It’s a new year, and that means it’s time for all those big resolutions…right?
We’ve all heard the jokes about how “new year new me” lasts maybe a month or two at most, but it’s true. And while it’s easy to blame ourselves for being unmotivated, the truth of the matter is that a lot of us bite off more than we can chew when it comes to setting goals for the year, and it can be pretty demotivating when things start to go sideways.
So let’s all pretend for a second that you had some big, lofty goals about keeping your house cleaner in 2023. Great! Now where do we get started with these cleaning projects?
That’s the eternal question, and one we’re here to help with. By tackling a few smaller, faster cleaning projects to get started, you can actually see yourself making some headway and start to enjoy a cleaner home, even before moving onto the big stuff! Here’s a few fast home cleaning ideas to get your year started off on a more productive note:
Start with the entryway: It’s the first thing you see when you get home, so taking a second to tidy up your entryway is a great first step to take if you want a cleaner house in 2023. Take a look around to see if there’s any clutter that can be easily moved – some coats without a home, that set of keys that open some door or car you haven’t thought about in years, that phonebook from 2003, and the like. A lot of this stuff can probably be gotten rid of or moved elsewhere, and everything else could use some entryway storage to keep it all tidy through the rest of the year. (This might also be a great time to consider selling or donating some of those shoes you haven’t worn in forever, too!)
Purge the kitchen drawers: You could write a whole book on cleaning a kitchen, but if you want a fast way to make your kitchen a little more productive and a little less chaotic when dinner time rolls around, cleaning out your drawers and cabinets is a great place to start. Look for any of the obvious offenders like those stained, lidless containers, that sauce pot you were so excited to use, or some old silverware you haven’t touched in forever, and find somewhere to donate it all. From there, some kitchen storage like a pantry organizer can help you arrange everything in a way that makes it much easier to find next time! Trust us, the next time you need to cook, you’ll be glad you did this first.
Simplify the bathroom: Similarly, the bathroom is a place that can get awfully full of stuff if you’re not careful. Before you start getting into the hard stuff like cleaning out the tub or scrubbing up the toilet bowl, take a look at everything that’s found a home in your bathroom over the years and see what you can get rid of. Look for things like half-used lotions you didn’t like as much, that perfume you stopped wearing after a while, or those conditioners you tried out and moved on from, and find new homes for them all. This could be a great opportunity to put up some more bathroom storage (or maybe some wire wall shelves) to help you find and use the stuff you actually should be keeping in the bathroom – maybe now you’ll remember to use that fancy exfoliating sponge you were so excited to order!
Reorganize your bookshelves: We’re not saying you need to go old-school Marie Kondo and just start tossing books out, but the occasional bookshelf revamp can do a lot for both your home’s organization, and the overall look of your room. Go through a bookshelf or two, take things down, see what you actually want to display (or may actually re-read someday), and rearrange it according to however your tastes work these days. If there’s something you’re not quite into anymore, donate it to a library! Otherwise, consider getting a second bookshelf for overflow storage, and move things in and out as needed.
Toss out the papers and junk mail: Finally, any good home organization project should always include taking the time to get rid of paperwork you don’t need anymore. Flip through that huge stack of receipts from places you don’t shop at anymore, letters about bills you’ve long since paid, that scary-looking letter from your car insurance place that just turned out to be an offer for a more expensive policy, and everything else you haven’t looked at in forever…and get rid of it. Throw it away, recycle it, shred it, whatever you have to do. You have all of this year to look forward to getting junk mail, why hold onto the past?
Finally, whatever you do, just remember to not be hard on yourself for not finishing as much as you “think” you did! Doing your best will look a little different every day, but getting anything done is something to be proud of, no matter how ‘small’ it may look at the time.