If all the magic of the new year has you feeling motivated to start fresh, I’ve created the ultimate checklist for helping get you started!

I just actually did all these things myself this weekend and am feeling BRAND NEW lol. It’s a daunting task for sure, but I found that creating a checklist and then just completing one section completely, helps keep you motivated to continue combing through, until you’re completely done! And if after having completed one room, you’re burnt out (honestly I was after completing the kitchen), give yourself a break before continuing OR just start another room another day!

KITCHEN

+ Refrigerator/Freezer : grab a trash bag and throw out ANYTHING that is obviously expired or has not been touched in ages- I’m talking jars of mayonnaise, ketchup, salad dressings- EVERYTHING. Once you’ve consolidated that way, start with one shelf at a time and take out all the things you’re keeping and deep clean the shelf. I took our shelves out and washed them in the sink. Do this shelf/drawer by shelf/drawer.

+ Counter tops : remove anything sitting on the counters and one by one clean those things (if needed) and then while they are drying, clean and wipe down the counters completely.

+ Stove/Oven/Microwave : my least favorite area to clean. Deep clean these areas and if you have one, use a grease cleaner to clean the stove- allowing it to soak for a few moments before wiping.

+ Pantry : probably the fastest thing to clean. Throw out any garbage you’re not going to eat within the next month. And while we’re all motivated to eat cleaner, throw out anything that isn’t going to help you stick to that goal!

+ Cabinets : clean the outside of your cabinets with a warm washcloth and some soap!

+ Kitchen Floors/Rugs : sweep, mop. vacuum the entire area.

+ Sink : polish and clean the entire sink area, restock your soaps, and get new sponges/ dish cleaning brushes.

LAUNDRY ROOM

+ Washer/Dryer : do a quick dust down of the machines and sweep/vacuum underneath and around to pick up any lint that has no doubt been sitting there for the entire year. Organize your soaps and detergents so that they’re easily accessible.

LIVING ROOM

+ Carpet/Rugs : vacuum and wash with stain remover anything that you’ve ignored or let go until now! For me- that’s paint from various activities with my toddler that I swore I’d deep clean later. NOW is later!

+ Wood/Tile floors: sweep, mop, vacuum the entire area!

+ Shelving units/Bookcases: remove all the things on top of each shelf and dust and deep clean the shelf and the items (picture frames, books, candles, etc) before putting them back.

+ Couch/Chairs/Pillows : remove linen and wash! Throw pillow covers included! Wash any throw blankets laying around as well. We want everything to feel brand new! Fluff the pillows after washing and drying is complete!

+ TV stand : dust and clean anything you might have sitting on top. Also! If you have a Frame TV, here’s a reminder to switch your artwork from whatever you had for the holidays to a new one! If you don’t have a designated place for TV remotes, make one. You can find a cute dish or something to hold your remotes and add some functional decor!

BATHROOMS

+ Shower, Tub, Toilet, Sink : deep clean these areas, allowing some areas to soak in whatever cleaning supply you choose to use. Throw out anything in the shower that is old or empty and replace with new. If you use a loofa, and it wasn’t bought like this month, toss it and just get a new one. But a daily shower spray to use every time you get out of the shower. This is the one we use!

+ Bathroom drawers : take the time to comb through and organize your drawers so that things are easily accessible for you and when you need them. I recently bought some trays for my drawer to separate out my face masks.

+ Medicine cabinet : go through and throw out anything you haven’t used all year and then take the time to make the space more functional- I use a shot glass to hold bobby pins in mine!

+ Bathroom cabinet: if you have more storage in your bathroom, buy some bins to separate out different things. I have a shelf solely dedicated to curling irons and clips, anything I’d use to do my hair. Another shelf holds a box that stores my nail polish, cotton balls, and nail polish remover. My husband even has his own shelf with all his grooming essentials!

+ Bathroom floors : same rule as above- sweep, mop. vacuum! And wash any rugs you have sitting in the bathroom by the shower or under the sink!

+ Towels/Wash Cloths : take the time now to wash everything and start fresh.

+ Mirrors: clean the glass with glass cleaner.

BEDROOMS

+ Bedding : wash EVERYTHING. Sheets, duvet, comforters, pillow cases the whole nine yeards.

+ Mirrors : clean the glass and dust the frames.

+ Bookshelves : same as before, remove everything off one shelf and dust/clean that shelf and whatever item was on it before putting it back. If you have books that you’re keeping but don’t know why, consider donating them to make room for new ones. If you’re holding on to a book because you love it, keep it and find a way to use it as decor!

+ Nightstands : go through any drawers and throw out anything you don’t need. If your bedside chapstick is almost out, order or buy a new one to replace it and then toss. Put the book you promised you’d read this month front and center on the nightstand as a constant reminder.

+ Floors (carpet, rugs, wood, tile) : sweep, mop, vacuum!

+ Closet/Dressers : go through each drawer and donate anything that you either a) had no idea you owned or b) no longer like or think you’ll ever wear again. It’s okay not to like something you did in the past, so don’t feel guilty for giving it away! Then, toss out all the hangers that you hate. I have that are super hold, half broken, that I’ve just left in my closet for who knows why. I finally threw them all out and ordered these from Amazon so that everything matches and is consistent in my closet and THIS has brought me probably the most joy in my de-cluttering process LOL. If you’re also crazy (like me) you can color code your closet. I do this by type of item- so like sweaters are all color coordinated but are separate from long sleeves, short sleeves, and dresses. With shoes, I suggest actually going through and taking a look at all your shoes just so you can remember what you have! I did this and instantly found about 3 pairs I forgot I had that I am in love with- I put those more visible to me in my closet so I can give them some air time this year 😉

OFFICE SPACE

+ Organize! I think this goes for just about any area of the entire office. Go through drawers and tend to mail or files that need organizing/responses. Throw out/shred any information you no longer need.

+ Computer : if you have a MAC desktop charge the keyboard and mouse up to 100% to start fresh! With laptops, also give them some time to charge! Go through your storage on both and try to free it up by deleting apps or things you don’t need or didn’t use the past year. I recommend buying a hard drive so that you can download and store photos/videos instead of letting it take up space on your computer or in your cloud.

+ Desk : throw out old pens/pencils and organize your space so you have what you actually need handy (stapler, scissors, tape?)

+ Email : unsubscribe to as many trash email accounts that you can! I unsubscribed to probably about 20 before the new year and it’s so much more relaxing opening my phone and not having hundreds of email notifications to sort through.

Alright, well there you have it. Hopefully this helps with the daunting task of de-cluttering/cleaning!!