Top 6 January Cleaning Duties: How to De clutter and Organize Your Home

With the holidays behind us, many tenants can benefit from some tips and tricks to restore order to their homes.  January is the perfect time to do deep cleaning, make the most of your closet, and finish all the chores you’ve been procrastinating.

There are several advantages to tidying up in the first month.  It sets the pace for the rest of the year and gives you a confidence boost to complete your resolutions.  Do you need some guidance to get your house spic and span?  Here are the top 6 January cleaning duties to help you declutter and organize your home.

Top 6 January Cleaning Duties

1. Deep Clean Your Appliances

One of the best cleaning duties to start with this January is deep cleaning your appliances.  The fridge, freezer, oven, microwave, and dishwasher are all major appliances we use often but rarely clean.  Thus, they can collect dirt and grim over time, especially after a festive cooking season. So start your year by clearing and cleaning them with a cloth and some stain remover.  When these appliances are spotless, you’ll feel like your kitchen is brand new.

2. Get Rid of Your Junk

It’s normal for everyone to collect junk, but it can sometimes get out of hand.  Now is the perfect time to let go of everything you’ve been hoarding.  Open up your storage spaces, cupboards, and cabinets, and pull out unnecessary utensils and items you no longer need.  Doing this at the start of the year lets you reflect on how you used these items in the previous year.  If you used them infrequently or not, it might be time to say goodbye.

3. Take out Clothes You Don’t Need

Another place to declutter should be your closet.  Some stats put the number of clothes people wear around 20% of what they own.  If those statistics apply to you, consider donating your pre-loved clothes to the needy.  It is also the perfect opportunity to find forgotten favorites and hidden gems.

4. Vacuum Those Hard to Reach Places

While no one particularly likes vacuuming, January is the perfect time to get in between those hard-to-reach places.  Instead of cleaning only the visible floor, go the extra mile by clearing under the bed, the sofa, and other pieces of furniture.  You may have to move them to another part of the room to gain more access.  Getting rid of the piled-up dirt under these places can make the air in your room cleaner and fresher.  Although, when moving heavy furniture around, be careful, so you don’t cause any damage.  Savvy landlords often hire a proactive property manager to handle maintenance requests so you can take your complaints to them.

5. Deep Clean the Carpets and Rug

You should consider a deep clean to remove built-up dust and hair if you live in a rental property with carpets and rugs.  A great DIY hack is to sprinkle some baking soda on the surface of hard-set stains to get them out and make them look new again.  You can also rent a steam cleaner for a much deeper clean and spread your rug out in the sun to air it out.

6. Clear Your Gutters

The final chore you should undoubtedly add to your list this month is clearing your gutters.  As the temperature starts to warm up, snow and ice on your roof could also begin to melt.  If there are wayward tree branches, leaves, and other debris on the roof, it could block the gutters and prevent water flow.  Removing these obstacles allows a free flow and prevents water from stagnating on your roof and causing avoidable damage.

What is Cleaning Clause in Rental Contract

A cleaning clause is a part of a lease agreement that outlines the tenant’s responsibilities toward the cleanliness and organization of a rental property.  As a rule of thumb, most renters must keep up with their apartment’s daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning needs.  That will often include keeping the premises and other common areas neat as well.  Also, a typical cleaning clause usually stipulates that when a tenant moves out, they are to turn the apartment over in the same condition they met it.  In other words, tenants that fail risk losing part of their security deposit as a deduction for any cleaning costs the landlord incurs.  That’s why many renters who understand the importance of professional cleaning would instead hire an expert.

Conclusion

Getting your home organized in the first month of the year can set the pace for you to be productive and have a great start.  While our highlighted chores are not exhaustive, these top 6 cleaning duties will make a big difference in decluttering and organizing your home as we roll into the new year.

If you need an extra hand with these tasks, be sure to call in professional cleaners or ask the property manager for an excellent local recommendation.