It’s not often that we’re presented with new beginnings. Fortunately, the turn of the year is an annual reset we can look forward to because it gives us the chance to set new goals.
Setting resolutions is easy enough but sticking to them can get as difficult as keeping up with housework.
We know this, so we’ve come up with 5 housekeeping resolutions that are small, simple, and will make a big impact on your overall housekeeping.
1. Give Piles of Stuff a One-week Expiration Date
It’s natural for little messes to start to pile up, so don’t give them the chance to.
Grabbing the mail and dropping it on your kitchen table on your way to somewhere else in your home is not out of the ordinary. Neither is continuing to add to that pile of mail throughout the week. Even if you don’t have the time to open all your mail at the moment you bring it in, make time each week to deconstruct the piles you’ve allowed to build up over the week.
Setting this small “expiration date” on your piles of mail, packages, grocery lists or anything else you tend to put down and forget will keep your stacks small and your surfaces decluttered.
2. Keep the Kitchen Table Clear
Even if you don’t eat on it, keep your kitchen table clear. If you use it as a surface for doing tasks like crafts or food prep, clean it up when you’re done with your task.
By making a resolution to keep the kitchen table clear, you can meet your own micro-goal regularly. This will give you a rush of endorphins when you attain your goal and the act of attaining that goal will result in your kitchen looking clean.
This is an easy enough rule to make for everyone in the household, too. If you can clear that table when you’re done with it, so can everyone else! No exceptions.
3. If You Can See Blankets, Fold Them
Couch blankets are a luxury of this life, are they not? They’re also often overlooked when it comes to tidying your home!
Walking through your living room, rec room, or media room is the perfect chance to take about a minute to quickly fold any blankets that have been tossed onto the couch.
It’s as simple as this: If you can see a blanket, you can fold that blanket.
4. If You’re on a WFH Break, Do One Small Chore
If you’re working from home or distance-learning, you probably look forward to your breaks and scheduled mealtimes. Chances are, you don’t look forward to the housekeeping and tidying you have to do when school or work are out, though.
Set a resolution to do one small chore on your lunch break and it will lessen your chore load each evening. Easy tidy-up tasks to take on over a short break:
- Fold the blankets on the couch or rearrange the throw pillows
- Spend however long it takes for your lunch to warm up to work on your mail pile
- Make your bed
- Organize your pet’s toys (however fleeting that orderliness might be)
- Put away everything on the kitchen table
5. Vacuum High-traffic Areas at Least Once a Week
If vacuuming your whole place once a week is a tough goal to achieve, don’t get down on yourself! Just make that goal a little narrower in scope.
Make a resolution to vacuum the most-traveled areas of your home at least once a week, and let yourself celebrate that win! Home offices and bedrooms tend to get less traffic, or at least fewer people walking around in them, but your main living areas should get a good vacuum at least once a week.
If you find that having the vacuum out encourages you to vacuum the whole place and overachieve your own housekeeping goal, go for it!
If you need a kitchen or dining room table to keep clear, shelving for all that mail you won’t let stack up this year, throw pillows, or more, shop our online catalog, give us a call or stop by our location closest to you. We’re happy to answer any questions you have about furniture care or organization options.