Happy New Year! It’s time to shake off that post-holiday slump and start anew. Tomorrow is the first day of a brand new year, and right now is the best time to make a fresh start at home. Don’t wait until spring cleaning to make everything bright and new. Do it now and reap the rewards sooner. Here are just a few easy ways to make your home bright and new for 2015.
1. Toss or repair broken ornaments and tchochkes while you put away Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa decorations.
2. Frame and hang the artwork that you haven’t gotten around to hanging.
3. Change the paint color in that room you’ve been wanting to redecorate.
4. Change drawer pulls for a quick kitchen redo.
5. Polish the silver.
6. Wash the curtains. This is a chore many of us tend to forget about!
7. Rearrange your bookcase. Glance through and see what books you can donate and what you want to keep. Organize it alphabetically, by genre, or—in a fun if slightly impractical fashion—by color.
8. Switch out or recover throw pillows.
9. Toss that pile of papers that’s cluttering your kitchen counter/coffee table/office. (While you’re at it, start gathering your tax documents! It’s never too early to prepare for tax season.)
10. Rearrange the linen closet. If you’re feeling extra ambitious, tackle the other closets in the house, too.
11. Give wooden furniture a polish.
These might seem like tiny changes, but when you add them all up, they can make a nice visual change that you can enjoy all year long.
What other small chores do you think people tend to forget about that can give your home a quick restart for the new year? Tell us in the comments section!
