the top and work your way down. Fold the branches in and put away with a smile and say – see you in a few months’ time!
· Gather Christmas plates, mugs, tea pots (make sure they have been cleaned) place in a box with a label on.
· Gather Christmas bedding, towels, tea towels. Launder them and place in a box with a label.
· Remove outside lights. Depending upon the length of the lights you can either wrap them around a piece of card cut off a box, or start rolling them into a ball by wrapping around your hand.
· Remove your door wreath and any garden decorations.
· Do a quick check around every room and then put everything away.
I hope this will help you get motivated to get everything put away and get ready for the year ahead.
Clients tidying journey - written by my client
I had just retired, and at home had finally got round to refurbishing the main bedroom, and starting to dispose of belongings I had accumulated and inherited, but was not using. There was clutter in every room of the house, and dealing with it would, dare I say, ‘spark joy’. However, given that it had taken me seventeen years to get around to the bedroom refurbishment, I was not sure I would be dealing with the clutter in a timely manner.
I contacted Jane Fern. Jane is a professional organiser and a ‘KonMari’ (Marie Kondo) consultant. I set up an initial session with her as a mark of my commitment to the process of tidying, and we had five further meetings. The consultations were on Zoom, this being the year that Covid 19 struck: online seemed perfectly satisfactory.
In the session dealing with clothing first every garment I owned was set out, and I culled items that didn’t fit, or were damaged, or simply surplus.
Clothing: first the clutter, then the tidiness
Marie Kondo has reached wider audiences with her recent Netflix programme, and a move to the USA. Many will be familiar with her advice to declutter belongings in sequence, with the ‘easier’ classes of items first. After clothing, I wanted to whittle down my collections of papers and books.
Books
Surplus books that were given away. I now have just one bookcase. Since this I have been buying e-books.
Papers
Papers before: Four boxes of papers, and more on the floor
Papers after: After a lot of shredding and scanning, a single box of papers
Things / miscellaneous
All of my sessions with Jane were helpful, but none more so than the appointment spent sorting out the kitchen.
A lot of crockery was identified as surplus, and letting this go freed up a lot of storage space.
There was a lot of this sort of thing!
It was remarkable how Jane helped find practical ways to store things conveniently. One DIY item that had proved particularly awkward to store were the saws. When it came to making pegs for them - Jane’s idea - it was a delight to be able to find everything I needed to do the job.
Before: an oversized shoe rack in the hall.
After: a shortened and painted shoe rack, Jane’s (tactful) suggestion.
Sentimental items
I have many sentimental items, some owned for a long time, others inherited more recently. 2020 was a year unlike any other. I went back to paid work, and postponed the remaining tidying. I had the benefit of the tidying done earlier in the year, but had less time to continue.
It’s now July 2021. I have retired again, and the tidying project is back on. Thank you Jane Fern, for your skilful help with this process.
Simple tips to help you get started with organising your entire home
Tip 1
Take yourself on a personal tour of your home. Take photographs or a video of each room, including inside your cupboards.
Tip 2
Take half an hour with a cuppa and a notebook.
Make a list of each room in your home, include what the room is used for. For example, your lounge may have many uses such as relaxing, meditating, reading, watching tv etc.
Tip 3
Once you have identified what you use each room take one room at a time and begin to visualise how you would like the room to look.
Tip 4
Sit down with your photos or video and your notebook and make a list of what you think needs to change in each room. Write about one room at a time. For example, in the kitchen you may say you want clear worktops, or in your bedroom you may want an organised wardrobe.
Once you have a clear vision of what you want your home to look like, then you are ready to begin to create the home of your dreams.
First organising session
Preparing for your first organising session
If you are feeling a little nervous about your first session, then that is quite normal. A lot of people are a little nervous before a new experience, please trust the process – you will be glad you did.
Your sessions are unique to you and are tailored to your personal situation.
Here are a few little things that will help you prepare for your session and feel as relaxed as possible.
Distractions – Keep distractions from children, pets and phone calls to a minimum and where possible arrange to have small children and pets minded.
Phone/tablet (on-line clients only)– Fully charge your phone/tablet and have your charger handy as devices tend to run out of battery quickly during a session.
Clean and fresh - During your tidying session you may encounter dust and grime. Take this opportunity to clean shelves and items before putting things back. Prior to the session gather a few cleaning supplies:
· Microfibre cloths/kitchen paper
· Cleaning sprays of your choice
· Bin bags for any rubbish
Discard, donate or sell - You will come across items that you either want to discard, donate or sell so you need to gather a few items to help you:
· Bin bags or boxes for items that are to be discarded, donated or sold
· Labels or decorators’ tape to label the bags/boxes
· Sharpie pen for writing on the labels/decorators’ tape
Look after yourself – Once you start your session you can get very engrossed, so be sure to keep water and snacks handy to keep you refreshed.
Taking notes – It’s a good idea to have a pen and paper handy to take notes.