We all know the feeling. The decorations are away for another year and your home looks and feels a little lacklustre. During the year, our homes go through a huge amount of change, even if they don’t feel like it. From spring to winter, our homes evolve and can become cluttered and unorganised. Thanks to busy lives, we often forget to have a good clear out and sort through the things that we harbour all year round.

Having a calm and organised home should be at the top of your New Year’s Resolution list. With that in mind, here are 10 things you can do to create a more organised home this year.

Clean Behind Furniture

The saying “out of sight, out of mind” is appropriate for this task. How often do you, truly, pull out all of your furniture and give everywhere a good clean? We get into the habit of cleaning around furniture and only tidying the places we can see. Behind sofas, TVs and under shelves all gather dust and debris from your home, so should be tidied as often as you can.

Always Load the Dishwasher After Eating

It can seem like a huge task when all you want to do is lounge on the sofa and watch TV. However, taking 10 minutes to clean the pots and put dishes away after eating makes the job much easier.

There’s nothing worse than waking up to a sink full of dishes and before you know it, you’re late for work. The 10 minutes spent doing it after using is much better than the 20-30 minutes spent scrubbing and cleaning away lingering smells the next day.

Clear Out the Kitchen Cupboards

Take everything out of your cupboards and carry out a mini-stocktake. Restock all of the staples, such as flour, sugar and tinned goods and replenish your condiments. Clearing your kitchen cupboards out all of the items you no longer need or which are out of date will allow you to see what you actually have. We all get into the habit of just sticking things back in without really thinking about it, which causes a build-up of items.

Keep Your Shoes And Boots Under Control

A shoe rack by the door is a great idea, but a tub or storage unit may work better in getting rid of clutter. If you have small children who forget to tidy shoes away, a wooden crate may be the best option.

Set a rule that only two pairs of shoes per person are allowed downstairs at one time. This way, you can monitor and keep on top of any mounting piles of shoes. Keep a roll of bin bags and newspapers in your storage compartment for wet and muddy shoes, so that you are not treading them through the house.

Keep Post in One Place

If your post is scattered in a number of different places, then you’ll know how frustrating it is when you need something. Don’t allow letters and bills to build up on the kitchen table or countless worktops. Assign post to one place in the house and treat this as the holding area. A letter tray, bookends or even a cupboard will help to keep it all in one place. Set aside some time each week to go through and deal with urgent letters and file the other ones away.

Love Your Home Office

If you work from home, then it is likely that your home office is slightly unloved. Once the day is over and we close the door, we forget about what a mess home offices can become. Spend some time injecting a little bit of love into the room.

Small things, such as filing systems, desk tidies and organisers can all make a huge difference to your workspace. Add some homely touches to the room with scented candles, artwork and soft furnishings to make it cosier. If you spend a large portion of time in there, look to freshen it up with some new wallpaper, new coat of paint or comfy office chair or sofa. A pair of curtains or different types of blinds means you can control the light that comes into the room and keep the warmth in.

Make Your Cleaning Schedule Easier

Setting time aside once a week to clean is quite a daunting thought and something you’re likely to dread. Things can easily pop-up, so you may quickly fall behind on your routine in just a few weeks. Make cleaning easier on yourself by keeping cleaning materials to hand. It’s far easier to spend 10 minutes cleaning the bathroom one evening if the items are already there.

Keep a basic cleaning kit in the different rooms of the house for mid-weekly spruce ups, and save any bigger tasks for another time. This can save you time in the long run and is less effort. Having an ongoing routine is much less of an overbearing burden than a huge weekly task.

Make Your Bed Each Morning

You start and end every day in bed, so treat it as a sacred place. It only takes a few minutes to make your bed each morning and makes your room feel more put together. There is something relaxing and energising knowing you’ve made your bed ready for the evening. Plus, by making your bed you start each day knowing you have accomplished something.

Add Touches Of Greenery

A few touches of greenery here and there will really liven up your room. A mini tree and potted plant will make your home seem less bare, especially after Christmas. As well as an instant pop of colour and beauty, they also make the room and air seems fresher. Look for quirky or colourful plant pots to pop them in and scatter them around your home. The kitchen and bathroom areas can really benefit from live plants.

Wash Your Curtains

You look up at the cobwebs or dust each morning when you open them, yet you never get round to washing them. Everyone is slightly reluctant to take their curtains down as it seems like such a huge job, but it can make a big difference. It takes just an hour or so to take down, clean and rehang curtains, yet no one does it as often as they should. January is a time for freshness, and clean curtains will transform the room.