Expert reveals how to declutter before Christmas

Our homes can end up looking a little worse for wear during the silly season as stacks of gifts, decorations and food continue to pile up.

But by taking just a few simple steps ahead of time, your place can be prepared for a cluttered and stress-free Christmas.

To help people stay on top of things this holiday season, Australian organizing expert, Anita Birges, shared her top tips and handy hints with FEMAIL – and they don’t disappoint!

Australian organising expert Anita Birges (pictured) revealed on Sunday her best tips when it comes to preparing your home for the influx of gifts, food and decorations over Christmas

Australian organizing expert Anita Birges (pictured) revealed on Sunday her best tips when it comes to preparing your home for the influx of gifts, food, and decorations over Christmas

The first step is to make room for the number of new toys coming in by donating old ones to charity.

‘Get your kids involved. Get them to pick maybe five or six toys that they are going to donate, which will give room for the gifts incoming,’ Anita, the founder of Mise En Place, said.

‘Three weeks to a month before Christmas is the best time to do it because there are plenty of toy drives. Get them to learn the gift of giving and receiving.’

Taking a minimalist approach to storing the fridge a week before Christmas will make things easier when it comes to storing seafood, meats, fruit, and desserts, Anita said.

Anita (pictured) said the first step is to make room for the amount of new toys coming in by donating old ones to charity

Anita (pictured) said the first step is to make room for the amount of new toys coming in by donating old ones to charity

'Get your kids to pick maybe five or six toys that they are going to donate, which will give room for the gifts incoming,' Anita said (stock image)

‘Get your kids to pick maybe five or six toys that they are going to donate, which will give room for the gifts incoming,’ Anita said (stock image)

She also suggested having containers ready for the massive amounts of leftovers that inevitably come after Christmas feasts, and not falling into the trap of taking up space with drinks.

‘Don’t use your fridge for storing drinks. Use a bath, an Esky or a tub with ice instead,’ she said.

But arguably the most common pitfall comes as a result of hasty and disorganized packing up of Christmas decorations the season prior, especially Christmas tree storage bags.

Anita said an organising system should be put in place in the weeks before Christmas to ensure that decorations aren’t damaged or simply shoved to the back of a cupboard.

Arguably the most common pitfall comes as a result of hasty and disorganised packing up of Christmas decorations the season prior (stock image)

Arguably the most common pitfall comes as a result of hasty and disorganized packing up of Christmas decorations the season prior (stock image)

Anita (pictured) offered a tip for preventing the painful, yet common tangling of fairy lights, saying they should be wrapped around cardboard or an empty water bottle

Anita (pictured) offered a tip for preventing the painful, yet common tangling of fairy lights, saying they should be wrapped around cardboard or an empty water bottle

‘By the end of Christmas, no one has the energy or patience to pack away decorations properly, so set up an organizing system before,’ she said.

‘Leading up to the holidays there’s excitement, then there’s a clean up that you need to get done, so you need to be prepared.

‘A big disappointment is getting your decorations the year after and finding they are damaged because they weren’t stored properly – then you’ll have to replace them.’

Placing your Christmas tree in a hard storage box instead of back in the cardboard one it came in will help protect it from being damaged by items stacked on top of it.

Placing your Christmas tree in a hard storage box instead of back in the cardboard one it came in will help protect it from being damaged by items stacked on top of it, Anita said

Placing your Christmas tree in a hard storage box instead of back in the cardboard one it came in will help protect it from being damaged by items stacked on top of it, Anita said

She added that people often resort to buying a second set of decorations because last year's have become damaged or lost due to poor storage

She added that people often resort to buying a second set of decorations because last year have become damaged or lost due to poor storage

Anita also offered a tip for preventing the painful, yet common tangling of fairy lights, saying: ‘Wrap them around a piece of cardboard or an empty water bottle – but just don’t gather them up together and put them in a box.’

She added that people often resort to buying a second set of decorations because last year’s have become damaged or lost due to poor storage.

‘Don’t buy double, don’t go out and buy baubles then realize you already have some stuffed in the back of the cupboard,’ Anita said.

Her final tip was to ensure all storage boxes are appropriately labeled to make things easier next year.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk