How to Declutter Before the New Year: A 31-Day Countdown
To declutter before the new year without adding stress to December, do one 15-minute spot a day and follow the calendar you already have: make room before guests and gifts arrive, keep it light during the holidays, then reset between the holidays and New Year’s Eve. Finish with one last donation run before December 31.
Below you’ll find the 31-day countdown (December 1 to 31), how to start in November if you’d rather get ahead, a list of things to declutter before the new year, and one tax detail about donating before December 31.
The short answer
- How long each day: one 15-minute session on one small spot. If you’ve never decluttered before, use the step-by-step session in our guide on where to start decluttering.
- What order: visible spaces first. Dana K. White puts it this way in her after-Christmas plan: if you spend your day on the linen closet and then can’t find a place to sit in your living room, “your decluttering energy will drain right out of your big toe.”
- When to decide on decorations: when you pack them away. Joshua Becker writes that for most people it’s “simply more practical” to declutter them after the holidays, since they have to come out of storage anyway.
- What to do before December 31: get the last donation box out of the house, and keep the receipt.
- Missed a day? Skip it and do today’s spot. Doubling up is how December plans get dropped. (That’s our advice, not a rule from any author.)
The idea of clearing out before the year turns isn’t new. In Japan, ōsōji, the year-end “big clean-up,” traditionally “should be done and dusted by the 29 December,” as Japan House London explains.
How each 15‑minute session works
Every day in the countdown uses the same five steps from Dana K. White’s 5 Steps for Working Through an Overwhelming Mess:
- Trash. No decisions needed.
- Easy stuff: things that already have a home somewhere else. Take them there now.
- Duh clutter: the obvious stuff goes straight into a donation box.
- The two decluttering questions for whatever is left.
- Make it fit: the space (shelf, drawer, bin) is the limit.
Keep a trash bag and one donation box handy all month. The full session, with the two questions and what to do when you’re stuck on an item, is in Where to Start Decluttering.
The 31‑day countdown to declutter before the new year
This plan is our own mix of the methods cited in this article, not a program from any one author. It assumes you celebrate Christmas. If your holidays fall on other dates, move the light days and the day off to match them.
Phase 1 (Days 1–10): declutter before Christmas and make room
This phase clears space for what’s about to arrive: guests, coats, holiday food, decorations and gifts. Most of these spots are ones you see every day, so you’ll notice the difference right away.
| Day | Spot | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kitchen counter | Just trash and easy stuff. That’s enough for day one |
| 2 | Entryway and coat hooks | Make room for guests’ coats. Single gloves and shoes nobody wears go first |
| 3 | Holiday decorations, as you unpack them | Anything broken or annoying goes straight out (see below) |
| 4 | Fridge | Clear out expired and forgotten food before the holiday cooking starts |
| 5 | Pantry shelf and spices | Expired items are trash. Group duplicates together |
| 6 | Food storage containers | Match every lid to a container. Keep only what fits the drawer or cabinet |
| 7 | Mugs, glasses and serving dishes | Keep what you use and what fits the cabinet |
| 8 | Living room surfaces | Coffee table, side tables, TV console |
| 9 | Toys, if you have kids | Before new gifts arrive, the toy bins you already have set the limit |
| 10 | Donation run | Get the box out of the house, not just to the door |
Why decorations on day 3? When Dana K. White put up her Christmas decorations and had to re-shuffle her everyday decor, she wrote: “There’s no better time to declutter than when you’re moving things around anyway.” Today you only pull out the obvious: lights that don’t work, broken pieces. The real decision about what to keep comes on day 28.
Why a donation run on day 10? A date makes the box leave. In that same post, Dana K. White gave herself a target: “my goal for the first twelve days of December is to FILL UP this box,” before what she called a visit from “the Clutter Fairy” on December 13.
Phase 2 (Days 11–25): keep it light during the holidays
December gets busy, so the spots in this phase are small and some days take five minutes. Christmas Day is off.
| Day | Spot | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Gift wrap supplies | Torn gift bags, tangled ribbon, empty rolls |
| 12 | Mail and paper pile | Junk mail, catalogs and flyers are trash |
| 13 | Linen closet or guest bedding | Keep the sets that fit the shelf |
| 14 | Bathroom counter | Empty bottles and expired products |
| 15 | Medicine cabinet | Set aside expired medicines for proper disposal (see below) |
| 16 | Coat closet | Guests will open it. Coats nobody wears go in the donation box |
| 17 | The “chair” or one clothes pile | Put away what has a home, question the rest |
| 18 | Nightstand | One surface, one drawer |
| 19 | Purse, bag and wallet | Old receipts, wrappers, loyalty cards you never use |
| 20 | Car | Trash first, then easy stuff back into the house |
| 21 | Junk drawer | A hidden spot. It’s fine now, after the visible wins |
| 22 | Sock and underwear drawer | Quick decisions: no pair, holes, doesn’t fit |
| 23 | 5-minute trash sweep | Walk through the main rooms with a bag |
| 24 | 5-minute trash sweep, or rest | Your call |
| 25 | Day off | No task |
Expired medicines (day 15). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says “the best way to dispose of most types of unused or expired medicines (both prescription and over-the-counter) is to immediately use a take-back option,” such as a drop-off location at some pharmacies or police stations, or a prepaid mail-back envelope. If there’s no take-back option near you, the FDA page explains which medicines are on its flush list and how to throw the others away safely. If you’re not sure whether you still need a medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist before you toss it.
Phase 3 (Days 26–31): declutter for the new year
Between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, gifts, packaging and decorations all land in the same few days. Dana K. White’s After-Christmas Cleanup Plan is built for exactly this week.
| Day | Spot | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | The rooms where you celebrated | Trash first (wrapping paper, packaging), then easy stuff, then duh clutter |
| 27 | Wherever the new gifts go | Make it fit: the new thing replaces the old one |
| 28 | Decorations, as you pack them away | Keep what fits in the containers you want to keep |
| 29 | This year’s papers | Gather receipts and donation receipts in one folder |
| 30 | Last donation run of the year | Get a receipt. Check opening hours first, as some places close or change hours around the holidays |
| 31 | Walk-through | Look back at the spots you cleared and pick the one spot you’ll keep up in January |
Day 26. Dana K. White starts with trash (“Just throw away trash”) and puts duh clutter in the donation box. Her examples include decorations that got on your nerves: “Did the nifty Christmas card holder you bought in 1997 keep falling over?”
Day 27. Her Make it Fit step after Christmas: “If you got a new can opener in your stocking, replace your old can opener.”
Day 28. Joshua Becker’s family decided “to keep only what would fit in the one tote.” He also notes that going from six or seven boxes to one may be too drastic, and that three or four may be the right step for some families. Choose the container first, then fill it with your favorites.
Starting in November: get ahead of the holidays
If you’d rather have the house ready before Thanksgiving guests, start earlier:
- Do Phase 1 (Days 1–10) in the ten days before your first gathering.
- Do the Phase 2 spots whenever you have 15 minutes in early December.
- Keep Phase 3 for December 26–31, because it depends on gifts and decorations coming down.
Like the rest of the plan, this is our own suggestion, not a method from a specific author.
Prefer a numbers game? The Minimalists’ 30-Day Minimalism Game works like this: “Each person gets rid of one thing on the first day of the month. Two things on the second. Three things on the third.” Everything has to be out of the house “by midnight each day,” and you play with a friend or family member: “Whoever keeps it going the longest wins.” By our count that adds up to 465 items over 30 days, so by the last week you’re removing 24 to 30 things a day. November has 30 days, which makes it a natural fit if you want to finish before December gets busy. That timing is our suggestion, not theirs.
Things to declutter before the new year
A quick list by area, matched to the countdown days. It’s our own checklist, not an expert’s list, and nothing here is a must: skip whatever you actually use.
Kitchen (Days 1, 4–7)
- expired food in the fridge and pantry, and old spices
- containers without lids, lids without containers
- chipped mugs and extra mugs that don’t fit the cabinet
- serving dishes you didn’t use this year
Holiday stuff (Days 3, 11, 28)
- lights that don’t work, broken ornaments
- decorations you didn’t put out this year
- torn gift bags, tangled ribbon, nearly empty wrapping paper rolls
Bathroom (Days 14–15)
- empty bottles and expired products
- expired medicines, through a take-back option (see Day 15)
Paper (Days 12, 29)
- junk mail, catalogs and flyers
- receipts from your wallet and bag. Gather the ones you need in one folder
Entryway and closets (Days 2, 16, 22)
- single gloves, shoes nobody wears
- coats nobody wears
- socks without a pair
Kids (Day 9)
- toys with missing pieces, and toys that don’t fit the bins you already have
- outgrown clothes (a good job for the same day, if you have time)
Sentimental items, like old holiday cards, photos and kids’ artwork, aren’t on this list on purpose. They take longer to decide on, and Marie Kondo leaves them for last in her order. January is a better time for them than December.
The December 31 detail: donating before the year ends
If you donate to charity, the date can matter for your taxes. Here’s what the IRS says, in short:
- Timing: you can deduct your contributions “only in the year you actually make them in cash or other property” (IRS Publication 526). So, as a rule of thumb (our reading, not an IRS example), a bag you drop off on December 30 generally belongs to this year’s return if you itemize, and one you drop off on January 2 to next year’s.
- Itemizing: to deduct donated clothing and household items, you generally have to itemize deductions on Schedule A (Publication 526), and limits may apply (IRS Topic no. 506).
- Condition: clothing and household items must be “in good used condition or better” to be deductible (Publication 526).
- The new 2026 rule is for cash: “Beginning with tax year 2026, if you do not itemize, you may deduct up to $1,000 ($2,000 if filing jointly) of your cash contributions to certain qualified organizations” (Topic no. 506). The IRS wording is “cash contributions,” so our reading is that donated items like a bag of clothes don’t count toward it.
- Receipts: keep the one the charity gives you. Bigger non-cash donations come with extra paperwork (Topic no. 506).
This is general information, not tax advice. Tax rules change, so check the current IRS pages or ask a tax professional about your own situation. If you don’t itemize, none of this changes the plan: the donation run on day 30 is still what gets the stuff out of your house.
Common mistakes with a December declutter
- Starting with the attic or garage. It’s the biggest job, and it’s hidden. You’ll end December with a torn-up storage area and a living room that looks the same.
- Buying storage bins as a “new year” project. With the Make it Fit step, the containers you already have set the limit. Declutter first, then see if you still need anything.
- Trying to catch up on missed days. Skip them. Fifteen minutes today is worth more than a guilty hour you never find.
- Leaving the donation box by the door until January. That’s what days 10 and 30 are for.
Quick recap
- One small, visible spot a day, 15 minutes, with a trash bag and a donation box.
- Days 1–10: make room before guests and gifts.
- Days 11–25: small spots, light days, Christmas off.
- Days 26–31: after-gift cleanup, decorations packed into the containers you choose, last donation run.
- Missed a day? Skip it and keep going.
Sources
- Dana K. White, “After Christmas Cleanup Plan,” A Slob Comes Clean (December 26, 2021): https://www.aslobcomesclean.com/2021/12/after-christmas-cleanup-plan/
- Dana K. White, “Twelve Days of Decluttering,” A Slob Comes Clean (December 2, 2012): https://www.aslobcomesclean.com/2012/12/twelve-days-of-decluttering/
- Dana K. White, 5 Steps for Working Through an Overwhelming Mess (PDF), A Slob Comes Clean: https://www.aslobcomesclean.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/DASL-5-Steps-to-Working-Through-Mess.pdf
- Joshua Becker, “Thoughts on Decluttering Christmas Decorations,” Becoming Minimalist: https://www.becomingminimalist.com/decluttering-christmas-decorations/
- The Minimalists, “Play the 30-Day Minimalism Game”: https://www.theminimalists.com/game/
- Marie Kondo, “Rule 5: Follow the Right Order,” KonMari: https://konmari.com/marie-kondo-rules-of-tidying-follow-order/
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, “Disposal of Unused Medicines: What You Should Know”: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/safe-disposal-medicines/disposal-unused-medicines-what-you-should-know
- Internal Revenue Service, Publication 526, Charitable Contributions (2025 edition): https://www.irs.gov/publications/p526
- Internal Revenue Service, Topic no. 506, Charitable Contributions: https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc506
- Kate Crockett, “Ōsōji: how Japan makes a fresh start at New Year,” Japan House London: https://www.japanhouselondon.uk/read-and-watch/osoji-how-japan-makes-a-fresh-start-at-new-year/
