This year let’s create a haven at home with the 52-week home project. Small, managable weekly tasks and challenges to create a space that promotes peace, inspires creativity, nurtures your family and is not only more organized but also runs with more purpose and intention.
To catch up on all the previous projects, head here.
Last Week’s Project
Last week we officially kicked off The 52-Week Home Challenge by cleaning up any remaining Christmas decorations and then taking inventory and organized our cleaning supplies.
Starting a year-long project of cleaning, decluttering, decorating and making your home a haven has to start with the basics which is why it was so important to take inventory and gather your cleaning tools.
After all you can’t really clean your home on a daily basis without the right tools and it just makes cleaning a teeny bit more enjoyable when everything you need to clean is organized, well stocked and in one place.
Gone are the frustrations of reaching for a bottle of spray only to realize it’s empty or searching high and low for your duster because it wasn’t put back. Taking some time to periodically inventory and organize your cleaning supplies will make your life so much easier in the long run… trust me!
I keep a running list of my favorite cleaning products so that way I know what I have and what I need to place in my monthly ePantry order.
Speaking of ePantry… today is the very last day to take advantage of the special deal they have going for my readers. You can get all the details here.
Project #1: Organize Your Cleaning Supplies
- Gather all of your cleaning supplies and tools in one location. Are there products that you are running low on that need to be replaced soon? Are their products you don’t even use that are just taking up space? What are your favorite tried and true cleaning tools that you just can’t live without?
- Get rid of anything you don’t currently use, is broken, empty or just not working the way it’s supposed to.
- Make a list of any new products or tools you need to purchase or make.
- Decide how you will store them. Will you make one centrally located basket of cleaning tools or do you plan on keeping a few baskets around the house? (For example, some like to keep a cleaning basket in each bathroom).
- Clean your vacuum. When was the last time you changed the filter or emptied the canister in your vacuum? Or cleaned out all the random gunk in the wheels? Your vacuum may not be performing the way it should because it hasn’t been taken care of properly. Taking a few minutes to clean the vacuum will dramatically improve the sucking performance.
- Put away all the cleaning supplies in spaces that make sense and are organized.
My Progress and Results
OK I’m kind of embarrassed to show you the before pictures of my cleaning supplies because my laundry is just a mess! Between recovering from Christmas and my son’s first birthday, it’s become a dumping ground for just about everything.
Before![Taking the time to inventory and organize your cleaning supplies will make your life so much easier in the long run. After all you can't really clean your home on a daily basis without the right tools and it just makes cleaning a teeny bit more enjoyable when everything you need to clean is organized, well stocked and in one place.]()
My main cleaning cabinet is housed in the laundry room which sits right off the kitchen. As you can see my laundry room is more than just a laundry room… it’s sort of a catch all space too!
Housed in the cabinets above the washer and dryer are my laundry supplies, pantry items (yes, that is a jar of coconut oil next to my laundry detergent!) and kitchen supplies on the upper shelves.
My cleaning caddy is where I keep all the main cleaning supplies so that way I can just pull it out and take it with me. The problem is that over the past few months cleaning supplies haven’t been put back where they belong leaving my shelves super disorganized and quite messy.
After![Taking the time to inventory and organize your cleaning supplies will make your life so much easier in the long run. After all you can't really clean your home on a daily basis without the right tools and it just makes cleaning a teeny bit more enjoyable when everything you need to clean is organized, well stocked and in one place.]()
Can I just offer a sigh of relief? I know the project was only to tackle the cleaning supplies but one thing lead to another and since I was already here in the laundry room, I went ahead and gave it a good cleaning too. I did leave out the birthday supplies because we have another birthday coming up in a few weeks.
This utility bar is perfect for hanging up all the brooms, mops and dusters. The ceramic container contains the kid’s aprons and paint smocks.
While the cabinets are still pretty full at least they are now organized. As you can see the coconut oil (and all the food related items) is no longer on the same shelf as my laundry supplies.
The cleaning caddy is now organized and fully stocked with my favorite cleaning supplies and the miscellaneous bottles stored to the right of the caddy have been organized and some were thrown away.
No longer does it stress me out to enter the laundry room or to open the cabinets. They are now clean, organized and I know what every single thing stored there is.
Want more cleaning inspiration?
- Why I No Longer Make My Own Cleaning Supplies {& What I’m Doing Instead}
- 15 of the BEST Cleaning Tools
- My Favorite ePantry Products
- The Sanity Saving Way I Clean My House From Top to Bottom {with 3 Little Ones Underfoot Too!}
A New Project for a New Week
Each week I’ll share a new challenge to help us tackle one small area of our homes.
Some weeks it might be a deep cleaning task, some weeks it might be a decluttering task, some weeks it might be a challenge to help you create a space you love, and some weeks it might be a combination of a few different challenges.
The goal for the 52-Week Home Project is to have a home that is not only more organized but also runs with more purpose and intention and just feels more peaceful and calm.
The Next Project
Hall closets are those closets that aren’t in bedrooms but are usually stuffed and overflowing with random and miscellaneous stuff. I know I am more than guilty of just throwing items in a hall closet that I don’t want to deal with at the moment.
Out of sight out of mind, right?
The problem I have, and maybe you do to, is that I have more than one hall closet. Our house has several hall closets, 4 to be exact, and each closet is beginning to get a little OK a lot out of hand.
It’s embarrassing when a friend or family member comes over and I can’t even hang their coat in our closet! It’s also pretty bad that I can’t even see the floor in our main hall closet because there is just so much stuff in it.
I figured it seemed perfect to tackle these closets early on, especially since it’s mid-January and freezing. We need to be able to get to our coats, gloves and scarves quickly!
Project # 2: The Hall Closet
- Pick your main hallway closet to focus on this week. If you have more than one hall closets, pick the one that gets the most traffic, is the most in need of a little TLC. If you have extra time and motivation to tackle other closets, have at ’em, but don’t feel like you have to clean out all of them either.
- Pull out every single thing in the closet. While you are emptying all the items, group them together in similar categories, such as all coats together, all mittens together, sheets and towels together, etc.
- While the closet is empty, clean the inside. Start with the top shelf and ceiling and dust. Wipe down the shelves and walls. Sweep or vacuum the floor.
- Ruthlessly purge the items. Don’t just put all the items back into the closet with a little bit more organization, think about whether or not the items are needed and if they really belong here.
- Place the items back in the closet. Depending on whether your closet has shelves, a hanging bar or both, place the items back in the closet in an organized way. Use small containers to house mittens, gloves and hats. Drape winter scarves with the coats so they are already together. Fold sheets, towels and other linens so they stack nicely and fit on the shelves.
- Relocate, giveaway or throw away the remaining items. Relocate items that are still of value to another location that makes sense for them to be stored. Giveaway items that are still in good condition but you just don’t have any use for. Throw away trash and other items that aren’t worth keeping.
Next Sunday I’ll share my progress as well as give our next challenge in the 52-Week Home Project so be sure to stay tuned.
Missed a project in the 52-Week Home Project? Head here to see the complete list of all 52 projects!
How did you do with your first 52-Week Home Project? Share your results in the comments below, including a link to your blog post or photo you shared on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter with the hashtags #The52WeekHomeProject
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