Taking down holiday décor is not nearly as exciting as decking the halls. However, organizing your holiday trimmings is crucial to setting the stage for an even more enjoyable decorating experience next year. Sara West of South Coast Organizers knows this task can feel daunting, but she has a few simple tips to make it a breeze.

“If you’re feeling overwhelmed, do it in sections,” she says. “Try to tackle one area or room per day until it’s done.”

While West likes to wait until after the start of the new year to begin taking everything down, she says to each their own. “I know some people like to celebrate a few more holidays with their trees, especially Mardi Gras or Valentine’s Day, so do what makes you happy!”

West also advises against putting too much pressure on yourself regarding a takedown timeline. “Whenever you feel like you’re ready to have your house back in order, that’s the right time for you to take down your décor,” she says.

Follow her steps below to take down decorations and start an organized New Year.

1. Ensure you have enough bins and confirm that those bins fit the desired storage location.

West recommends using heavy-duty plastic storage totes with lids, noting that cardboard boxes tend to break down over time and don’t protect breakable items. “If you have really fragile pieces or ornaments, consider storing them in smaller totes so that they don’t get too many things laid on top of them,” she explains. West uses bubble wrap or even leftover packing paper from Amazon boxes to wrap any delicate times. “Simple dividers can be used to keep ornaments safe from bumping into each other,” she says.

2. Purge while packing.

Did something break? Toss it or get it fixed. Did you not use a whole tote of decorations? Consider donating it or giving it to someone else to use. “Purging décor that’s broken (especially lights) is a huge help for next year,” she says. “It will leave you with just the holiday items you love and want to display.”

3. Store like items together. 

For example, all the tree decorating items, like the lights, ornaments, tree topper and skirt, should be put together. West does the same by storing her bookshelf décor, mantel décor and outdoor décor in respective bins. “It makes things easier when decorating for next year,” she says, “It’s also helpful to pack sentimental items that you may not necessarily want to put out but want to keep.” For instance, West has all of her childhood ornaments stored separately from the ones she puts on her tree, so she knows not to bother with that container.

Learn more about South Coast Organizers here.