Preparing your home for the holidays doesn’t have to be a stressful endeavor. If you get your kitchen organized ahead of time, cooking and meal prep will be a breeze.

7 Tips for Easy Holiday Kitchen Prep

Task 1: Clear Your Counters of Clutter

Take the time to clear your counter of all debris, including mail or other miscellaneous items. Wash and put away all dishes to ensure your counter is completely clear.

Task 2: Purge Your Refrigerator and Freezer

Go through the items in your refrigerator and either eat or throw away anything that is nearing its expiration date. Get rid of all expired items, and free up space by removing bulky packaging. Then, repeat this process for the freezer. The more space you can create, the better.

Task 3: Deep-clean and Shine Appliances

Make sure your appliances are clean and ready to use. Thoroughly scrub the insides of your oven and microwave, and don’t forget to wipe down the inside of your fridge and freezer as well.

Task 4: Unpack and Wash Holiday Serving Pieces

Take out your serving dishes, platters, candy bowls, beverage glasses, and other pieces you’ll need while hosting. Wash them and set them aside in a specific place, so you can retrieve them easily. Spread a tablecloth over them to keep them dust-free.

Task 5: Unpack and Wash Holiday Linens

Unpack the holiday tablecloths, runners, place mats and napkins and put them in a pile together. Then, wash them with cold water, dry them on low heat, fold them, and store them somewhere that will be easily accessible when you’re ready to lay them out.

Task 6: Take Inventory of Your Spices

Look through your spices and check their expiration dates. Throw out any that have expired and purchase any that you may need. Going to the store ahead of time allows you to avoid traffic and get what you need while it’s still in stock.

Task 7: Stock Up on Essentials

While you’re at the store, make sure you have plenty of aluminum foil, coffee filters, dish soap, disposable roasting pans, garbage bags, paper napkins, paper towels, plastic wrap, and anything else you may need while cooking.

For more holiday home prep tips, stay tuned for part 2 of our 2-part series.