By Tyler R. Morrissey
A new year brings about many changes. For some, the New Year is a chance to refocus on goals both old and new to make the most of this fresh start. In addition to common New Year’s resolutions such as getting healthy or saving more money, your most valuable asset, your home should also not be forgotten about in 2018. Let this year be the year that you get your home organized and tidy with the following tips to help you get started.
Keep it Clean
While you may be coming off a week long vacation for the holidays, life gets busier as the New Year kicks off. When life gets busy it can be hard to keep a tidy home. With a proper plan in place, you can keep your home clean not just this month, but all year long. HGTV recommends that keeping your cleaning supplies organized is the first step to creating good habits. Store your rubber gloves and sponges in a portable carrying case so you can quickly find them when you need them, and so you can transport them in one trip from room to room. Also, don’t try to do everything at once. Instead focus on one room at a time so you don’t become overwhelmed trying to tackle the whole house on a Saturday morning.
What’s in the Pantry?
The food pantry is one of the most important storage features of any home. It’s the place where you store all your canned goods, extra spices, and other non-perishables. However, the pantry can also be one of the most difficult spaces to organize and not everyone has a dedicated pantry in their home. Houzz has many suggestions to combat this issue, such as using a stand-alone cabinet or built-in to avoid taking up a whole wall. This can create a beautiful accent in the room, contrasting other cabinets a bit and becoming a focal point rather than just a functional piece of storage. Another idea is to use your tallest cabinet at the end of the kitchen. This sort of layout creates an appealing symmetry with a tall cabinet at the other end for a fridge or other appliances. Perhaps you have an underutilized closet in your house? Closets can also be easily converted into pantry space by adding the proper shelves and drawers.
What to Toss in the Kitchen
Take a walk through your kitchen and really pay attention. You will most likely find things that you no longer use that are taking up valuable counter or cabinet space. Maybe you have a fancy juicer on the counter that has not seen action since your 2017 New Year’s resolution to begin the day with a smoothie. Items like this can go into storage in other areas of the home to make way for items you regularly use. Realtor.com also has a few other tips, such as tossing pots and pans that are broken, rusty, or that have scratched or worn Teflon. It’s also a good idea to get rid of knives that can no longer be sharpened to free up even more drawer space. Finally, purge your refrigerator of any food that’s over a year old and give the fridge a good scrub down before putting items back or restocking with fresh food.
Speed Clean
Cleaning and organizing is not everyone’s favorite task. For some it’s the last thing they want to do after a long day or week. Fear not. There are ways to get on top of housekeeping that only take minutes out of your day-to-day schedule. Houzz has compiled a list of tasks that take 15 minutes or less. One of these projects is organizing your sock drawer. We all lose a sock or two during laundry day, leaving your drawer with mismatched socks. Take everything out of the drawer, match socks that go together and toss the single socks. Another quick fix can happen in the bathroom. Take stock of the products you have and recycle empty or near empty bottles of soap and shampoo to save space. Houzz also recommends doing the same with detergent bottles in your laundry room.
When the Stars Align
If you’re someone who pays close attention to your daily horoscope this next tip is for you. Yes, there are ways to clean your home based on your astrological sign. Apartment Therapy has put together a handy guide for each astrological sign on how you should spruce up your living space in 2018. If you’re a Libra, take your time organizing, but don’t make the process too precious. Once you’ve purged your items, chances are you’ll forget they ever existed. If you are a Capricorn, keep objects that are of incredibly high quality and those that were hard won.
