January is known for darker days and rougher weather. You're inside more, so messy spots can be harder to ignore. If you haven’t booked a getaway to beat the winter blues, you can use these tips to make your home more bright, warm, and cozy, and start planning for the seasons and projects ahead.
#1 Change and Clean Your Light Bulbs and Fixtures
You change out your seasonal decorations. Why not change your lights to illuminate the wintery gloom? Frame a window or a mantel with a string of outdoor lights or hang a string of fairy lights in a potted plant. Check out light bulbs that are designed to mimic sunlight. Or, layer lights in a room by placing fixtures at different levels. You might not think dusty lightbulbs and light fixtures could affect your energy bills and mood, but they can. Clean up those bulbs and fixtures to save energy and brighten a gray day.
#2 Organize Your Seasonal Storage Space
Packing away holiday decor presents a big opportunity. It's the best time to sort, declutter, and reorganize that space where you store your seasonal stuff. So, before simply stuffing your holiday things back in there somewhere, take inventory. Then sort, filter, donate, trash, and rehome as many of your things as possible. It'll help keep you more organized all year long and make it easier to find all your holiday stuff next year.
#3 Deep-Clean the Kitchen
All of that holiday merry-making is rough on a kitchen. Give it a good deep cleaning now that the glittery dust has settled.
Purge your pantry and frisk your fridge, passing what you can on to local food banks. Scrub the walls and kickboards, and even pull those appliances right out from the walls for a thorough vacuuming to prevent gunk (and smells!) from accumulating.
#4 Plan Summertime Projects Now (Especially if You Need a Pro)
Get going with plans for landscaping, decks, patios, or other outdoor projects that need warm weather. Two good reasons besides the mood boost:
- If you're hiring a contractor or other professional, getting your bids and contracts in place now will save you from competing with the spring rush (wait too long and you may not be able to book anyone!).
- If you're DIYing, you'll be ready to roll at the first hint of nice weather and maybe snag some sale items. That way, you'll be less affected by any supply chain shortages and have your improved yard ready to enjoy by summer.
#5 Create a Schedule to Clean ALL Your Home's Filters
It's not just your HVAC. The filters in your fridge, your vacuum cleaner, your dryer, your air filter, and other household items need to be changed or cleaned at least once a year to be effective, usually more often — especially your humidifier and dehumidifier. Mold grows easily there.
Check manufacturer instructions for all the filters in your home, and create a master schedule. Then add them to your calendar app to remind you.
#6 Save Some Green at White Sales
Linens and towels go on sale in January. That retail tradition started back when linens only came in white (hence the name), and it still has a solid rep as a money-saver — only in more colors today.
Cut your threadbare bath towels into rags and restock your supply, plus fill in any gaps in your bed linens you may have noticed if you had a house full of holiday guests.