Resolutions for your home?

Since it’s a brand new year have you made any resolutions? What about for your house?

Here are 4 resolutions you should make and keep when it comes to your home:

1) Consider Minimizing -

This is the year to get rid of your things. Not just arbitrarily throwing things away but carefully going through your things to only keep what you love and what you need. Decluttering your house can help organize your life. Here are some articles detailing the benefits of decluttering and how to get started:

* Good Housekeeping – Why you should declutter: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/organizing/a36247/how-clutter-impacts-your-health/

               * Becoming Minimalist – Creative ways to declutter: http://www.becomingminimalist.com/creative-ways-to-declutter/

2) Make your home safe -

This is the year to get some major things out of the way when it comes to your home. Things like cleaning the dryer vent. Dryers cause about 15,000 house fires a year. It’s time to take the lint trap off and shop-vac the buildup. You should also test your home for radon. Radon is a colorless, odorless gas. It can cause problems with your lungs. A test kit can cost as little as $20 at the hardware store and can give you piece of mind. Now is the time to check your fire detectors and carbon monoxide detectors too. Taking small precautions can really help keep your family safe.

3) Cut energy use -

A simple way to cut energy costs is to get a better thermostat. Something smart like the Nest that you can program is an easy energy fix. The thermostat can learn when you are home and when you are away saving the costs of heating or cooling when you are at work for 8 hours. A step above this would be to look at your HVAC system. Having someone out to look at and repair any holes in the duct work can greatly help your house be more energy efficient. The best part is that not only will you save money on your heating and cooling bills you can actually get a rebate for making your home more energy efficient. Xcel energy will discount the purchase of a smart thermostat. For other incentives check out the website below: http://www.dsireusa.org/

4) Set up a cleaning plan -  

Coming up with a set daily or weekly plan will help you keep your house cleaner and reduce some stress.  This could mean setting the resolution to always put dirty dishes in the dishwasher each night or creating and carrying out a schedule to clean your whole house weekly. There are a couple of books and websites to help give you ideas.

               * Speed Cleaning – Jeff Campbell – This is a great book with a really bad cover. Don’t let the cover deter you from the content inside. This book will help you clean your entire house in 45 minutes.

               * How to create a cleaning schedule that works – Living Well Spending Less: http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/2014/02/18/create-cleaning-schedule-works/