5 New Year Household Clean Up Projects

Posted by jfoster | 0 comments

The Japanese have a tradition called Oosouji in which they clean their homes from top to bottom at the new year. This is to cleanse and purify the home of negative influences from the previous year. I love that sentiment. There are certain projects that I do religiously at the beginning of every year to get rid of as much previous year clutter as I can. The key word is “purge”. Get rid of the old to  make room for the new.

 1. Refrigerator purge and cleanout - This includes not only getting rid of that jar of mustard that expired 6 months ago, but also cleaning and disinfecting the shelves and veggie bins.

2. Cabinet purge - This kills two birds with one stone: It gets rid of all of the expired spices, canned goods, and pasta and at the same time makes space for all of those New Year’s resolution foods I’ll inenvitably buy. 

 3. Under the sink cabinet purge - The cabinet under our sink has become the collecting place of all things chemical in our house. Everything from antifreeze to copper cleaner to furniture polish. If it hasn’t been used in the past year, it gets thrown away or taken to the dump for proper disposal.

4. Kitchen junk drawer purge- Get rid off all of those random coupons, receipts, old batteries, and whatever else that seems to accumulate in that drawer that no one uses.

5. Closet and dresser purge – If it doesn’t fit or hasn’t been worn it in the past year, it gets donated to a local charity that can put it to good use.

What are you new year household rituals?