The new year often brings grandiose ideas of starting fresh and making big changes. The past year has been a drain on just about everyone, so those major goals of getting organized and having a perfectly spotless house every minute of every day may be just a bit overwhelming. Instead, focus on some ambitions that are more easily managed and that will still keep your home looking and feeling good. Check out our tips for a tidy 2021, including our favorite house cleaning resolutions.

Small Steps

You probably spent a lot more time at home in 2020 than you had planned. Even as the new year begins, that is not likely to change in the very near future. Look around your home and decide what is most important to you and where it makes sense to start when you want to begin getting better organized for a cleaner house.

You can’t do everything at once. Take it one step at a time, one room at a time, or even one cabinet at a time. You’ll still enjoy a sense of accomplishment and you’ll be more likely to keep your house cleaning resolutions throughout the year.

Clear the Clutter

Cleaning vigorously is a waste of energy when you still have piles of stuff everywhere. The first step in starting and keeping your house cleaning resolutions is to focus on a tidy 2021. Clear your home of clutter before you start scrubbing and washing.

Do you still have holiday decorations sitting on the floor waiting to be put away for the year? Are there so many sweaters stacked up in your closet that you can’t even close the door? Is your dining table a landing spot for mail and other papers? Go through your house, one room at a time, and decide what needs to be put away, what can be given away, and what should be thrown away. Continue to check on your clutter periodically throughout the year and tackle it when you first notice it growing.

Make Your Bed

Start each day with a neat and tidy bed. In 2014, Navy Admiral Seal William McCraven addressed University of Texas graduates by telling them to make their bed. He told them in his commencement speech that making the bed every morning was one of the most powerful lessons he learned as a Navy Seal.

McCraven said, “If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another. And by the end of the day that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed.”

Clean and Organize Cleaning Supplies

When you want to keep your house clean and organized, it’s important to be able to get to your cleaning supplies and to make sure they are clean themselves. If you use a rag to wipe down your furniture, wash that rag regularly. You can also avoid spreading the germs that may remain in your cleaning cloths, an especially important task given the environment we find ourselves in this year. Throw your cleaning rags and cloths into the washing machine once a week. You can make sure they’re bacteria-free by using the hottest water setting and then drying them on high heat.

One of our favorite housing cleaning resolutions is to keep all of the cleaning supplies in a tote or bucket with a handle so they’re easier to carry from room to room. You’ll spend less time going back and forth to get the right spray or cloth and more time enjoying a clean, tidy area. Stock your tote with a multi-purpose cleaning spray, fresh sponges, and cleaning cloths to make quick cleanups a part of your new routine.

Schedule Cleaning Tasks

Trying to keep your house neat and tidy all the time can be challenging. Enlist your spouse and/or children to pitch in with the tasks so you can keep your house cleaning resolutions. Set up a schedule with age-appropriate duties that should be done on a certain day or at a certain time. Post the list on your refrigerator door or other very visible spot so everyone in the family can seen what they’re responsible for doing to keep your resolutions for a tidy 2021.

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