The Post-Holiday Home Reset Checklist to Set the Tone for the Rest of the Year
If you’re anything like me, after the holidays you’re ready to clean things up and reset every part of your life for the new year ahead. And that definitely applies to my home!
The decorations come down. The house feels a little quieter. There’s wrapping paper in places you didn’t know it could reach. And suddenly, you’re craving that fresh start energy that January always brings.
But sometimes it’s hard to know where to even begin… one minute you’re putting Christmas decor back in the attic and the next you’re decluttering the garage.
To help you be the most effective with your post-holiday reset, I created a home reset checklist to help you set the tone for the rest of the year!
This isn’t about deep-cleaning your entire house in one weekend or tackling massive renovation projects. Instead, this post-holiday home reset is focused on small, manageable maintenance tasks that make a big impact.
By the end of it, your home will feel calmer, more functional, and better cared for during the winter months.
Why the Post-Holiday Season Is the Perfect Time for a Home Reset
Before we dive into the home reset checklist, let’s talk about why the post-holiday season is one of the best times to do this.
Because you might be thinking… “it’s winter! I’m supposed to be resting and hibernating.”
And while it’s true that winter does feel like a season where you’re supposed to just chill indoors and worry about the rest later, it’s truly the perfect time to tackle some light home maintenance and organization.
Here’s why:
Since the majority of us are spending a lot of time indoors (especiallyyy if you live in Montana or similar climates ❄️), you have the opportunity to notice what isn’t working in your home and fix it now before life gets busier and you’re spending more time outdoors.
Additionally, this is often the time of year that you start to organically purge as you begin to put away your holiday decor. You can use this time to start clearing out clutter and getting rid of items that you no longer use instead of storing them away to collect dust.
And maybe most importantly, addressing small problems within your home in the winter can actually save you time and money come spring.
Overall, this home reset checklist is designed to help you focus on function over perfection, ultimately helping support your daily life instead of adding to the chaos.
Your Post-Holiday Home Reset Checklist
Put Holiday Decor Away With Intention
Let’s start with the obvious. One of the very first things on your post-holiday home reset checklist is putting away your holiday decor.
Now, I’m not here to tell you when to take down your Christmas tree – some people love the ambience well into January, while I’m more of a pack it up by December 26th type of gal. (Don’t come for me, okay?!)
But what I am here to encourage you with is when you decide it’s time for the decor to go, don’t just shove everything back in boxes with the “out of sight, out of mind” mentality.
Instead, take a few extra minutes to be intentional with it by asking yourself:
Did I actually use this decor? Or is it just taking up space?
Did it feel like me this year? Do I even still like it?
Is anything broken, outdated, or no longer my style?
From there, you can decide if you want to sell, donate, or toss any items that you no longer want or need and THEN you can organize your holiday decor with fresh bins and labels.
Trust me, your future self (next holiday season) will thank you!
P.S. If you’re looking for top tier holiday storage, I highly recommend an actual ornament storage box and Christmas tree bag. Both of these things go a longggg way.
Declutter Surfaces That Became “Temporary Storage”
After your holiday decor is put away, it’s time to get your home back into normal working order, which usually means bringing back furniture you had to store someplace else for the holiday season or trying to remember where you put your regular decor for the time being.
The holidays have a way of turning every flat surface into a holding zone. From the kitchen counters, dining room tables, nightstand drawers, or even your guest room, your post-holiday home reset checklist should definitely include:
✔️ Clearing everything off one surface at a time
✔️ Only putting back items that truly belong there
✔️ Finding a permanent home for anything that’s been “temporarily” living there since December
Even tackling just one or two surfaces or areas each week can make your home feel noticeably calmer!
Reset Your Entryway
Once you’ve gotten your holiday decor out of the way and put things back in their appropriate areas, I suggest prioritizing areas of your home that get a lot of traffic, with your entryway being the first space to pay attention to.
This time of year it’s really easy for your entryway to take a beating and it can quickly become a space that’s overloaded with clutter.
Between boots, coats, scarves, and holiday deliveries, it often becomes a catch-all. A quick reset here can dramatically change how your home feels when you walk in.
The easiest ways to reset your entryway that make a big impact include:
✔️ Put away excess shoes and seasonal accessories you’re not using daily
✔️ Add a basket for gloves and hats to store in your garage or mudroom so that these things are still easily accessible, without being thrown around everywhere each day
✔️ Wipe down walls, doors, and baseboards – this probably isn’t a chore that you do all that often, but now is a great time to make things extra clean
✔️ Shake out or replace entry rugs and deep clean the floors
Overall, a functional entryway sets the tone for the entire home, especially during busy winter days.
Refresh the Kitchen After the Holiday Rush
In addition to your entryway becoming cluttered during the holiday season, your kticehn also works overtime during November and December, so come January it deserves a good reset of its own!
When resetting your kitchen focus on tasks that improve day-to-day function, like:
✔️ Cleaning out the fridge and freezer (goodbye mystery leftovers 🫣)
✔️ Wipe down cabinet fronts and handles
✔️ Toss expired pantry items
✔️ Reorganize one drawer or cabinet that’s been bothering you
And if you really want to dig into the organization side of things, maybe it’s time you buy those aesthetic bins for your pantry and fridge so that everything has a proper home as you move into the new year.
But remember, you really don’t need to overhaul the entire kitchen in order to make a difference. A few small, intentional improvements can make cooking and cleanup feel easier all winter long.
Do a Winter-Friendly Deep Clean (The Easy Version)
My goal with this home reset checklist is to make it feel really doable, so when I say “deep clean” here, I really mean a strategic refresh of spaces that you mightttt not have cleaned in a few months (and don’t worry, it happens to the best of us).
I think we all probably have our own routine cleaning that we do daily, weekly, or monthly (like wiping down counters or cleaning the floors), but when’s the last time you touched the baseboards? Or dusted those pesky light fixtures or ceiling fans? 👀
If you know that there are certain areas of your home that haven’t gotten a proper cleaning in a while, take the time to focus on those now!
Many overlooked areas collect dust quickly during winter when windows stay closed and cleaning them can make your home feel fresher almost instantly.
Check Off Simple Winter Home Maintenance Tasks
In addition to a simple deep clean, now is also a good time to do some light maintenance around your home that can prevent bigger problems later!
If you’re interested in a full seasonal home maintenance checklist for all 4 seasons, you can download that HERE, but here’s a closer look at winter specifically:
✔️ Replace HVAC and furnace filters
✔️ Cover your outdoor AC unit
✔️ Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
✔️ Check for leaks in your basement or crawl space
✔️ Look for drafts and seal where needed
✔️ Check weather stripping around doors and windows
None of these take long, but they DO make a big difference in comfort, safety, and energy efficiency.
Reset Your Home’s “Systems”
Lastly, as you head into a new year, it’s a good time to think beyond physical clutter and consider your home’s “systems” that keep your household running smoothly.
This might mean revisiting your cleaning routine and creating something new that you know you’ll follow through with or setting reminders for seasonal home maintenance.
Or maybe it means creating (or buying) a new family calendar that keeps everyone on the same page throughout the entire year. (I’ve heard great things about the Skylight!)
Or maybe you really struggle with menu planning and grocery lists – now’s the time to change that.
For some it could mean reorganizing paperwork or digital files and re-establishing a dedicated space for important papers, like kids homework, field trip forms, etc.
In fact, this is a GREAT time to revisit the entire back-to-school home reset guide to help transition your family back into your normal routine!
The overall point is to set yourself up for a successful year ahead by reducing your mental load and feeling like everything has its own rhythm.
So, there ya have it – your post-holiday home reset checklist that can help you get back on track for the new year and have a home that feels like a true retreat during the winter months!
And if you’re thinking about making a bigger chance, *cough* like finding a new home that better fits your family’s needs *cough*, I’m here to help. 👀
As a real estate agent in Billings, MT, I love helping families find the home that makes organizing their life feel effortless and I’d love to help YOU find exactly that – CLICK HERE to get started.
P.S. If you’re local to Billings, MT and you’re looking for a few professionals to help you tackle a few things on this list, let me introduce you to some of my favorites:
Professional Organizing | The OCD Girls
Professional Cleaning | Codi Borner (DM on Instagram to get connected!)
Decluttering Service | Purple Cactus
Bulk Trash and Junk Removal
Donation Centers