With an entire new year ahead of you, decluttering your home may not seem so hard. But after January, when that new year energy begins to wane, the prospect of tackling such a big project tends to overwhelm.
Enter your New Year Clutter-Clearing Plan, a month-by-month guide to clearing the clutter from every room in your house.
No matter what, by the end of the year, your home should be feeling more spacious and, perhaps more important, you should be feeling more capable of maintaining a clutter-free space.
Getting started: Turbocharge your decluttering. If you’re feeling inspired and motivated by the new year, take advantage of that energy and spend a few weekends clearing clutter throughout the house. Making noticeable headway will help motivate you to keep up the decluttering effort in the coming months. Try to get the other members of your household on board — but if they are not interested, don’t try to force it. Hopefully they will see the positive changes happening around the house and change their tune!
Habit to cultivate: Keep an empty reusable bin in a closet, and use it to corral items you plan to give away.
January: Kitchen and pantry. Give yourself a fresh start for the new year with a clean kitchen, decluttered cabinets and a healthy pantry and fridge. o Toss worn dish towels or cut them up to make rags o Sell or give away specialty small appliances and tools you seldom or never use o Recycle or toss freebie cups and Tupperware containers without lids o Toss expired food and spices o Take stock of cookware and dishes; give away or sell pieces you do not need Habit to cultivate: Clean out the pantry and fridge each week before shopping.