The New Year is the time to make promises that improve your life: to work out so you are healthier, to get your finance in order, to go into the year with a clean and organized home. If your resolution is the latter, remember that an ounce of prevention can go a long way when trying to win the war. Just a few minutes of cleaning every night (and resolutions to do them every day), can get your home in shape, and cut down on your hours of cleaning.
I will wipe down my counters every day.
Depending on your schedule, wipe down your bathroom countertop after you get ready in the morning and evening or do a general countertop cleaning before you go to bed. For your kitchen, make sure you wipe down your counters at the end of the day, or after every meal.
I will wash my dishes.
Make washing and drying your dishes, and wiping out your sinks a daily habit. Not only will you have cleaner dishes, you also won’t have to face the pile of dirty dishes every day and a dirty and stained sink. You also won’t have to—and we’re not saying you do—go into a panic about drop-in guests seeing your dirty dishes.
I will clear the clutter.
This resolution can apply to two different kinds of clutter: the pile of papers, toys, and miscellaneous items that litter your house or the “extra” items you don’t want to store or keep out any more. For the daily items, go through and sort your mail every day. Develop a filing system so your papers are organized and put away. And who could forget about the toys that get left out? If your kids are old enough, make picking up their toys a chore that needs to be done every night, or make a quick run through the house to gather up all the items you don’t want to step on that night.
If your resolution revolves more around de-cluttering extra items (i.e. décor, clothes, etc.), take a few minutes every night to go through a box, or a shelf of items that you want to sort. Put items you don’t want in a box to donate to a thrift store, and make regular runs to get the items out of your home. If you plan to rid your home of these items via a rummage sale, sort your items into organized boxes so you are prepared and ready in the spring.
I will put rugs by all my exterior doors.
What’s better than keeping up with your daily cleanings? Not having to clean at all. There are two benefits for putting down rugs by all your exterior doors: 1) the rugs can catch the water, gravel, and dirt that your family and guests track in so you don’t have to clean; 2) using rugs as a catch-all for debris protects your flooring from stains and scratches.
I will hire a cleaning service.
If you feel like you fit any more into your day, hiring a cleaning service. There’s no shame or blame in asking for help (and you don’t even have to tell people, we won’t) when your calendar is full. You can hire a cleaning service to do certain cleaning tasks around your home (i.e. laundry, bathrooms) or hire a cleaner to give your home a deep clean. To make sure that you are successfully fulfilling this New Year’s resolution, do your homework when choosing a cleaner (we’ve written about it here). Whatever decision you make, don’t let this New Year’s resolution become another resolution that you didn’t keep; contact a cleaner to get your home cleaner now and throughout the New Year.
