Cleaning Up After the Unwrapping

Posted on December 25, 2009 by LJ

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Photo by docbaty

We’ve all seen the aftermath of a frenzy of present unwrapping. Be it with birthdays or other special occasions, a frenzy can turn the neatest of living spaces into a hamster-cage like space, filled with shredded paper. Here is how I handle cleaning up:

Prepare

If you know it’s coming, prepare. I collect supplies near to where the frenzy will take place. My basic supplies are as follows:

A large gift bag. I take this from my stash of gift bags, and use it to hold other gift bags that can be reused.
A small gift bag. I use this to corral any ribbons that can be reused.
A paper grocery bag. This is to hold anything that can be recycled. If the frenzy is likely to be a large one, I may have several standing by.
A trash bag. This is for all the bits that can’t be recycled.
Wire cutters and scissors. I find that if I disconnect toys from their packaging immediately after unwrapping, the cleanup is less.

Sort As They Go

As the frenzy starts, I position myself next to my daughter. I take any cards and gift tags and put them aside, noting on them what the present was. This makes writing thank you notes easier.

Next, as my daughter unwraps, I take the scraps and sort them. If the toy needs to be taken out of its packaging, I do that and put any leavings in the garbage.

Just a little preparation turned my living room from a hamster cage two years ago, into a peaceful place last year. It worked so well that we do the same thing with birthdays now.

Photo by docbaty

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