Fresh Start: Our Top Cleaning Tips for a Sparkling New Year

written by: ronna poppens

Taking down our festive holiday decor usually evokes this somber wave of sadness in me. All the fun memories made over the season, feelings of coziness, and the realization that we just closed the chapter on yet another year, create a nostalgic heaviness in my heart. Sometimes I cling on for a few more days, but eventually come to the conclusion it is time for a refresh.

Once in this headspace, I tend to spiral down the rabbit hole of not only storing away holiday trinkets, but reorganizing and rearranging my entire household. If this sounds like you, here are some helpful tips to keep you on track without getting overwhelmed.

1. Assess your schedule and choose a category you want to tackle for each day of the week. (For example, take down holiday decor on Sunday and organize pantry on Monday).

2. Donate holiday decor you no longer want or need. This will save you time when you decorate next year.

3. Utilize Ziplock bags to store and categorize holiday decor in your bins. Think packing cubes but for your ornaments. This will keep things nicer and make set up easier.

4. Give your home a good dusting and vacuum session, especially if you had a tree set up. Those needles wind up in the most unexpected places.

5. Organize your pantry, fridge and cupboards. I tend to buy special ingredients for holiday baking that I don’t utilize the rest of the year. If they won’t expire or get used (i.e. cookie cutters) before next season, store these items in a bin towards the back of your cupboard. Give your fridge a good wipe down and toss those items that have become unidentifiable.

6. Evaluate your closet. Chances are you received clothes, shoes or accessories for a present or bought them yourself during those phenomenal sales (when you were supposed to be shopping for others but they wound up in your cart. Oops!). Take stock of what you can get rid of and donate to make room for the newbies.

7. Clean up your toiletries. (Where did all these eye shadow palettes come from?!) In the frenzy of  attending countless holiday parties combined with extra travel, my cosmetic and regular toiletry bags become stuffed to the brim. Toss what you don’t need and wipe down the products you’re going to keep. (My cosmetic bag is currently covered in gold holiday glitz powder from that time I tried rocking festive eyelids.)

Finally, build in some down time to relax in between tasks and mentally reset for the new year. There’s no rush to accomplishing any of the aforementioned items so be good to yourself!