Maintaining a Clutter-Free Haven at Home in 2025: Suggested Methods

Maintaining a Clutter-Free Haven at Home in 2025: Suggested Methods

Every January, we put away the holiday decorations and look forward to a new year. Although keeping the house clean might be a New Year's resolution, it often doesn't last long. That's why, in 2025, we've got a plan in place. This year, we're dedicating our time to one room each month. There are plenty of deep cleaning tasks that apply to all rooms, such as sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, and wiping down walls, baseboards, and doors. Don't forget about dusting and cleaning the often-neglected lampshades and curtain rods. But remember, you have a whole month to tackle each room, so there's no need to rush.

As you work your way through the house, mark some tasks off your to-do list. Check the smoke alarm batteries, replace air filters and light bulbs, clean air vents, and sanitize door handles and light switches. Don't forget to take a break and enjoy your clean home—dust-free doors and fresh linens never felt so good.

January: Kitchen

1. After the holiday season, our kitchens need some TLC. Start by throwing out any expired food in the pantry, fridge, and cabinets. This will give you a chance to wipe down surfaces before putting the food back, and don't forget to defrost the freezer.
2. Once you've tackled the food, take an inventory of your kitchen supplies like silverware and storage containers. Wipe down surfaces like drawers and shelves as you go.
3. The biggest focus should be on the appliances. Pull them out, clean the floors, and don't forget about nooks and crannies like door seals. Give your oven a thorough cleaning, inside and out.
4. Don't forget to deodorize and degrease the sink drain and clean any rags or sponges.

February: Storage Spaces

1. Your basement, attic, and closets are likely the least visited places in your home. Declutter and reorganize to make sure you can find what you need easily. Choose one storage area to focus on, pull everything out, and sort according to what you want to keep.
2. While the storage space is empty, sweep, vacuum, or mop the floor to get rid of any debris.
3. Return items to the storage space in an organized manner, labeling unlabeled boxes and making good use of shelves or cabinets.

March: Bathrooms

1. Start by emptying your bathroom cabinets and drawers, then wipe them down inside and out. Organize their contents, keeping an eye out for expired medicine, makeup, and anything that needs replacing.
2. Scrub and reseal any grout lines that need some love. Remove mold, making your tile look fresh and clean again.
3. Replace the shower curtain liners every other month to keep your bathroom looking its best.

April: Outdoors

1. Before it gets too hot, clean up the outdoors so you can enjoy porch cocktails, patio fires, and grilling as soon as possible. Sweep away cobwebs, power wash your patio, porch, and deck, as well as your exterior, driveway, and sidewalk.
2. Clean your debris-filled gutters, and schedule any gutter repairs that are needed.
3. Spring clean your windows, wiping down the glass, sills, and tracks to enjoy an unobstructed view of the outdoors.
4. Clean outdoor furniture, cushions, and pillow covers on your porch.
5. Clear out weeds and dead foliage, trim and prune plants, and decide which plants need to be replaced.
6. Once the yard is cleaned up, set up the grill and refill your propane tanks.

May: Garage

1. Start by throwing out any trash and organizing the contents of your garage. Consider using shelving systems to maximize your space.
2. Wash the walls, ceiling, and floor of the garage to make it feel clean and fresh.
3. Clean any appliances or tools that are stored in the garage, such as a lawnmower or pressure washer.
4. Organize any sporting equipment or other large items, such as bicycles or kayaks.
5. Don't forget to clean the car, both inside and out, before storing it in the garage for the summer.
6. It's tempting to overlook the garage and just accept the spider webs and disarray, but the end result is absolutely worth it. To begin, open up the garage doors and take out as much as you can to initiate the clearing up process, making cleaning simpler.
7. After that, give the space a thorough scrub from top to bottom, dusting and wiping down surfaces, walls, and garage doors. Use a microfiber cloth to dry them, sweep the floor to eliminate dust and debris, then mop and hose it down.
8. While the floor is drying, decide on what you wish to keep. Group items by category, and when the floors are fully dry (approximately 2-4 hours with a floor fan), use shelving units, pegboards, and wall hooks to sort out your garage. This can also be a perfect time to invest in and install storage systems.
9. Don't forget to swap out the batteries in your garage door openers before heading back inside.

June: Master Bedroom

1. Now that common areas and the outdoors have been handled, it's time to concentrate on yourself. Pull out everything from your closet, dressers, and nightstands, disregarding and donating what hasn't been used, doesn't fit, or creates clutter in a space meant to provide tranquility.
2. Once you've established what's remaining, it's time to organize to make the most of the space and ensure easy access. Store winter clothes and other items you won't need this season at the back of the closet.
3. Afterward, remove all bedding (including the bed skirt) for washing and cleaning the mattress.

July: Home Office

1. The most cluttered space usually is the workspace as it's so easily to shove things into the desk promising to deal with them later. Sort through your documents, shredding what's no longer needed and scanning essentials.
2. After that, tackle your junk mail—not just recycling it but contacting senders to be removed from their lists.
3. Assess your supplies, determining if there's a need for dried-out pens, an overabundance of notecards, or simply too many cups. Decide what to replace, donate, or discard.
4. Once your space is decluttered, consider optimizing your organizational system for peak efficiency.
5. On the tech end, make sure to dust the electronics, sanitize your keyboard and mouse, and if you haven't already, tidy up your cords with a cord cover kit or cable management box.

August: Laundry Room

1. The laundry room may wash our clothes; however, it often gets neglected when it comes to house cleaning. The initial step here is to relocate your washer and dryer. Recollect lost socks or washcloths before washing your lint trap filter and drying vent, improving the dryer's heating abilities, resulting in quicker drying times and lower energy bills.
2. Before repositioning your appliances, clean the floor and the back of the appliances.
3. Complete the chore by cleaning your washing machine and inspecting your laundry supplies.

September: Foyer and Mudroom

1. With summer passing, school has begun, and winter and holidays are on the horizon, September becomes the perfect time to prepare your foyer and mudroom for the onslaught. Focus primarily on shoes, jackets, and mats. What requires cleaning, repairing, donating, or discarding?
2. Dirt and sand often accumulate in the corners of this hard-working space. Remove footwear, bags, and other items that tend to pile up in the room to give the floor and baseboards a thorough sweep and scrub.

October: Dining Room

1. Another year has gone by, and the holiday season of hosting is fast approaching. First, conduct an inventory of your linens and cushions, searching for stains and holes. Address them accordingly, throw away, or launder the remaining linens, paying special care to any heirlooms.
2. Following that, wash and polish your china and silver in preparation for the next guests.

November: Living Room and Family Room

1. As Thanksgiving draws near, aim to make your guests feel at home in addition to decluttering. Prioritize fabric care, often overlooked in daily cleaning in these rooms. Wash slipcovers, pillow covers, and blankets.
2. Once that's underway, you can focus on spot cleaning and vacuuming the sofa and chairs.
3. Don't forget about the area rug. Smaller, washable rugs can be thrown into the laundry, while others may need spot treatment or a visit to the dry cleaner.
4. cleaning electronics, in hard-to-reach areas, and sanitizing remote controls should also be considered.
5. As the year begins to wrap up, the present giving spree picks up pace, leading to an increase in clutter. Beat the chaos by joining forces with your children to discard clothes that have outgrown them, forgotten playthings, and trinkets that had no business entering your home in the first place.
6. After that, get your children involved in rearranging their wardrobes, disinfecting plastic toys, and washing stuffed animals and other soft toys.
7. Don't forget to give their bedding, including bed skirts and mattresses, a thorough cleaning.
8. Prior to closing out this final month, conduct a comprehensive inspection of the entire room. Look out for issues like stains on nightstands, drawings on the closet walls, and damaged bed slats (because kids can be quite careless).

Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why!

1. After a year filled with holiday celebrations, it's time to focus on 'Home Organization'. Consider using resources like 'SouthernLiving' magazine for inspiration and tips on decluttering and reorganizing your living spaces.
2. Following the tidying up of your home, don't forget to maintain it by regularly scheduling 'Cleaning and Housekeeping' tasks such as dusting, vacuuming, and mopping to keep your home looking fresh and clean throughout the year.

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