5 Resolutions for Your Home in the New Year

January 8, 2020

The New Year can bring new opportunities for improvement. We like to make resolutions to help add direction for where we want to improve during the year. These resolutions don’t have to focus on personal improvement. Below is a short list of ways that you can set New Year’s resolutions for your home.

1. Organize Your Space
One of the fastest ways to fall in love with your home all over again is to clear excess clutter. One way to tackle this resolution is to make a plan to organize your home one room at a time. Get rid of anything that you don’t love, use, or wear. Find ways to group together similar items, extra blankets or pillows for example, in containers like woven baskets to warm up your home and keep them out of sight. Organizing a few simple items will help you feel even more comfortable in your home again.

2. Make Safety a Priority
It’s better to be safe than sorry. Install carbon monoxide detectors if not already in your home to check for the deadly gas. Check your fire detectors to ensure they are working properly. If your home was built before 1978, consider checking your home for lead paint or asbestos. If these are found, they should be removed by a professional. Knowing your home is safe can bring peace of mind to any home owner.

3. Become More Eco-friendly
Going green doesn’t necessarily mean installing solar panels or investing in a hybrid car. Becoming more eco-friendly can start with very simple changes to lower the energy consumption in your home:

- Turn off the lights when you leave a room.
- Set your heat or cooling to a more sustainable temperature when you are not home.
- Switch to LED lightbulbs.
- Unplug appliances when not in use.

These small changes can help reduce your carbon footprint as well as help save you money.

4. Set a Cleaning Schedule
Setting a weekly cleaning schedule can help you stay on top of any messes that build up in your home. One way to do this is to have small daily chores and divide larger chores to days during the week.

Daily- small chores you can do daily include your dishes, putting clothes away, and putting things back in their assigned place.

Weekly- There are a few ways you can divide your weekly chores. One would be to clean certain rooms on specific days. Having set days where you have committed to cleaning that room will help you stay on track instead of focusing on other projects. Another way is to focus on one or two types of cleaning a day. This can include wiping down the counters and cupboards in different rooms, vacuuming every room, or cleaning all of the windows on one day.

5. Make Your Home More Inviting
People want their home to not only be inviting for them to come home to, but for others to feel comfortable in as well. One way to help a room feel finished and inviting is to add plants or adding an accent color to a room. Anchor the room using an area rug or runner. Rearrange furniture to encourage conversation when visitors are in the room. Small changes can make a big difference in the feel of a room and home.