New Year Cleaning: A Great Reset for the Home

The new year is fast approaching and I don’t know about you, but one thing I love for the new year is a clean slate. A fresh reset so to speak. Once the garland, glitter and decor comes down, it’s time to have a new year clean for the whole home.

Spring cleaning always seems to be a thing for so many, but truthfully I much prefer my new year clean. It really helps reset me and get me into the right mindset for the New Year. As a mother of little ones, cleaning and organizing can be very hard work with little ones under your feet. Having someone to take the kids for a whole day while you tackle a mile long to do list is a bit of a homemaker’s dream. Of course that is not always the reality for everyone, so if your children are with you, you may work best by breaking up your cleaning into days.

When I am tackling lots of organizational and cleaning projects, I work best from a list. I write down exactly what needs to be done around the home and who does it (yes, there’s even a honey do list!). This helps us both check off the projects and deep cleaning that we know has to be done.

You can use the following guidelines to help you go into your new year with a little more organization and tidiness. And perhaps a little breath of fresh air and an extra shot of joy!

Think of your house as a clean slate. Once ALL of your Christmas decor has come down, it’s time to think of your home as a clean slate. It’s a fresh start to get things swift and clean. Make it your goal to finish everything within a day or two. If you drag on the list for too long, it becomes too tedious and drawn out.

Tackle all of the closets. Go into each closet and reorganize. This is especially helpful for kids who have just received lots of new toys. Get rid of broken toys, duplicate toys and things that are not well loved. Organize closets and tidy up clothes and shoes area to remove any piles of clothes that accumulated over time or that no longer fit.

Organize the bathrooms. Bathroom drawers and cabinets tend to get out of hand pretty quick. In our home we have what seems like less bathroom storage than others, so we have to stay on top of organizing regularly to be able to find things and have some structure.

Purge. Donate. And minimize. I am all about the modern concept of minimalism, but like so many I struggle with it too. However even if you’re not going for the minimalist lifestyle, it’s nice to put your mindset into the “less is more” because you’ll be grateful when there’s less. Less items, less toys, less clutter means less anxiety and less craziness. Less stuff means less to clean!

Clean the floors. Lift the area rugs and mop and clean all the floors. You just recently had a Christmas tree, tons of decor from storage and possibly lots of guests for holiday parties and I’m sure some glitter somewhere. Go through and mop all the floors and clean under the rugs.

Remove any clutter. Piles of clutter annoy me. Go through and try to eliminate all piles but if anything, at least make a clutter basket full of the things that you need to go through on another day. Store your clutter basket in the utility area or a place where it’s less visible.

Wash the extras. Wash things like sheets, curtains, shower curtains and rugs that can easily be washed. Now is also a good time to wash jackets that have already been worn quite a bit in these colder days and still will need to be worn in the months ahead.

Remove the toxins. A new year typically comes with resolutions that include being healthier. Most Americans are yearning to be healthier overall and to rid their life and bodies of the bad things. Start with tossing the chemical filled, name brand cleaners and consider natural alternatives such as Thieves Cleaner. This natural cleaner will disinfect every surface of your home and can even remove stains!

Keep only what you love. I have tried the past year or so to put myself into a mindset to only keep the things that I love and that bring me joy. I know longer just buy knick and knacks and cheap decor just because it is cute, I buy things that I don’t want to live without and that I have a specific place for. This mindset helps you spend less and have less.

Minimize kitchen cabinets. Go through and get rid of the things that you don’t use or that you have duplicates of. Throw away expired food or old candy you were hiding from your children. Make your cabinets and drawers more functional and less obnoxious (this is an area I really need to get into!).

Lastly, if you’re purging and getting rid of lots of things - consider what to do with them. You can always have a garage sale or you can donate to the Salvation Army, local women’s shelters, local families in need or in some areas, there are Catholic or similar charities that will come and even pick up your items for you!

There’s no right or wrong way to head into the new year on a clean reset. Some people may do this before the New Year and others may do it soon after. Whenever you can, and whatever you do, make things functional, easy and joyful for your family!

Happy New Year to all of our readers!