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Can you believe that we are 3 weeks into January? How are your New Years goals coming along? I smile each time I see that meme that says January is a trial month, and the year really begins in February. 🙂
I had planned to restart this series on January 1st, but it didn’t happen. This year, I am focusing on the word “Balance”. For me, when I start focusing too much on one area of my life, then other areas suffer. I have spent a lot of time on my blog over the past 6 months, so I have been trying to bring my life back into a better balance the past few weeks. Finding balance is a daily struggle for most of us–making sure our families are happy and healthy, cleaning our homes, cooking meals, working, and trying to find time for ourselves to do things we enjoy.
The goal of this series is to help us notice areas in our homes that sometimes get forgotten or overlooked. Every week, I listed 7 tasks with the idea that whether you did one, two, or all seven, your home was a little cleaner that week. I wanted everyone to feel a sense of accomplishment when they finish at least one task that week; no feelings of being behind or guilt if something doesn’t get done.
After reviewing my previous posts and comments on social media, I decided to take a different approach going into 2018. Instead of a weekly list, I decided to try a monthly post of 7 tasks and post a bonus task on social media each week. We might not have much of January left, but we still have time to accomplish a few things. Let’s jump in and get our homes clean and organized in 2018!
Task #1: The Fridge
I don’t know about anyone else but my kitchen took a hit during the holidays. I usually try to focus on different areas in this series, but this month is going to really focus on the kitchen. Task #1 focuses on the fridge. You might need to break this task into smaller tasks. Inside: Clean out leftovers, toss old condiments, wipe down shelves and drawers. Outside: Clean off old papers, wipe down outside, clean water and ice area if you have them. If you are feeling extra ambitious, pull the fridge out and wipe down the sides, back, top, and mop underneath. It has been a few years since I have cleaned behind and under mine, and it was BAD!
I decided to jump in and clean it myself because I was tired of putting it off. I would suggest having someone help you because the fridge is quite heavy. I had to take the bottom cover off and loosen the stabilizers to get it to move. 
There’s not much space around my fridge, so I had to angle it a bit to get behind. Seriously NASTY! Dust bunnies all over, crumbs stuck to the floor, misc. items that have been lost underneath for a while. Everything got a good scrub down, and it feels amazing to finally have this task done! Nobody will really notice if you do it, but you feel a great sense of accomplishment and your fridge will run more efficiently and last longer.
Task #2: Pantry
I really don’t know how my pantry gets sooo unorganized. Stuff gets thrown in during the holidays, and my kids love to leave empty boxes in there. It drives me crazy to open it up and see the chaos, but I always think it will take me too long to deal with. In reality, it really only takes about a half hour to straighten everything up. Throw out expired food, wipe down shelves, organize like items together, sweep and mop the floor. Awe…
Task #3: The Cup cabinet
I’m guessing I’m not the only one that has a crazy cup cabinet. In my kitchen, this cabinet is a big corner cabinet with a small door. It is stuffed with regular cups, cups from restaurants (why do we take those home??), water bottles, old sippy cups, mugs, etc. It is amazing how many cups are stuffed in that cabinet. If you have a similar cabinet, take some time to go through it and get rid of the clutter!
Task #4-Desk
Yes, we have done this one before (Week 2 last fall). If your desk is a paper collector like mine, it probably needs a good cleaning often. I have noticed that when I have a messy desk, I really struggle to write. So clean off the paper clutter, file receipts, throw away or shred papers you don’t need and find homes for objects that don’t belong there. If you have a file organizer, go through it and toss papers that aren’t needed anymore. Oh, and I still need to get pictures printed for the frames on my black cabinet. Adding that to my to-do list for this week too. 🙂
Task #5: File Drawer/Cabinet
Oh boy. This task can be a biggie. This file drawer is totally stuffed with paper right now. I have a folder for each month’s receipts, old tax returns, insurance paperwork, medical paperwork, files for each car, etc…… It is almost to the point of exploding. :/ When folders get full, then papers and receipts collect on my desk and add to the paper problem. Take time to go through your paperwork. I keep what is important (like receipts for big items, medical papers, past tax returns, etc) and shred what I don’t need anymore. There is nothing like being able to find paperwork when you actually you need it.
Task #6: Entry Way
After tackling several spots in the kitchen, we are going to switch focus to your entryway. Whether it is big or small, it is the first place that people see when they come to your home. Is this area cluttered with coats or shoes? When was the last time you washed the walls, baseboards, and the front door?
Take some time to organize the area, dust everything well, clean under the table or bench (if you have one), and wiped handprints off the front door and any windows in your entry.
Task #7: Detail one bathroom
For our final task, we are going to detail one bathroom. Give everything a good cleaning. Wipe down the cabinets, walls, baseboards, windowsill, and the door. Don’t forget to look up high and dust the fan and light fixtures. Change shower curtain liner if it has been a while. If you want to get your toilet and surroundings REALLY clean, my friends with young boys say steam cleaning with a steamer like THIS is an absolute must!
Well, that’s it for January. If you would like a free printable of January’s list, enter your email below to sign up for our email newsletter (sent every couple weeks or so 🙂 ) Already subscribed? The link will be in the newsletter going out today.
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