Want to start the New Year with a sparkling clean home?
Once the festive season is over and the decorations have been packed away, it’s the perfect time to have a thorough clean of your entire home.
By decluttering and starting with a clean, fresh slate you’ll feel ready for the New Year and motivated to keep things organised.
These are all the tips, hacks and ideas you need for giving your home a thorough clean for New Year!
Try this ultimate cleaning planner to give you the motivation and routine that you need to succeed all year round!
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New Year cleaning tips
Even if your home is a complete disaster right now you can get things straightened out!
When it comes to finding the best time to clean, usually when you have kids and a job there are no ideal time to clean.
So you may find that you have to squeeze 10 minutes here and there.
If you are struggling to find a two-hour cleaning window then try tackling your household mess by room.
Tell yourself that if you can get just one room straightened out today, then that will be a job well done!
You may also love my two-hour cleaning routine which takes you through step by step how to clean your whole house in two hours or less!
How to get started with cleaning your home after the holidays
First things first. Pack away the Christmas decorations.
Over the years the cardboard boxes that your baubles first came in may be looking a little worse for wear! I keep mine stacked up inside plastic crates with lids.
I then pad the space around the decorations with things like tinsel and the children’s stockings.
Be sure to put things like your Elf on the Shelf at the very top of the box so he is easy to find at the end of November when you need him for December 1!
Remember to check underneath sofas for any stray Christmas decorations that may have rolled under there.
Once your Christmas decorations are tidied away then you will find it so much easier to clean. Plus your house will feel so much bigger too!
New year cleaning guide
1. Get the right products
That does not mean you need to buy every single cleaning product on the shelf!
In fact your can clean every single room of your home with just one multi-purpose cleaning spray and some vinegar! I also wouldn’t be without a bottle of Domestos bleach, which is the best for cleaning toilets and helping clear slow draining plugholes.
For me one of the best investments when it comes to cleaning is decent cleaning cloths. Get ones that can be machine washed so that you can sterilise them and use them again and again.
My absolute favourite cleaning cloths are these ones for multipurpose jobs around the kitchen, Minky M Cloths for the bathroom and these for cleaning windows.
The very best products for cleaning your home, in my opinion, are:
- A good multi-purpose spray – I like Method
- A Window and Glass Cleaner
- A limescale remover – especially if you live in a hard water area
- Bleach
- White vinegar
2. Start with a list
Take a good look around and note everything down that needs to be done. As you tick off each job you’ll feel motivated to keep going and get the rest done.
I recommend starting with tidying and decluttering, them moving on to dusting, wiping and vacuuming.
Finish with a thorough clean of the bathrooms. If you want an extra fresh scent then pop a capful of Zoflora down your toilets to make the bathrooms smell amazing.
My New Year cleaning checklist will look like this, you can download your own copy now for free!
3. Use a laundry basket
When you’re tidying up the house, it can really help to have a laundry basket or similar large box so that you can move things back to their right place.
This is particularly an issue with kids’ toys, which tend to move all over the house and end up anywhere but where they are supposed to be!
Gather items up as you go and then put them in their right place as you move from room-to-room.
4. Pull out the furniture
You will be amazed at what ends up underneath your sofas and tables. Pull every bit of furniture out and have a good clear out underneath them.
Vacuum and clean the floor as well while the furniture is out of the way.
5. Vacuum your mattress
You should be vacuuming your mattress every few weeks according to cleaning experts to make sure you keep bed bugs at bay.
The New Year clean-up is a good time to do this! You could also clean your mattress cover if you have one. Try to wash it at 60C to ensure it kills any germs or bugs lurking on the fabric.
6. Clear out your closet
Now is the perfect time to clear out the clothes you never wear. Go through every single item individually, hold it and try it on if you need to make your decision. Think about whether it fits and if you will ever wear it again.
Take a leaf out of Marie Kondo’s book and think about whether it “sparks joy”. If it doesn’t, then donate or sell it.
7. Have a blitz on paperwork
Go through all of your paperwork. Every single bit of it.
Get rid of bank statements that are 10 years old, you don’t need them! Ditch old receipts, takeaway menus and anything that isn’t sentimental or needed for records.
When it comes to receipts from Christmas gifts, try to put these in one particular place in a filing cabinet or box where they are handy. This is just in case there are any short-term problems with the gifts you have purchased.
Now have a think about whether your current paperwork storage is enough. Do you need a filing cabinet? If you don’t have the space then some simple trays to keep your paperwork can be brilliant.
8. Assess your storage
Now is the perfect time to think about whether you need some better storage. Can you add shelves to your living room to give you extra decorative and storage space?
You can do loads with wall shelves so have a think about spots around your home where you could fit some to give you space for books, kitchen items and more.
9. Ditch the kitchen gadgets
Have you ever made your own pasta? Are you likely to ever do it?
The kitchen is a total clutter magnet! Go through all of your kitchen cupboards and really think about whether you need two garlic presses and a pasta machine. Will you use them?
This is a great opportunity to make your kitchen much easier to keep in order.
When having everything out of cupboards and drawers remember to give them all a good wipe with multipurpose cleaner and a damp cloth.
10. Go task to task rather than room to room
When you’re dusting, do the entire house in one go and then move on to vacuum every room of the house.
There are cleaning routines that rely on the room-by-room method, such as Team Tomm (The Organised Mum Method). I’m not going to say that’s the wrong thing to do, because it’s whatever works for you!
However for me personally I find it much quicker to grab the mop and clean all of the hard floors all in one go, then move on to cleaning all of the sinks in the bathrooms etc. So that way you have your collection of cleaning products for that task out and in your hands and you can just move around the house focusing on that one category.
11. Clean your appliances
The New Year is the perfect time to give your household appliances some love.
Cleaning the inside of things such as your washing machine and dishwasher can actually be really easy as you can just let the machines do the hard work for you! It’s all about having the right products for the job.
For the washing machine you can’t get much better than Soda Crystals. These are a cheap but very effective method of cleaning your washing machine.
Add a cup of soda crystals to the washing machine drum and run on the hottest wash, with nothing else in the machine. Sometimes I add a capful of Zoflora just to make it smell amazing when I open the door at the end.
Don’t forget to have the detergent drawer out and give it a thorough clean in soapy water. It’s also a good time to clean the filter too! Most are located at the front of the machine. Have a towel down first as taking your filter off will cause some water to leak out of the machine.
For the dishwasher, you can either buy an internal dishwasher cleaner that you just pop in the machine and then run on a hot wash with nothing else in.
Otherwise you can try cleaning it with a bowl filled with vinegar placed at the bottom of the dishwasher. This can clear out limescale and leave the inside sparkling.
When it comes to cleaning the outside of machines, use a multipurpose spray and wipe down with a damp cloth.
Don’t forget to wipe the seal of your washing machine too!
12. Scrub-free oven cleaning
When it comes to cleaning the oven I know I should be doing it more regularly so that it’s not so hard to clean, but I just don’t do it more than once every three to six months!
However if you use the right cleaning products it doesn’t have to be too hard.
I recommend Oven Mate, which you can buy from Amazon. You simply paint it on, leave overnight for really stubborn grime, and then wipe off. Easy.
You can also try using The Pink Stuff, which is fantastic at tackling burnt on marks and food.
If you prefer all-natural cleaning solutions for these type of jobs you can make a paste out of bicarbonate of soda and a little water. Leave on stubborn areas for a few hours and then wipe away.
- TOP TIP: When cleaning your oven and hob, don’t forget to clean your extractor fan! These should detach so you can clean it in the sink. I like to use Elbow Grease spray on my extractor fan as it really cuts through the grease.
13. Get the kids involved
Save yourself time and set the ground rules for your kids helping out in the future by giving them small jobs to do.
My kids love pushing the broom around to help me sweep and they like having a go with the feather duster. It’s all about giving them manageable tasks to do, so nothing involving harsh chemicals.
You can also encourage them to help declutter, and get them involved with sorting toys into categories when storing them.
14. Tackle limescale
My absolute favourite product for killing off limescale is Viakal. It’s amazing stuff and gets my taps shining within minutes.
However you can also use vinegar to get a really beautiful shine in your bathroom and kitchen sinks, taps and showerheads.
For shower heads you can get a plastic food bag, fill it with vinegar, pop the shower head into it and leave overnight. In the morning just run the shower to rinse away the vinegar and limescale will be gone!
15. Clear the decks in the kitchen
Want your kitchen to feel cleaner and less cluttered? Try to free up some space on your kitchen counters.
If you have enough drawer space, consider ditching your knife block and instead find a drawer organised for your knives.
IKEA has some fantastic low-cost organisation solutions for kitchens, including shelves and railings with storage pots.
Not only will you get more space for cooking, but the kitchen will feel much cleaner with less stuff out on the counters.
16. Keep away the clothes moths
Clothes moths can be a real issue in some homes. They nibble on your clothes, especially wool, which is a real pain if they get hold of your favourite jumper.
You can buy special products such as sachets, tablets and spray that will deter and kill the clothes moths. Remember to pop something into your drawers and wardrobe to keep them away. Many of these products are scented too, so they act as a freshener for your clothes storage too.
17. Spruce up your rug
Now is the perfect time to not only vacuum but also wash your rug.
I clean mine using either my carpet cleaner or I get a bowl of warm water mixed with a capful of fabric softener. I then use a brush and gently wash the rug, trying not to be too firm with scrubbing it. This tends to lift a lot of dirt, plus it makes the room smell amazing.
18. Wash your doors
Doors can get sticky and covered in mucky finger prints over the course of the year. Give them a fresh start by washing them.
You can prevent the paint from rubbing off by mixing water with some fabric softener, then popping it onto a soft cloth and rubbing gently in circles to remove marks.
19. Disinfect your light switches and door handles
Get your favourite disinfectant and spray onto a cloth so you can clean your light switches and door handles.
It’s also a good idea to disinfect your remote controls too.
20. Freshen up the toilet brush
When was the last time you disinfected your toilet brush? You can do it easily but popping bleach down the loo, then putting your toilet brush down there too for a soak. Leave for at least two hours.
To give the toilet brush a lovely scent you can pop a capful of Zoflora into the brush holder.
21. Declutter the kids’ toys
We’ve already touched on decluttering above, but one really important area to declutter post-Christmas is the kids’ stuff.
Chances are your children received a few new toys over the festive season. Now’s a great time to clear out or sell any toys they no longer play with.
Sentimental toys can be stored. I have boxes for each of my kids where I keep sentimental toys and paperwork for them.
When it comes to how to decide what toys to bin think about:
- Age suitability. Have your kids grown out of it?
- How often do they actually play with it.
- Do they have similar toys that are doubling up, so could you do without one of them?
22. Dust every surface
Dust all of the usual spots but remember to move decorative items out of the way so that you get to every corner.
Get to the tops of door frames, light fixtures and mirrors too.
23. Freshen up your plug holes
Nasty smells can build up in grimey, blocked plug holes.
Keep them fresh and flowing by pouring around a cup of Soda Crystals down there. Chase this with a kettle full of boiled water. You can also add a capful of Zoflora to make it smell amazing!
You can also use Soda Crystals to unclog drains outside your home.
24. Clean your carpets
If you don’t have a carpet cleaner you can rent one for a reasonable price. It’s well worth it because it will really breathe new life into your carpets!
It will also make your entire home smell amazing.
25. Wash your hard flooring
A steam mop is the best way to disinfect and clean your hard flooring. This one is my absolute number one recommendation. It’s fantastic at getting grime off of floors and so easy to use.
26. Clean blinds and curtains
Check the labels on your curtains to see how they need to be cleaned. You’ll find that many will need to be dry cleaned. If you don’t want the expense you could just spray a little diluted Zoflora on them to freshen them up.
Wooden blinds can be wiped with a dry microfibre cloth. I tend to spritz my wooden blinds with a little Zoflora too as makes the room smell great.
27. Dust your lights
Don’t forget to reach up to your light fittings and bulbs to give them a dust.
The light fixtures in your kitchen will get extremely greasy over the course of a year. Try spraying some Elbow Grease onto a cloth to get rid of the grime.
28. Clean windows
Use with a window cleaning cloth and you’ll get a brilliant, smear-free finish when you pair it with a good window cleaning spray.
You could also use a little vinegar in a spray bottle if you prefer an all-natural cleaning option.
29. Freshen up sofas
I use Zoflora on my leather sofas to disinfect and freshen them up. I simply spray a little on there and then rub it with a microfibre cloth.
For cloth sofas you could mix some fabric softener in a bowl of warm water and rub the fabric gently with a soft cloth.
To lift pet hair off of sofas, use a squeegee and brush firmly across the cushions. You’ll be amazed how much that picks up!
So there you have it, everything you need to know about cleaning your home in the New Year! I hope these tips have given you some motivation to get cleaning!
You may also like to check out my cleaning hacks and my cleaning routine tips for busy mamas.
