As we step into 2025, now's the perfect time to set practical resolutions that will help make your home cleaner, fresher, and easier to maintain.
Professional cleaners have shared seven tasks – both big and small – that they think are the perfect ways to transform your home and your cleaning habits over the next 365 days and beyond.
From creating easy routines for high-traffic areas, to finally tackling those hidden spots that gather dust, these resolutions will help you create an achievable cleaning routine today that will last all year.
New Year's resolutions for a cleaner homein 2025
A good thing to remember going into these cleaning resolutions is that they can be worked on throughout the year, rather than piling all the pressure on yourself in January.
Chipping away at your house-cleaning goals will helps you clean without feeling overwhelmed, meaning your new habits are more likely to stick long term.
1. Incorporate the 1-in-1-out rule
If your main home issue is building clutter and has an increased need for frequent clear-outs, try the one-in-one-out method as your New Year resolution.
Ashley Kider, cleaning expert and COO at Dashing Maids explains, ‘When you buy something for the home, get rid of something you already had. The best thing you can do to keep your house orderly is to reduce the number of things you have to clean and clean around.’
This is also a great closet decluttering tip, helping you avoid piles of clothes you barely wear anymore. For more, visit our fabulous decluttering library.
Keep some decorative storage bins round your home to collect items you are getting rid of when you bring new items home. This way, you don't end up with untidy pile, and items can easily be carried out to the car or to the entryway when donating or selling items
2. Start closing shifts
If you find yourself overwhelmed first thing and struggling to organize your morning routine, or you would prefer to wake up to a tidier house generally, then consider adding a closing shift routine to your resolutions list.
Ashley Kider, cleaning expert continues, ‘Put the house to bed. At the end of the day, before you crawl into bed, tidy up the home. This will look different for everyone but it should not take more than five to 15 minutes and will make all the difference in your mood when you wake up the next day.
‘Some things you can do are emptying the kitchen sink or running the dishwasher, wiping down counters, generally tidying the home (putting miscellaneous things away where they belong so the surfaces are cleared, or sweeping the kitchen floors.’
If you have run out of energy, keep a decluttering desire path style drop basket so you can clear your surfaces into it, and return tomorrow to put things away.
A good all-purpose cleaner helps make cleaning counters at the end of the day easier, fighting grease and bacteria all in one go.
Microfiber cloths are invaluable for quickly cleaning a home. Having a stack to hand in the areas you shut down each evening will make quick wipe downs a breeze, without you having to hunt for cleaning supplies before bed.
Having a long handled broom and dustbin close at hand in your kitchen makes floor maintenance simple without needing to haul out the vacuum last thing at night.
3. Set the goal to do a full declutter
If you would rather set yourself a challenge, rather than a habit change, you could go for a whole house declutter. This will look different to everyone. Some might like to attempt to declutter a whole house in one day (although organizing experts generally advise against this lest you end up decluttering when you feel overwhelmed), while others might like to try the different day, different room housekeeping schedule instead.
Either way, Marla Mock, president at Molly Maid USA explains that ‘Setting a goal to declutter your home in the new year will ensure a clean and comfortable space year-round. Clutter is the result of procrastination, and causes unnecessary stress and anxiety, so start your year on the right foot by tackling this head-on.
‘Though the task may seem daunting, dividing up the tasks by category will make it more manageable. For example, go through your clothes first, then food, papers, etc.’
4. Start a sanitizing routine
If you find yourself always trying to clean a house when you’re too busy, you can set a resolution to focus on target hygiene and create a good cleaning routine from there, suggests Ashley Kider, cleaning expert.
They say, ‘Schedule weekly reminders on your phone to sanitize your phone, car keys, and high-touch points throughout your home (such as light switches, door handles, cabinet handles, and stair railing).
'It only takes a few minutes to wipe everything down with an all-purpose cleaning solution and a microfiber towel. Cleaning these surfaces will reduce the likelihood of sickness among your household ensuring a happy and healthy 2025.’
Keep your anti-bacterial spray out of your cleaning cabinet and in a tidy but easy to reach spot so you re more tempted to disinfect key areas regularly.
5. Start small
If you find that you always start with good intentions but your cleaning habits drop off throughout the year, set a resolution to start with small cleaning tips and build up to bigger tasks. This way, you are more likely to stick to your new daily cleaning habits for a tidier home.
Carolina Kazimierski, Co-Owner and President of Sophia’s Cleaning Service says, ‘My top tip for these types of resolutions is to keep it super simple and easy to stick to. Your resolution can be your starting point – there's really no need to set huge, ambitious goals.
'I've found these are usually the type that people fail to keep up on. Setting a smaller goal like cleaning the bathroom for 15 minutes every evening is going to be so much easier to stay consistent and make a habit, and you can build different cleaning routines from there.’
A good example of this, Marla Mock, cleaning expert, says is to ‘Make it a goal for the new year to make your bed every day. Not only does it make your room look more organized and create a comfortable space to return to at the end of the day, but research has proven that this small accomplishment sets a positive pace for your day.’
Skipping making the bed is something people with tidy homes never do.
6. Make to-do lists more purposeful
If you are always making to-do lists but finding them overwhelming and never end up ticking them off, everything off, it might be a good idea to work on how you use them, suggests Vanessa Terra Bossart, owner of Green Terra Cleaning.
She recommends, ‘breaking larger cleaning tasks into smaller, doable goals to avoid burnout. List one or two things to tackle each week – whether it’s cleaning vents, dusting baseboards, or decluttering a specific area. This will make it easier to track progress and keep motivation high.
‘Bonus points if you choose green cleaning products or DIY cleaning solutions to keep your cleaning resolutions as eco-conscious as possible.’
Keeping a to-do list along with your weekly planner gives you a better idea of when you will have time to tackle certain tasks, rather than rushing to try and get everything done at the end of a busy day
7. Clean as you go
If you spend too much time on chores per week and want to develop smart habits to spend less time cleaning, consider making it a goal to clean as you go, suggests Vanessa Terra Bossart, cleaning expert.
‘It may sound simple, but cleaning as you go can keep the home feeling fresh every day. Whether it’s rinsing dishes right after use or wiping countertops while cooking, small actions make a big impact. To help form this habit, try setting a timer for a quick, daily 10-minute tidy-up – this approach makes cleaning manageable and sustainable.’
Perfect this habit, and you might finally end up enjoying chore-free weekends.
Pairing these cleaning tricks with the New Year’s resolutions you need to stay organized will result in a perfectly tidy, easy-to-manage property this time next year – and who doesn't love that.
