It’s a long-lasting tradition in our family to give our house (and consequently, ourselves) one major yearly refresh & cleanup. The perfect time is right after New Year, so we can feel like we’re starting the year refreshed, energized and organized – ready to take on the world!
Are you also looking to freshen up your home? Then follow my tips to get a fresh, new home for the new year!
Get rid of the clutter
During the year, we all end up buying and receiving many unnecessary items that we just don’t need. I, for example, am a sucker for freebies, so I can accumulate a bunch of things that I never end up needing or using.
That’s the best part of a new year’s ‘refresh’. You can de-clutter room by room, section by section and evaluate what you can get rid of and what stays. With that, you’ll see how much junk you have accumulated and how much open space you can regain!
De-cluttering helps more than your home – it psychologically helps you feel organized and cleansed.
Go through your closet
We’re all guilty of having a full closet… And then using only a few token clothing items from said closet. That’s why I make it a rule to go meticulously through my closet every new year.
First, I get to rediscover clothing that I forgot I even had (this happens to me often). Second, anything that no longer fits, looks old, is torn or damaged, or I haven’t worn in at least two years, goes.
I’ve done this for a friend, and she had clothes that were over 15 years old, and she hadn’t worn for at least that long! There is no need to accumulate clothes you won’t wear ever again… it just takes over valuable real estate in your closet!
Wow! Some time & dedication can make a huge change in your closet. (Source: IHeart Organizing)
Fresh linens = piece of heaven
This is my favorite self-pampering of the year: every new year, I gift myself with new bed linens.
It may seem like an excessive purchase to some, but there’s a good reason for it. First, there’s nothing quite like new or freshly cleaned linen, especially of good quality. After a hard day of work, entering a bed with fresh, new linen and bedspreads is like getting a small sampling of heaven. My bedroom is my personal haven away from stress and anxiety, so it needs to be a place where I can feel calm and at peace, and linen does that for me. It helps me feel ready to tackle the new year.
This year I’m looking into bed linens from Urbanara, which happen to have a beautiful cotton flannel sheet in cloud blue with gray. The colors fit perfectly with my idea of creating a calm ambiance in the room. They look soft and warm, which is great because my current sheets are not doing it for me this cold winter.
I’m excited to pamper myself!
Now is the time to make changes
Maybe you’ve stared at a piece of furniture and thought to yourself that you need to refurbish or replace it. Or, perhaps like me, you have been thinking about how you would like to move the sofas to the other side of the living room.
Well, what better time than now to make a decision and act on it? Otherwise, we all know it will just drag on and on, endlessly being procrastinated.
Do what you need to do! End the prior year’s procrastination.
Fill your home with delicious scents
One of the best ways to feel like your home is fresh is to ensure it has a heavenly, clean scent. Once finished with the actual cleaning, consider adding natural fragrances to your home, which can be done easily by placing scented, fresh-cut flowers. Alternatively, you can always buy some wonderful scents, oils or sprays which will add just the right amount of scent to your home.
Do you refresh your home for the new year? Share below or tell us any tips I missed!
*Thanks to Freepik for creating free vectors so we can create featured images!
