How to Stick to Your New Year's Resolution of Keeping a Clutter-Free Home
Updated January 2023
Many of us make New Year’s resolutions every year, but only a few of us manage to stick to them. While some of us last three weeks, very few of us make it the whole year. Whether it’s eating healthier, losing weight, or completing a project, many of us find it difficult to see our resolutions through until the end.
If your New Year’s resolution is to keep your home clutter-free, we are here to offer eleven tried and true tips on how you can fulfill your resolution and keep your home organized and clean all year long!
One way to keep clutter down is by sorting through your clothes and getting rid of items you don’t wear anymore!
11 Simple Tips for Keeping a Clean Home This Year
- Purge the unnecessary things. Clutter starts when you own too many things. As such, the fewer items you own, the easier it is for you to keep your living space clutter-free. To help fulfill your New Year’s resolution, make it a habit to get rid of anything you don’t need. Whether you do it on a smaller scale daily or in slightly larger purges weekly or monthly, make it a part of your routine so you stick to it. This way, it will be much easier for you to maintain a spacious and clutter-free home.
- Avoid buying things you don’t need. It won’t do you any good to purge unnecessary stuff in your home if you’re going to buy their replacements days later. Apart from shedding the excesses, you should also be mindful of what you’re bringing into your home. Before buying anything new, ensure that you’re buying it for the right reasons and that once you buy it, you’ll a) have the space to accommodate it and b) you actually need it. Check out tip #8 for more information!
- Keep similar things together. When your valuables are not grouped together according to their type, it’s easy for your home to get messy and disorganized. To maintain a clutter-free home, make it a habit to stash similar items together. Not only will this keep your home more organized, but it also makes it easier for you to find specific items, saving you time and effort.
- A place for everything and everything in its place! The key to keeping your New Year’s resolution is to maintain the good work you’ve already started. Therefore, it’s important to return your items to the place where you found them. For example, if you open something, close it. If you take something out, put it away as soon as you are done. If something is dirty, wash it or clean it. While it can be hard to find the motivation to do these simple things right away, doing them as they arise can save you from the hassle of having to do everything in one go.
- Take care of the items you’ve missed. Take at least five minutes every day to check your home and put away the things that you might have missed throughout the day. Then, encourage your kids and everyone in your home to do the same. By doing something small daily (especially when the family helps), you can prevent huge messes in the long run.
- Don’t let the mail pile up. It’s too easy to become overwhelmed by paper clutter. Make checking the mail a part of your daily routine so that it doesn’t start to accumulate into a much bigger mess. One quick and easy way to get rid of paper is with The Junkluggers — we offer paper recycling and so much more!
- Donate more frequently. When donating your stuff is a part of daily life, it becomes easier to clean up clutter. The Spruce recommends keeping a shopping bag in your closet for the sake of ease. That way, when you notice something that you don’t wear, you can just toss it in the bag so that you can donate it at your earliest convenience.
- Before you bring stuff home, make sure it has a home. Too often, we buy stuff we just don’t need. We totally get it — it seems like a great idea until you get it home. That’s why we recommend envisioning a spot in your home for an item to live before it even makes its way into your space.
- Take stock of what you have and appreciate it. It’s not uncommon for us to buy, buy, buy. But have you ever gotten home and realized that you already have the thing you just bought? Before buying anything new, take stock of what you have and learn to appreciate its value.
- Borrow first! There are some items that you just don’t need to have, but may simply want to have, or it may just be a one-time thing. If you find that you actually don’t have the desired item, consider borrowing it from a friend or family member first!
- Make your local Junkluggers a resource! You have so many resources at your fingertips, and The Junkluggers is one of them! You can count on your local Junkluggers expert to efficiently and seamlessly remove any of your unwanted items this year. With same-day and next-day junk hauling frequently available, you won’t even have to wait to tidy up your home!
But why does it matter?
You may be wondering: what's the big deal if my home is a little untidy? The problem is that clutter can have a negative impact on your mental health. Dr. Susan Krauss Whitbourne, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has found that a cluttered space can lead to low subjective well-being, poorer mental health, less efficient visual processing, less efficient thinking, and unhealthier eating. That means that not only can a mess affect your mental health, but it can even extend to the physical!
If your home is currently a disaster and you're worried about your ability to clean it up in the new year, rely on your trusted Junkluggers to help alleviate some of that stress. Our trained luggers can take all your unwanted items off your hands!
The Junkluggers can help you get rid of clutter this year — from paper clutter to clothing and more!
Need to get rid of your stuff? The Junkluggers can help!
Have you noticed that much of the clutter around your home is stuff you no longer want or need? That’s where the Junkluggers come in! Our friendly and professional junk removal experts have the tools, skills, and trucks required to help you clean up your space in no time.
Get in touch with your local Junkluggers today to get started on your junk removal project, and stay true to your New Year’s Resolution!
Not sure if we’ll take your junk? Big or small, we lug it all! Learn more about the items we take!