How to declutter as-you-go on Christmas Day to stop your home spiralling into chaos

Christmas – the day you want your home to look its cleanest and tidiest just also happens to be the day where it will inevitably look its messiest. Gift opening in the morning, hours of preparing food and drink, spillages, breakages and endless chocolates consumed on the couch. 

But fear not, there are ways to keep on top of the Christmas clutter. We asked decluttering and cleaning experts for their advice on how to declutter a room on Christmas Day to keep your home tidy as the day unfolds, ensuring that among all the chaos, some peace and order can be restored.

1. Give each family member a box to organize gifts

(Image credit: Soho Home)

First things first, managing explosion of wrapping paper, cardboard, bows and ribbons that may occur in your living room, or wherever it is you open your presents. Cleaning expert Georgia Ward (@cleaningcorner) advises a trash bag sweep at the end, which will make a huge difference to how messy the room looks. Separate each family member’s gifts to keep as organized and tidy as possible, too - in fact, Georgia recommends finding a box for each ahead of time.

Then a quick vacuum around will transform the space from a very messy Santa’s workshop, back to your tidy and organized living room.

2. Declutter countertops ahead of time

(Image credit: James Merrell)

Now into the kitchen. This is likely its busiest day of the year, so it is crucial to have some control over the mayhem to ultimately end up with a show-stopping Christmas dinner for your guests. Think about decluttering your kitchen countertops ahead of time - this will ensure you have room for all the parts of the dinner you'll be cooking. 

Christmas dinner is a particularly greasy affair, as Georgia notes. Her advice? If you’re using your dishwasher, put it on a cleaning cycle or use soda crystals with warm water to wash out the drains, and always keep a bottle of dish soap handy. 'It will tackle any kind of grease or grime with ease. I always have mine diluted in a spray bottle ready for go,' she says. 

Likewise, cleaning brand Astonish’s Cleaning Chemist, Olivia Young advises keeping 'track of spills and wipe all kitchen surfaces immediately.'

3. Take care of the dinner table 

(Image credit: Dobbies)

When tidying away the Christmas meal, it’s all hands-on deck for a speedy clear-up. Georgia advises that as soon as those dishes are cleared away, you should wipe down your dining table to prevent any stubborn spillages from staining. 

'If spills happen regularly in your household, you should use a tablecloth or spill-friendly wax cloth table covering to ease the clearing away process,' suggests Olivia. Depending on how young, clumsy or just messy your guests are, there are ways you can quickly get your Christmas table back to its original state after a full day of entertaining.