2017 has arrived with a bang, much to the celebration of many who are “so over” 2016. Hopefully the new year has been good for you so far and that you’ve continued to work on your new year’s resolutions. If those have been thrown by the wayside, or even if you are continuing to drink green smoothies and get up at 5am to go to spin class, have you ever thought about new year’s resolutions for your home? Here are five that any homeowner simply must do.
- Get rid of clutter
Ridding your home of clutter and excess will not only make your home appear larger and more well-organized, it will be good for your physical and mental health. Literal clutter exhausts you by:
- Emotionally attaching you to too many things
- Giving you more to do (in terms of cleaning and organizing)
- Having a negative impact on your brain’s ability to focus and process information
- Reducing creativity
This year, get rid of things that don’t either have a purpose, you don’t love or doesn’t bring meaning to your life.
- Make your home safer
If you’ve told guests or family members to be careful because of some flaw in your home at least once in 2016, your home could definitely be safer. Whether it is a broken stair, loose railing, or a funny smell in your basement, your home could actually hurt you. Make the repairs that you’ve been putting off that are putting your family in danger and you’ll feel 10 pounds lighter having done it.
- Make your home more energy efficient
Your home’s carbon footprint is an important indicator of your “green-ness”. If you often leave lights on, keep electronics plugged in without a power strip, and run the water while you are doing the dishes, there are definitely some easy fixes you can make to become more energy efficient. Make your resolution in 2017 to be less wasteful, recycle more, reuse more and do more to reduce your footprint.
- Improve your indoor air quality
Indoor pollution is a real thing and it could be affecting your health greatly. Paints, plastics and air fresheners are some of the biggest culprits, but there are a number of items in your home that off-gas. This year, resolve to improve your indoor air quality by doing the following:
- Don’t burn things in your home
- Stop using toxic cleaners
- Use low-voc paint
- Vacuum and dust often
- Wash pillows and linens often
- Change your furnace and air conditioning filters often
- Adjust your humidity levels
- Use only homemade air fresheners
- Add some plants to cleanse the air
- Finish something
If you’ve started a project (or projects) and they are sitting in a pile in your garage, basement or staring up at you from wherever you started them (think: bathroom renovation), make time to finish it. The feeling of accomplishment you’ll have will be great and you’ll love your new space. Get a plan together in terms of budget and time and you’ll be done your project in no time.
Happy new year!
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