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Create an organised and streamlined home.
Now Christmas has passed and the new year is approaching, it's an ideal time to get your house back in order – once the tree and decorations are down, of course. The new year is the perfect time to declutter, reorganise, and simplify your home routine, but the hardest part is actually sticking to it. Here are 13 must-make New Year resolutions to help your home run at maximum efficiency in 2025. Make a pledge to revist these areas monthly to ensure your home is an organised, streamlined space all year round.
Tackle the challenge of finding a home for presents and special Christmas items by operating one simple rule: store 'like with like'. Keep all decorations in one place – storage cupboard, attic, garage, loft – for ease.
Also, organise children's rooms so similar toys and games are stored together, likewise scarves, jewellery, socks and underwear. Essentially, get into the habit of being organised in every room of your home; it'll make everything much easier to find.
These storage baskets, made from recycled plastic, are lightweight, durable and suited for both dry and wet surfaces. It comes with a lid to enable easy stacking.
Restock all your staples – flour, sugar, condiments and tinned goods – but as you do, clear out all the items you know you aren't going to use until next Christmas (unless it's still in date). A new year is not the time to be hoarding half-opened jars of cranberry sauce or mincemeat, so use it up now or lose it.
The same goes for serveware. It's time to finally ditch those unused mugs at the back of the cupboard, the multiple salt and pepper shakers that haven't seen the light of day, and all the mismatched cutlery.
For good-quality tableware, donate them to your local charity shop. If there are food items or other non-perishables that are still in date and you no longer want it, donate them at your local food bank or collection point. Visit The Trussell Trust.
To organise your kitchen cupboards, create a streamlined system by decanting your supplies, from pasta to rice. This Joseph Joseph airtight storage jar set will do the trick.
Read more: 10 things professional declutterers won't keep in their kitchen cupboards
Vow to always take stock of toiletries, cleaning materials and other household staples before you buy more. Too many of the same item creates chaos in your cupboards and will also cost you money that you could save or spend on something else. Keep a memo pad in the kitchen or utility room to make a list of what you really need to replace.
If you don't have a utility room, try to make space for a utility cupboard – it doesn't have to be large either. A tall, narrow locker will do for a mop, dustpan and cloths etc.
Speaking of cleaning, keep dirt outside as much as possible. This means placing doormats at entryways and providing a space for shoes. A shoe rack is a great idea; however, a wooden crate or storage bench by the front door or in the hallway might work better if you have small children who forget to put their shoes, boots and trainers in order when they come home.
Top tip: Allow only two sets of footwear near the front door per person. Encourage the family to take everything else to their own rooms daily.
This storage bench from Habitat provides two slatted shelves for shoes, slippers, and the like, plus an upholstered seat, making it perfect for a hallway.
Make it your mission to set aside some time, twice-weekly, to go through your pile of letters, bills etc, dealing immediately with urgent matters, and filing away the rest. If you get into this habit, you'll reduce ever having piles of opened and unopened letters.
Better still, opt for paperless billing whenever possible to reduce the amount of post you get.
Don't allow letters, bills and circulars to accumulate on tables and worktops. Assign one place for all post and treat this as a 'holding area'. This chic metal file holder can be attached to the wall to save space.
Get into the habit of decluttering each room in your home for spring, summer, autumn and winter, keeping up with regular deep cleans.
Tackle it room by room, as it can be daunting thinking about decluttering the whole house. And always start in the smallest room first – bitesize chunks are key here. Not sure what decluttering method to try? Discover some of our favourite decluttering trends in our handy guide.
Get some expert tips on banishing clutter for good with this bestselling guide from decluterring guru Marie Kondo.
We all have a junk drawer, but 2025 is the year to get rid of it once and for all. Craig Hoareau of A Tidy Mind advises against a junk drawer in the kitchen: 'By using a drawer as this catch-all for everything you don't want to put away, you're taking away prime real estate in your kitchen.'
Clear that clutter for good.
If there are bits and bobs that you do need to keep, invest in drawer dividers for a little organisation. And try to keep it to just a drawer, rather than letting bric-a-brac take over your entire living space.
Make this the year when you really get to grips with recycling. Place bins and bags in a spot where they are easily reached, and if collection facilities are not readily available, try your local recycling centre.
You can separate your household waste with ease by investing in clearly labelled recycling bags or a nifty recycling unit. Joseph Joseph offer a great range of waste and recycling bins to suit all budgets.
If paperwork and important documents terrify you, don't make it too complicated this year. Ensure you don't clutter your desk by simply taking a pack of card document wallets and marking each one with categories. Pop each document into the relevant file and find an accessible place to keep them all.
As hybrid working continues (spending a few days each week working from home), keep your stash of work documents in order. File documents alphabetically, and colour code documents if possible.
Create a system for washing by choosing a laundry day, and make sure you have the right storage. If you don't want a laundry basket or bin in the bathroom, invest in a set of drawstring cotton laundry bags to hang on the back of every bedroom door. This avoids dirty clothes piling up on the floor.
A laundry bag is also a more hygienic option, as the bags can be washed.
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