At the end of each year, we plan our personal resolution lists – but what about creating a new year’s resolution list for your home? Your home plays a significant role in your life, influencing your daily mood and motivations.
The ultimate goal in having a new year’s resolution list for your home is to make your space more inviting and functional for you. Whatever you include in your resolution list for your home – from decor to lighting and beyond – should aim to achieve that goal.
To successfully accomplish the items on your list, keep these important tips in mind:
We’ll present our resolution list for maintaining a beautiful and functional home throughout the year to give you some ideas!
Essential new year’s resolution list for your home:
Evaluate the items in your home, room by room, to determine what you no longer need. Generally, if you haven’t utilized something for a year or more, it’s likely that you never will. If it’s in good condition, donate or give it to others who could use the item. Websites like trashnothing.com and freecycle.com, and Facebook groups like BuyNothing let you offer items for free to your neighbors – who will come pick it up from you (so easy!). If it’s not in good condition, discard it, recycling what you can.
In addition to purging, set up a cleaning schedule to address the entire house. You can do this monthly or quarterly by either cleaning room by room or task by task. Heavy hitters should include things such as sweeping, washing windows, mopping, and so on.
Throughout the year, you’ll need to take care of maintenance on your home, such as inspecting the furnace and air conditioner before the autumn and spring seasons and making sure the gutters are cleaned. All this and more will require maintenance professionals to look at your home. Plan out what maintenance assignments you need within the year and schedule recurring calendar events to address them so you don’t forget anything – this year or next!
Periodically decorating your home doesn’t have to be an enormous project or cost you significant amounts of money. Something as simple as getting a lovely flower arrangement for each room every new season can make a substantial difference in the ambiance and your mood. Tall leafy plants, such as palms, can even improve the air quality.
Beyond plants, throwing in some accent colors in pillows and throw blankets can transform a room that’s become dull. Pick up some vacuum bags and tupperware and rotate accents out each season to keep things feeling fresh and fun!
This one is very important. Besides making your home an aesthetically pleasing place to live in, make it safe and healthy as well. You don’t have to invest a lot to do so. Ensure you have radon and carbon monoxide detectors, which cost around $20 and $40, respectively. You can get them at your hardware store. Also, check the vents and ducts behind the dryer and clean them out to prevent potential fires.
Resolve to be more mindful of how you use electricity this coming year. Switch off lights once you leave a room. Turn off the air conditioner when the room gets to a comfortable cool and do the same for the heater. Use LED bulbs and low-flow showerheads. You can even dry some of your clothes on a clothesline when possible. Any situation where you can minimize how often and how long you use electricity will not only keep your electricity bills low but reduce your carbon footprint.
Adding these five items to your new year’s resolution list for your home will make your living space a comfortable and productive place to be. But the type of home you live in can also make a difference in how inspiring it is. Having a home with the right design, storage, and amenities can encourage you to invest and follow your new year’s resolution list.
At Koch Homes, we provide top-quality, luxury homes in notable and exquisite locations. We offer new single-family homes in Anne Arundel County and the surrounding area. In business since 1951, we have had an established reputation for quality craftsmanship.