Resolve to Beat the January Blues

It’s the new year, and by this point you’ve probably been celebrating Christmas for almost two months. That’s just the way we do things in modern America, where each year the Twelve Days of Christmas seem to inch closer to becoming twelve WEEKS of Christmas. I don’t know about you, but as much as I’ve enjoyed the parties, the treats, the gifts, the music, the family time, etc., by the time January rolls around I am more than ready to ditch the tree and the wreath and all the remnants of The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. However, once the trappings of the season are put away and life resumes its normal schedule, I often find myself slipping into a post-holiday funk. Sure, January is the month of new beginnings. But that includes the beginning of a long, grey winter with no more colorful lights to brighten the darkness. Any of that cold white stuff that may have seemed so magical when it fell in December quickly turns dirty, brown, and ugly. Bundling up several times a day in frigid temperatures to do simple things like walking the dog or checking the mailbox becomes a major chore. Hibernation is starting to sound like a viable option.

Make a New Year’s Resolution

Yes, I’m afraid the January doldrums are setting in already. But I’m hoping to distract myself from this by adopting a meaningful New Year’s resolution for 2018. Like most people, I have sort of a love/hate relationship with New Year’s resolutions. I like the idea of starting a year with a goal of some sort. But I dislike my usual inability to follow through by the time February rolls around. Nonetheless, I’m thinking I may have come up with a realistic one this year — and one that I think can make a difference in my whole family’s life. Instead of making a resolution to get by body in shape this year, what if I make a resolution to get my HOUSE in shape?

Replace holiday decor

First of all, part of the post-holiday blues comes from taking away the pretty decorations and returning the house to its normal “blah” status. What if I could find a way to spruce up the living room with accessories that could brighten up the place for the other 11 months of the year? It doesn’t have to cost a lot. Maybe all it takes is a potted plant to replace the Christmas tree, or some colorful throw pillows and non-Christmasy candles to add to some of surface space now vacated by holiday decor.

Schedule small purges

Second, and maybe most importantly, having a clean and relatively tidy house definitely helps to brighten my mood. So as part of my resolution for this year, I think I will promise myself to set aside 20 minutes each week to purge a cabinet or a closet or a drawer. That’s totally doable, and the results will add up to a huge difference if I can keep it up for 52 weeks. I’m also going to enjoy having my home professionally cleaned, without feeling one ounce of guilt about it. I know that cleaning is not my strength, so leaving it to the professionals ensures that it will get done right. My home and my family deserve it. If you feel the same, be sure to check out Immaculate Clean’s New Year specials, starting as low as $92! Text “New Years” to 410-549-0727.  

5 Tips for Tackling Your Holiday To-Do List

If you read my blog post last month, https://immaculateclean.com/blog/tis-the-season-for-holiday-stress/ you already know that I have been stressing about this year’s Christmas preparations since before Halloween. After much careful analysis, I’ve concluded that most of that stress is due to the fact that the holiday “To-Do” list in our house looks much like this:

6 Easy Ways to Make House Cleaning Less of a Chore

House cleaning is a necessary evil that just needs to be done if you want to maintain a healthy, happy home. So how do you make this chore less dreadful and more fun? Our Maryland cleaning crew has a few ideas:

Play some music

There is something about music that boosts your enthusiasm and makes whatever you are doing more fun. You could blast your iPod via a portable speaker or turn on one of those music channels on your TV.

Put cleaning on your calendar

No one likes to spend weekends cleaning, so why not spread your chores throughout the week? If you clean one room a day, they’ll never get messy to the point of a weekend-long cleaning ordeal. And unless you live in a mansion, you’ll be done by the end of the week, which means you’ll have the weekend all to yourself or to spend with your family.

Use a timer

How much cleaning can you get done in 20 minutes? It might not sound like enough time to do anything, but you’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish if you just stay focused on cleaning. Set your kitchen timer to a short interval and don’t stop cleaning until it goes off. In just 20 minutes, you can put away surface clutter, load your dishwasher, gather laundry in the basket and even vacuum one room.

Make a to-do list

Cleaning may feel overwhelming, especially if you treat it like it’s one big chore. Try creating a check list. Do the laundry—check! Put away clean dishes— check! Organize the pantry—check! Clean the bathrooms—check! Wash the kitchen floor—check! Dust—check! Vacuum—check! This way, you will feel more accomplished as you cross each item off your list. And house cleaning won’t feel like it’s never-ending, because you’ve just itemized it on a piece of paper. If you love apps and gadgets, you can use a to-do app on your phone—there are plenty to choose from. Some apps even allow you to assign tasks to family members, which is a great way to get everyone involved in maintaining a clean home.

Reward yourself

For some people, just having a clean house is rewarding enough. If you are not one of these people, then come up with something to make cleaning more rewarding. Go out to your favorite restaurant after cleaning, sneak in an episode of your favorite show or take a power nap. Whatever your guilty pleasure is, indulge in it after you are done cleaning—you deserve it!

Hire a cleaning service

A live-in maid might not be a viable option, but you can certainly afford a weekly or biweekly professional cleaning service. As a Maryland cleaning company, we help many homeowners like you maintain a healthy, happy and more harmonious home. Just let us know what your top priorities are and you won’t have to worry about anything. It’s not the lazy approach—it’s a smart way of cleaning for people who value their time. Consider hiring a service if you have a busy schedule. We all know that life is busy and we need time to relax, and time to spend with family and friends. Live in Maryland and tired of cleaning? Contact us to work out a cleaning schedule that will meet your cleaning needs and fit into your budget.