You’ve reached it: that exhausted, but joyful moment after the holidays have passed. The guests you’ve hosted for festive meals and cozy get-togethers are gone, and you find yourself (and your home) feeling a little worn out. Lingering food odors and clutter in your space are more than enough to send you into action mode to restore freshness.
Wherever you find yourself on the post-holiday clean-up spectrum, we will navigate you through our practical guide for transforming your space back into a clean, fresh haven.
Declutter Your Space
After the craze to decorate passes and gifts are exchanged, it’s common for your home to feel cluttered. Holiday cards, seasonal decorations, and unused accessories can pile up, leaving your home feeling disorganized. Start the new year off by clearing out what’s no longer needed:
- Gift Wrap & Decorations: Store away any unused wrapping paper, ribbons, and other holiday decor, and recycle anything that you’re not planning to reuse next year.
- Tidy Up Holiday Items: Put away items like extra throw pillows and blankets that may be scattered around. Try using a fabric storage organizer to keep these items neatly put away until next year. You can also deodorize them until you use them again by dropping in a pack or two.
- Store Other Loose Items: Loose items like shoes and outerwear accessories often stray from their designated drawers or shelves. A closet organizer can serve as any easy way to move shoes, gloves, and scarves out of walkways and mudrooms.
By implementing a decluttering strategy, you’ll create a more open atmosphere, making it easier to breathe and relax in your home. Your brain will also thank you for less piles and messes constantly occupying your field of vision.
Deep Clean Your Home
Once you've cleared away the clutter, it’s time for a deep clean. Holiday cooking and entertaining can leave behind traces of grease, spills, and food odors. Get ready to give your home a thorough cleaning to start fresh for the new year:
- Clean Floors: With all the extra foot traffic during the holidays, your floors may need a good vacuuming and mopping, in well-traveled areas especially. Detailed deep cleanings will require attention to every edge and corner, including the baseboards.
- Freshen the Air: Even if for a short time, opening windows allows fresh air to move any indoor odors out. Allowing natural air to circulate is great, but if you live in particularly cold climate, we understand if this step is not ideal.
- Surface Cleaning: Wipe down counters, shelves, tables, and furniture. Don’t forget easily overlooked areas like windowsills and light fixtures.
For those tough odors that linger after cooking meals or hosting parties, consider using a plant-based odor removing candle. Fresh Wave’s Candle is a powerhouse in the kitchen and adjacent rooms, even in open-concept spaces. Unlike chemical-based air fresheners, Fresh Wave will break down unwanted odors at a molecular level, neutralizing them without introducing harmful toxins into your home.
Refresh Your Fabrics
Soft furnishings like carpets, curtains, and upholstered couches are often the culprits behind lingering holiday smells. Both large and small family gatherings can leave behind trapped odors from food, smoke, and perfumes.
- Wash Fabrics: Launder throw blankets, pillows, and slip covers to neutralize foul smells. Sweater storage boxes with an odor-fighting pack or two dropped in can prevent musty smells from penetrating your clothing while they are stored long-term.
- Clean Upholstery: If your furniture has absorbed some funky stenches, try using a gentle upholstery shampoo or a naturally-derived fabric spray if you prefer a fast-acting solution.
- Vacuum Carpets and Rugs: If you’ve long avoided large area rugs or just have dingy-looking or smelly carpeting in a well-visited room, it’s time to bust out the vacuum. You may even go the extra mile to edge corners and seams, gathering any debris that’s collected from guest traffic. Add safe, natural vacuum beads into your vacuum’s dustbin as a bonus while you clean, so you don’t have to breathe in stale vacuum exhaust odors.
Destroy Persistent Odors in the Air
Even with exceptional effort during a deep clean, nasty odors can stick around unpleasantly—especially after cooking meals or concocting special party appetizers. Instead of reaching for synthetic or highly-fragranced sprays, which can contain harmful chemicals, opt for an odor-removing fine mist that cleans your air naturally.
Plant-based odor eliminators effectively break down odor molecules, rather than simply masking them with artificial ingredients or fragrances. They harness the power of plant oils, and are not synthetically formulated. The best part: our collection offers a wide variety of products that suit any odor situation or source. From stinky laundry to smelly odors in the air, Fresh Wave has a match for most any odor problem. Smelly furniture and floors don’t stand a chance, and neither do pet odors.
Create a Calming Atmosphere with Essential Oils
If you're looking to refresh your home on a more sensory level, consider using essential oils to contribute to the tranquility of your home. Oils such as lavender, peppermint, or lemon can be diffused into the air to create a peaceful environment, perfect for unwinding after the holiday hustle and bustle.
You can also add essential oils to homemade cleaning solutions or use our versatile Laundry Booster in warm water for wiping countertops or mopping floors to get rid of odors at their core. This solution is also ideal for wiping down refrigerator shelves, baseboards, and molding. Using this on any countertop will not only add a little shine but deliver a fresh aroma after the food spills are wiped away.
Enjoy a Fresh Beginning for Your Home in 2025
Getting ahead by having a fresh start is inarguably the best way to kick off the year. By decluttering, deep cleaning, and using plant-based odor removers, you’ll easily master how to make your house smell good. With these guidelines, your home will soon be a peaceful retreat that you’ll enjoy for the rest of the winter season.
