Mitch Chaitin, author of Gay NYC Dad, is a Stay-At-Home Dad who blogs about parenting, adoption, giveaways, product reviews and the celebrities he meets in New York City. He and his spouse of twenty years adopted a son who is now in the 4^th grade at the NYC Public Schools system.

 Everyone gets a little sad when the holidays are over. I know that come January 2, despite my hesitation, it is time to start cleaning up the house. New York City (as with many big cities) is well-known for small apartments, and while it may seem easier to clean up a small space, we pack our place so full of decorations that it can be a chore. As a family that celebrates a host of holidays, we have an artificial Christmas tree, Nativity scene and Menorah to clean up! So this year I decided, one of my New Year’s resolutions is to figure out a cleaning routine that’s easy for me and my family.

Some of our decorations can leave behind evidence that they were on display, so below I wanted to share my best tips for post-holiday clean-up!

• Before storing the Menorah, I scrape the wax drippings off the spot where we light our candles for the world to see. After that, I use Clorox^® Clean-Up^® Cleaner with Bleach as directed to make sure the area is clean for the New Year and so we don’t have to smell burnt wax for an extra month!


• Instead of trying to find a space to store holiday decorations, why not keep them out all year? We sometimes leave our artificial Christmas tree up during the year without the lights or ornaments. This way, it just looks like a plant and can really “spruce” up a room!


• For the handful of decorations we take down after the holidays, we try to kill two birds with one stone and so can you! Spend quality time with your family and put away decorations all at once by making cleaning-up a game and turning mundane tasks into fun ones. The possibilities are endless, but try starting with “I Spy” or speed sweeping games.


• The end of the holiday season means the start of a new, less-fun season: flu season! I wipe down all frequently touched surfaces like doorknobs, light switches and counters with my Clorox^® Disinfecting Wipes after we move our decorations. This isn’t just after the holiday season; we are always wiping down our hard surfaces with Wipes to help keep a healthier home.

What are your holiday cleaning priorities in the New Year? Do you have any tips that I can implement next year? Share them in the comments section below!