5 steps to get your house ready for the new year |Keeping it Real

Sunday, December 27, 2015

5 steps to get your house ready for the new year

5 steps to get your house ready for the new year


Popular wisdom says that the way you start a year is an indication of how the year is going to go. So, if you start the year with a messy home, you'll be dealing with that mess for the next 12 months. While I will most likely be dealing with messes anyway, I prefer not to jinx it.

So here is a small list of tasks that you can still do this week and that will help you start the year on the right foot. Tasks that go a little beyond the obvious everyday cleaning and that therefore, are more likely to be forgotten. Of course there were a million other chores that could have gone on this list, but realistically, neither you nor I would have the time for them, so lets just focus on the essential.



1. Declutter

This has been my motto in 2015. I started the year with decluttering in mind, so it's only fair that finish it the same way. But really, the year end is the perfect opportunity to declutter. Actually, in Portugal, there's a tradition of gathering a bunch of old stuff to put in the trash in the night of December 31st. It's a symbol of "out with the old, in with the new" and it's a way to help us all to get rid of things that we planned to toss before and never did until now.

Besides, if you received a lot of new things for Christmas, odds are you can replace some older items instead of just accumulating (toys and clothes immediately come to mind, but this works for lots of other things too).


2. Clean your fridge

After the Holiday madness, we all have tons of leftovers in our fridge. During the rest of 2015 try to use up all those leftovers (be creative, check online for recipes using leftovers if you need) and once they're gone, deep clean your fridge This way you'll start the year with a clean fridge and fresh food.

3. Clean your oven
I didn't have time for a lot of Holiday baking, but my oven was still a mess by December 26. So, while cleaning the oven is one of my less favorite tasks around the house, I decided I couldn't let it pass. It was a lot of work, but now it looks like new and I'm really proud of my work. While it may not seem as obvious as cleaning the stovetop or the counters, it's something you should not postpone until next year.

4. Put away Christmas gifts

Find places for all those new things you and your family received for Christmas. While we are often proud to show off all our gifts (kids in particular seem to enjoy to do this), it's been a few days already,and it's time for things to start returning to normal.

Set aside gifts that need to be exchanged, those that you do not want to keep (we all get some of those every year), and find space at home for the rest.

5. Clean your closets

While it seems a bit odd to put this at the same level as cleaning the oven or the fridge, it is the perfect task for this week (or what's left of it), because it will actually help you with points 1 and 4 above. While cleaning our closets we always find a few items to get rid of, and that will, in turn, provide you with room to store the Christmas gifts.

There are only a few days left of 2015, so it's time to get ready to welcome 2016! And what better way to start the year than with a clean,uncluttered home?

And for even for suggestions, you can read the article “11 Hacks for a Clean and Tidy Home.” Check it out here: https://homeviable.com/hacks-tidy-clean-home/, or clicking on the image below:


https://homeviable.com/hacks-tidy-clean-home/


Enjoy the last week of 2015!







Disclaimer: The article “11 Hacks for a Clean and Tidy Home” was not written by me. Its text, and the corresponding infrographic belong to its respective author(s) and were used here with their permission. 

30 comments:

  1. Such useful tips! Thanks for sharing them... I'm ready for a new and uncluttered 2016!

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  2. These are great tips! I've been on a decluttering frenzy lately! Thanks for sharing on the Small Victories Sunday Linkup!

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  3. Great tips! I especially love the story about Portugal. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thank you for stopping by Lauree! Happy New Year!

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  4. great tips! I definitely need to do all of these things haha :)

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    1. We all do. I've done the fridge and the oven. Still dealing with all the clutter from Christmas...Oh well, there's still some time left before the year end...Happy 2016!

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  5. So many good tips and suggestions. A must to begin fresh! Do share this on our Tuesday Talk link up today/all week. Others could benefit from your wonderful ideas.

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    1. Thank you for the invitation, I'll be heading there today. Happy new year!

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  6. These are definitely some great tips!

    Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J! Happy 2016!

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  7. Love the tips Teresa. Here's one for you. Try clearing out clothes in the closet by donating serviceable clothing you no longer wear to a charity or having a clothes swap with friends. Warm wishes for Happy, Healthy New Year. Nancy A @ obloggernewbie.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you Nancy! I've been donating a lot o clothes this year, but maybe I need to go back and check if I can discard more. Swapping my clothes is harder because I'm way shorter than any of my friends, but I do that a lot with kids clothes.

      Wishing you a wonderful 2016!

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  8. Good list, but I hate cleaning the oven, so I'll skip that one until February. Lol. However, it is an excellent time to declutter and clean out my closets, so I'm adding those to the list.

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    1. I hate the oven too, but I couldn't postpone cleaning mine anymore, it was a disgrace...Thank you for stopping by, and happy new year!

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  9. Nice tips! I fully intend on deep cleaning my fridge within the next couple of days here after spilling things in it recently.

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  10. Thanks for sharing these wonderful tips for the new year! I'm featuring this on Monday at our Cooking and Crafting with J&J Link Up! Have a happy new year!
    Julie

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    1. Thank you so much Julie! I'll be heading over to to party later! I wish you a wonderful 2016!

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  11. Hopefully, I can get some of this done!!! Happy New Year!

    Cottage Blessings,
    Rebecca
    at Chippy White Cottage

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  12. Such a great list! I have already started on my fridge, but my pantry needs serious attention. I don't think it ever ends! Thanks for sharing at Celebrate It!

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    1. In our old apartment we had a pantry and it was always a mess. It had very deep shelves and it was hard to keep track of things stored in the back. Now we only have kitchen cabinets and it's easier to keep them organized. Thank you for stopping by and happy 2016!

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  13. Great post, Teresa! Thank you for sharing your wise words at Tuesdays with a Twist! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

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  14. Great tips! I was off work the entire week after Christmas and did a lot of these things. Thanks for sharing with the Let's Get Real party. This will be my featured post at this week's party.

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  15. These are great tips. I am on a mission (maybe for the first time ever) to declutter my house. I really have come to realize that less is more. Less to maintain, less to put away, less to annoy me..........and that all equals more time to enjoy my family. I let go a whole garbage bag of clothes out of my closet. I have a habit of keeping things "just in case" which is crazy because I'm very likely to throw the door open and declare in front of a closet that I have "nothing to wear." It's much more believable if I actually have less clothes in the closet.

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    1. You're starting the same journey I started a year ago. Sometimes it's hard, but it pays off in the end. Good luck with your decluttering and drop me a line if you ever feel discouraged and need additional motivation. Happy new year!

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