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As we approach the end of another year, there's no better time to reimagine and revitalize our living spaces. A new year can signal a fresh start, but what better way to embrace this spirit than by giving our homes a complete reset?
In this article, we’ll give you all the top tricks and tips you need to prepare your home for 2025. In just 30 days, you can transform your home into an organized, efficient, and relaxing environment, ready to take on the year ahead - so let's get started!
Why Is A Home Reset So Beneficial?
An organized and well-maintained home can significantly reduce stress, increase productivity, and create a more peaceful atmosphere. It allows you to start the new year with a clean slate, both literally and figuratively. Moreover, an efficiently organized home can save you time and energy in your day-to-day activities, leaving you more space to focus on your goals and aspirations for the year ahead.
This 30-day guide offers a structured way to tackle your home, in easy step-by-step tasks. Everything from decluttering, deep cleaning and home maintenance is covered in the plan, ensuring you end up with a space you’ll know is clean, clear and safe to enjoy.
If you’re ready to reset your home and set the stage for an amazing 2025, then read on to follow our 30-day journey!
Week 1: Declutter and Assess (Days 1-7)
The first week of our home reset focuses on decluttering and assessing your living spaces. This crucial step lays the foundation for the entire process, allowing you to clear out unnecessary items and gain a clear picture of your home's potential. This week can include the following areas:
Bedrooms and Closets
Start your journey in the most personal spaces of your home. Begin by sorting through your clothing, shoes, and accessories. Use the tried-and-true method of creating three piles: keep, donate, and discard/sell. Be ruthless in your decisions – if you haven't used or worn an item in the past year, it's likely time to let it go.Living Room and Entertainment Areas
Focus on decluttering surfaces like coffee tables, bookshelves, and entertainment centers. Sort through magazines, books, and DVDs. Consider digitizing media where possible to reduce physical clutter. Evaluate your decor items and keep only those that truly bring you joy or serve a purpose.Kitchen and Dining Areas
Tackle your kitchen cabinets, pantry, and refrigerator. Check expiration dates on food items and dispose of anything past its prime. Sort through cookware, utensils, and small appliances, keeping only what you regularly use.Bathrooms
Go through medicine cabinets, under-sink storage, and linen closets. Discard expired medications and beauty products. Assess your towels and washcloths, donating any that are worn out. Organize your daily essentials to make your morning routine more efficient.Home Office and Study Areas
Sort through paperwork, filing what's important and shredding what's not. Organize your desk drawers and office supplies. Evaluate your books and reference materials, donating those you no longer need. Create a system for managing incoming mail and bills.Storage Areas (Garage, Basement, Attic)
These areas often become catchalls for items we're not sure what to do with. Be especially critical here, as these spaces can harbor long-forgotten items. Sort through boxes, tools, and seasonal decorations. Consider having a garage sale for items in good condition that you no longer need.Digital Declutter
Don't forget about your digital spaces! Clean up your computer desktop, organize your files, and back up important documents. Unsubscribe from unnecessary email lists and delete old emails. Go through your phone apps, delete those you don't use, and organize your photos.
Remember, the goal this week is not perfection, but progress. As you declutter, you'll start to see your spaces in a new light, setting the stage for the deep cleaning and organizing to come.
Don't be discouraged if you can't finish each area in a single day – the important thing is to keep moving forward. By the end of this week, you'll have significantly lightened your load and gained a clear vision of your home's potential for the new year.
Week 2: Deep Clean and Maintain (Days 8-14)
With the clutter cleared, it's time to give your home a thorough clean. This week focuses on deep cleaning each area of your home, paying attention to often-overlooked spots. It’s also the perfect time to establish a sustainable cleaning routine to maintain your spaces. Consider the following areas:
Kitchen Deep Clean
Cleaning inside and outside of appliances (refrigerator, oven, microwave)
Degreasing stovetop and range hood
Scrubbing sink and disinfecting drain
Wiping down cabinets
Mopping floors and cleaning baseboards
Bathroom Deep Clean
Scrub and disinfect toilet, bathtub, and shower
Clean and polish mirrors and fixtures
Wash shower curtains and bath mats (or replace them)
Descale showerheads and faucets
Living Areas and Bedrooms
Vacuum and steam clean carpets and rugs
Dust and polish furniture
Clean window treatments (curtains, blinds)
Wash bedding, including mattress pads and pillows
Rotate and vacuum /disinfect mattresses
Windows, Doors, and Floor
Clean windows inside and out
Wash window screens
Wipe down door frames and handles
Deep clean all types of flooring (hardwood, tile, linoleum)
Clean light fixtures and ceiling fans
Appliances and Electronics
Clean washing machine and dryer (including lint traps)
Descale coffee maker and electric kettle
Sanitize small appliances (toaster, blender, food processor)
Dust and clean electronics (TV, computer, speakers)
Outdoor Areas and Entryways
Sweep and clean porch or patio
Wash outdoor furniture
Clean doormats
Organize shoe storage and coat closets
Wipe down mailbox and house numbers
Wrap up the week by setting up a system to maintain your hard work. This could include a daily cleaning checklist for quick touch-ups; weekly and monthly cleaning task lists and stocking up on cleaning supplies. Having a cleaning routine will make your day-to-day life easier and more enjoyable.
Remember, a clean home is not just about appearances – it's about creating a healthy living environment. Pay attention to areas that can harbor allergens and bacteria, such as air vents, door handles, and light switches.
Week 3: Maintenance Checks (Days 15-21)
After all your hard work, you’re probably more familiar with each area of your home than ever before! This is great because our next steps are to look out for and identify any areas of the home that need maintenance or repairs.
This can cover many areas of a property, but a key place to begin is by seeking out any issues that can affect your home's energy efficiency. This can be greatly impacted by even the smallest draft or issues with your boiler - so it’s important to fix these early on. An inefficient home can lead to higher energy bills and carbon emissions, so it’s well worth checking out these areas:
1. Inspect Doors and Windows
Begin by thoroughly examining all doors and windows in your home. Check for visible cracks, gaps, or damages in frames. Look for signs of wear or deterioration and assess the condition of the windows glazing.
Feel around the edges of windows and doors to detect any drafts, these can usually be quickly treated with weatherstripping or draft excluders. However, a professional repair or replacement might be necessary if you spot larger areas of damage, such as condensation between the panes or crumbling surround material.
It’s worth getting a professional installer's advice on any new windows cost, and comparing quotes before you make a decision. This gives you the best chance to find an affordable repair from a reliable installer.
2. Check Heating and Water Systems
It’s also vital that you check the health and safety of any heating systems you have in the home. Whether it’s a boiler, heat pump or air conditioning, you should ensure they are being serviced regularly and that any functional problems are checked as soon as possible.
3. Lighting and Fixtures
Electricity is not something to take for granted - any areas you spot that may be exposing wires, or showing loose connections, must be treated urgently. The health and safety of your home and family is the most important thing.
4. Safety Devices
While checking for any issues, it’s vital to also check the health of the safety devices in your home. This includes smoke detectors, carbon monoxide alarms and any air filtration systems. You may not spot any issues right now, but you’ll want to be sure that if something does go wrong, you will be alerted to it.
Based on your checks and assessments, it’s important to put into action any repair requests as soon as possible. Research your options, collate quotes and start consulting professionals to get serious problems dealt with quickly.
Week 4: Create New Habits and Routines (Days 22-28)
The final week of our home reset focuses on establishing new habits and routines to maintain the organization and cleanliness you've achieved. This week is crucial for ensuring that your efforts have a lasting impact throughout the year.
You may have some new routines you already wish to start, but here are some suggestions to get you going:
Establish a Daily Tidying Routine
Create a simple, effective daily tidying routine, including tasks such as:
Implement a "10-minute tidy" at the end of each day
Make beds immediately after waking up
Clear and wipe down kitchen counters after each meal
Sort mail daily to prevent paper clutter
Encourage family members to return items to their designated places
Set Up a Meal Planning and Grocery System
You could streamline your kitchen processes:
Create a weekly meal planning routine
Set up a digital or physical grocery list system
Organize recipes for easy access
Implement a first-in, first-out system for pantry and refrigerator
Establish a routine for checking expiration dates and food inventory
Create a Laundry Schedule
Develop a system to keep clothing organized and well-maintained:
Establish a regular laundry schedule (e.g., one load per day or designated laundry days)
Set up a sorting system for dirty laundry
Create a routine for folding and putting away clean clothes promptly
Implement a system for dealing with clothes that need mending or dry cleaning
Schedule seasonal clothing rotations and storage
Develop a Home Maintenance Checklist
Create a proactive approach to home maintenance:
Develop a monthly, seasonal, and annual maintenance checklist
Set reminders for regular tasks like changing air filters and checking smoke detectors
Create a system for tracking home repairs and improvements
Establish a routine for checking and maintaining major appliances
Throughout this week, focus on making these new habits as easy and automatic as possible. Use reminders, checklists, or apps to help you stay on track. Remember, it takes time to form new habits, so be patient with yourself and your family members as you adjust to these new routines.
Final Stretch (Days 28-30)
On these final days, take time to reflect on your progress - is there anything outstanding you didn’t get to, but would really like to finish? Or have you come across a new area that you want to reorganize? You could use these days to take items to a thrift store, or sell them online - whatever you do with this time, make it count.
Then, if you’ve hit the end of the 30-day reset, congratulate yourself! We hope your home will now be transformed into a space you feel comfortable and calm in, and that you can be super proud of.
Maintaining an organized home is an ongoing process, however, so be patient with yourself and stay flexible as you adapt to new habits. Your efforts over this month will create a solid foundation for a clutter-free, energy-efficient, and harmonious home environment. As you move into 2025, you can start off fresh with a space that supports your goals and enhances your well-being - so here's to a year of increased productivity, reduced stress, and a home that truly works for you.
