Professional organizers say these are the 7 communal areas you should declutter before Thanksgiving

Regardless of how clean and orderly our homes are, most of us like to go the extra mile before guests arrive over Thanksgiving.

That's why professional organizers advise you to focus your decluttering efforts on seven high-traffic communal areas of the home, such as living rooms and entryways.

We talked to the experts to identify which zones in a home are most likely to be visited by guests, and where decluttering tips will have the most impact.

1. Your pantry

You may think decluttering and organizing your pantry won't help when a guest is due to visit but there are many reasons why taking some time to comb through your pantry space proves to be beneficial when guests stay over at Thanksgiving.

Di Ter Avest, professional organizer and owner of Di Is Organized, says, 'Over time, pantries can get chaotic with expired food, misplaced items, or lack of organization. Your guests may want to help themselves to a snack or lend a hand with meal prep, so a clutter-free pantry is a must.'

Start by taking everything out of the pantry and placing it on a countertop or kitchen table where you can clearly see everything you have. Then, go through each item one by one, discarding anything that has expired or what you no longer need (if it's not past its best before, you could consider donating surplus food items to a local food bank).

After your pantry stock is free from out-of-date goods, Ter Avest recommends sorting your items into categories before returning them to the pantry space. 'Group items into categories, for instance canned goods, baking supplies, and snacks. using storage bins or containers to keep everything organized and easy to find for both yourself and your guests.'

There are endless storage options out there for organizing a pantry space, but we recommend something airtight and transparent with a lid such as the Hefty 72qt Clear Hi-Rise Storage bin with Stackable Lid from Target.

The lid will help to keep your items fresh, and the transparency of the container will allow yourself and your guests to be able to easily identify the contents of any container.

You can also add a label to make everything crystal clear, and store small grab-and-go snacks in a convenient container such as the Food Storage Organizer Bin with 4 Compartment from Walmart to make items super easy to access.

2. Your kitchen counters

Thanksgiving in many households is punctuated by a get-together around a home-cooked dinner, but even if you spend yours differently, your guests are still bound to frequent the kitchen during their stay.

For this reason, it's important to declutter your countertops as they can quickly become home to all sorts of items, from unused appliances to surplus sachets and cutlery. Clearing these vital surfaces will make your kitchen look more presentable as well as increase its functionality during busy hosting season.

'Kitchens are the heart of the home so they tend to get cluttered easily,' says Heather Aiello, CEO and founder of The Organized You. 'Start by clearing your counters of unnecessary items before considering tackling other areas, such as decluttering your fridge.'

Place items back into their homes and discard of anything unneeded such as empty wrappers or gone-bad leftovers. Don't forget to wipe down your surfaces with a multipurpose cleaner, such as Lysol Power and Free Multi-Purpose Citrus Sparkle Cleaner Spray afterwards for a fresh smell and crumb-free finish.

3. Your sink and dishwasher

Keeping on top of your washing over Thanksgiving will reduce your stress levels while hosting, as well as reduce visual clutter and banish bad kitchen smells.

Linda Samuels, certified professional organizer and founder of Oh, So Organized!, says, 'Thanksgiving is a dish-intensive holiday, and having a clear space for used dishes and pots to go will simplify clean-up.'

Investing in a versatile dish rack, such as the Kitsure Large Extendable Dish Rack from Amazon, will help to provide your sink area with a sense of order.

4. Your living room

Designed to be lived in and used for quality time, your guests will likely spend most of their visit at your home in the living room. Mary Jo Contello, professional organizer and founder of Organized by MJ, believes it's a vitally important space during holidays such as Thanksgiving and, therefore, one that will definitely benefit from a good declutter.

'Most people utilize the living room during the holidays,' says Contello. 'Making sure the space is welcoming and all seating is available is very important, and I recommend targeting clearing the area of toys, paperwork and clutter.'

Unwanted paperwork can be discarded in the recycling or shredded, and toys lacking a home could temprarily live in under bed storage or a cupboard before being transfered into a toy box, such as the HONEIER Toy Box Storage from Walmart.

After decluttering the space, we recommend doing all you can to clean your living room, too.

5. Your entryway or mudroom

The entryway or mudroom in most instances is one of the first places guests will see in your home, so it should definitely be on your pre-guest cleaning checklist.

If it's currently home to a muddy welcome mat, boots caked with a decade's worth of hiking remains and has a dozen jackets on pegs, now is the time to take action in this communal area ahead of Thanksgiving and make room for your guest's possessions.

'Entryways are often the first impression for guests,' says Aiello. 'Declutter coats, shoes, and bags to make space for incoming guests' belongings. Consider adding extra hooks or bins for temporary storage as well if you have the space.'

The self-adhesive Naittoop, Adhesive Hooks or the Command Medium Designer Hooks are great small mudroom ideas if you're looking to add extra coat space in a hurry. The Hokku Designs Fabric Storage Bag from Wayfair is a stylish, subtle addition to your entryway space as well, ideal for keeping all sorts of belongings safely tucked away.

6. Your bathroom

Your bathrooms could all benefit from a declutter pre-visitors, as you never know which one they may use. We recommend starting small, discarding trash and restocking essentials.

'My step-by-step guest bathroom decluttering routine is: clear the counters, toss items that are expired, store duplicate items away that aren't necessary, and empty the trash,' says Samuels. 'I also like to have essentials and must-haves for an inviting guest bathroom clearly visible to my guests, such as hand soap, towels, extra toilet paper, air spray and tissues.'

You could store your smaller bathroom essentials in a compact, tidy way in a carousel such as the Sorbus Rotating Cosmetic Makeup Organizer from Walmart. Its height is adjustable and it rotates 360 degrees for easy access.

7. Your playroom

If you have a playroom in your home, it will be no stranger to toy tornadoes. Giving the space a good declutter and tidy prior to little ones coming over will make the ensuing carnage easier to manage.

'Playrooms can easily overflow with toys, art supplies, and clutter, which can be overwhelming for both kids and parents,' says Ter Avest. 'Since the holidays are coming, this is a great time to purge toys and games, making the playroom feel less cluttered. Organize the toys you decided to keep into bins and create designated play zones. A tidy playroom allows kids to have fun while keeping the chaos contained so adults can enjoy their time as well.'

Decluttering and organizing a playroom doesn't have to be tricky. Your versatile pantry storage solutions will do the trick in a pinch if you have some spare!

FAQs

When should I start my Thanksgiving declutter?

Mary Jo Contello, professional organizer and founder of Organized by MJ, shared some great advice with us about when to start decluttering your home to host this Thanksgiving, as well as how to get things done efficiently:

'Ideally you would start in early November dedicating a few hours to decluttering a week. Lots of times, guest rooms collect things that people don't know where to put, so it's the perfect time to determine if you should really keep these items there.'

Now your home is looking and feeling pleasantly decluttered for the end of the year, why not consider expanding your decluttering sessions outside? These are the items to declutter in your yard right now that you likely won't even notice are gone.