January is Not Over Yet: Thirty-Five New Year’s Resolutions
There are so many to choose from but I suggest choosing ten so that you have a realistic goal put into place. I’m talking, of course, about a January to-do list resolution for cleaning your home. I am not talking the basic, run-of-the-mill cleaning that is required on a daily basis; oh no. I am talking the big and little stuff that we always find excuses to put off for another day. The following is a list of one thirty-five items to choose from for your suggested list of ten. Happy cleaning and congratulations ahead of time on making and keeping a New Year resolution. I suggest making it a new tradition.
One: Move those appliances and clean behind and underneath them. Yes, wheel out the refrigerator, move that stove out of position and get behind that washer and dryer. Once you see the gunk that has built up in even the cleanest of homes, you will be glad that you did.
Two: Clean up that computer. Go through the computer and rid it of files you do not need now or in the future. Why waste precious space when you do not need to?
Three: Climb up high and dust. Get those ceiling fans, refrigerator tops, the underside of the higher crown molding, and any other high areas you may have, clean.
Four: Take down the curtains, drapes and window coverings and clean them or have them professionally cleaned and pressed.
Five: Get your carpets cleaned.
Six: Go through your refrigerator and cupboards and get rid of any foods that have been sitting around unused for quite some time that you know you should get rid of. If they are unopened, donate them to a local food bank. If they have been previously opened, such as the BBQ sauce or salad dressing that have been in the ‘fridge door since summer, thrown them away.
Seven: Clean out any vents you have in your home. I’m talking going all out vent happy. Clean the heater and air conditioning vents, clean the clothes dryer vents, even clean the hair dryer vents.
Eight: Remove all of your books from their resting places and dust them and the spaces they live in.
Nine: Repeat number eight with your movies and CDs if the task is not part of your normal cleaning process.
Ten: Move the heavy stuff and clean under it. I’m talking anything from the heavy furniture to televisions, stereos, musical instruments and everything in between.
Eleven: Wipe down the walls in your house. All of them. Use soapy water, Murphy’s oil, etc., whatever manufacturing specifications require.
Twelve: Repeat number eleven with all doors in your home, including the garage and utility doors.
Thirteen: Do a wash down of all baseboards in the home.
Fourteen: Get the insides of your cupboards clean. Yes, this means taking everything out of them to wipe them down well but of course, it will be well worth the effort.
Fifteen: Clean out that junk drawer.
Sixteen: Go around and wipe down all light switch covers and switches.
Seventeen: Clean the insides of light panels, globes, etc. This means unscrewing our mounting them and wiping them out. Be prepared to find an insect or two who has found their graveyard inside of these little homes. Wipe them out too.
Eighteen: Dust inside of the utility room. Get that water heater clean, wipe up those corners in that seldom-used room, dust those water pipes, etc.
Nineteen: Closet time. Get in those closets and take out anything you haven’t worn for a year and know you probably won’t wear again. Give items to a local charity where they will find good use or put them away for a yard sale in the Spring.
Twenty: Clean out the light bulb holders in the refrigerator or underneath the stove hood.
Twenty One; Get underneath your sinks and clean under there. I know, they shouldn’t be dirty since they never get used, but trust me, dust finds a way.
Twenty Two: Take off the tips of your faucets and clean the screens out. Replace as needed.
Twenty Three: Clean under the hood of your stove hood.
Twenty Four: Label photographs from last year. You think now that you won’t forget what happened or how old the person in the photograph was, but years from now you don’t want to have to wonder when it’s as easy as labeling them now (a simple date written in acid free ink on the back will do). Might as well update the scrapbooks while you’re at it. If you are feeling really ambitious (and hey, this is the time of year to feel it) why not transfer those videos to DVD or tape as well that you have been meaning to do all year long.
Twenty Five: Update that recipe box. Get rid of recipes you don’t want. Add ones to cards that you’ve torn out of magazines or printed from the Internet and file them accordingly.
Twenty Six: If you have an upright freezer, get rid of items you have had in there too long.
Twenty Seven: Update that sewing box. Get rid of items you don’t need and purchase ones that you do (always looking for a needle and never finding one, now is the perfect opportunity to get some in there).
Twenty Eight: Clean out your file drawers. Add hanging files if needed and get loose papers in their place.
Twenty Nine: If you are prone to throwing items in your safe throughout the year, now is the time to get it cleaned up and in order. Why? Simply because it is January, a new year, and part of your New Year’s resolution.
Thirty: Take everything out of your medicine cabinets (in all bathrooms), wipe down the shelves and throw away items you do not need anymore or that have become outdated.
Thirty One: Clean out the bar. Get rid of bottles you do not need and add ones that you do.
Thirty Two: Go through your sock drawer and get rid of socks that have holes or have no matches.
Thirty Three: Clean all of your window sills, yes, even up high where no one can see, and yes, do it even though it isn’t Spring.
Thirty Four: Organize that garage. I know it is a daunting task. Where would be the challenge of keeping a New Year’s resolution if it wasn’t daunting?
Thirty Five: Clean the mesh netting on any speakers you have in the house, including the ones that belong to your computer.
Thirty Five: Blow compressed air into your computer keyboards and get those clean and clean out the fans inside your CPU as well (follow manufacturer’s instructions).
Okay, there you have it: thirty-five suggestions to choose a list of ten from. You can select from the easiest of tasks to the hardest, just make sure to choose and complete the list before the end of January and you are well on your way to becoming a person who really does make and follow through with their New Year’s resolutions.
