It is easy to find advice about what to pack to go on holiday, how to pack it and what to pack it in. There is a dearth of advice on how to un-pack when you get home at the end of your holiday.

Perhaps the reason for the absence of advice is that it should be as easy as falling off a log. You open your case, take out the clothes, put them in the laundry basket and then wash and iron them over the course of the next few days. But hang on - there's actually more to it than that. And there is a big difference between all the work of unpacking and falling off a log! (who made up that expression anyway?)

We are less than perfect!

Pat confesses: Recently, I was getting dressed to go out to the theatre with Wonderful Husband. About 10 days previously, we had returned from a short 'city break' vacation. I looked in my wardrobe for the dress I intended to wear and it wasn't there! Then I remembered that I had taken it on the trip, and it was still in the ironing pile. Worse still, the cardigan that I wear with that dress was still in the laundry basket. The trouble is, I procrastinate when it comes to holiday unpacking.

When you walk in your front door at the end of your vacation, resist the urge to leave your suitcases in the hall.

Step one is to remove all the laundry from your luggage. If you have a separate laundry room, you could open the cases by the front door, put the clothes that need to be washed in a basket and carry it straight to the washing machine. Even if there are several loads of washing, it is now in the place where it is most likely to get done.

Then, carry the case to your bedroom. If there are any clothes that do not need washing, hang them up to air before putting them in your wardrobe, or back in the drawer.

Take your toiletries (or wash bag, or whatever you have used) into the bathroom. Take out your toothbrush to dry. Try not to just leave everything in a heap - make that effort and put it away.

Put your shoes away. That doesn't mean leave them in a little pile in the corner of the room! Away means away, in their proper place.

You will probably still have a small collection of 'stuff' lingering in your case. If the charger for your cell phone is nestled in that huddle of miscellania, take it out right away and put it where it normally lives. (The hours I have spent wondering where the recharger has gone - what a waste!)

I usually have a pile of brochures and guide books about everywhere that I visited while on the trip. These are meant to form the basis of a wonderful scrap book. Sadly, this has not happened yet! I try to be realistic by making some notes, but all too often I find a faded colllection of these souvenirs on a window sill long after the event. My hard advice would be to just throw them out!