Archives for January 2024

February is just around the corner, and it’s the perfect time to focus on what we love most on this blog—our home! This year I’m participating in the annual month-long challenge to show my home spaces some extra love. It’s where I complete small, simple tasks that create a tidier, and more peaceful place to live. Ready to join me? Let’s make this February the month we fall in love with where we live!

This challenge won’t require you to purchase anything (all that you will need is the FREE Printable).  Instead, we will focus on what we have in our homes and regain an appreciation and love for the items through minimizing, tidying, and refreshing our homes.

At the end of the month, you will be amazed at how simple tasks each day can make a tremendous difference in your home. Consistency is the key and where the magic happens. 

Let’s jump into the Love Your Home challenge!

How The Challenge Works

Each week there will be themes where you will complete tasks in certain parts of your home. Don’t forget to download and print the calendar so you can easily access it each week.

At the beginning of each week review the tasks and select at least three tasks to complete during the week.  Show your love by tagging me in your photos through your stories on Instagram @champsinorganzation.  That’s It!

What Will You Need

The good thing about this challenge is that you probably have everything already in your home.  This challenge is all about decluttering, tidying, and cleaning. A trash bag or box will work for decluttering and use the cleaning supplies that you currently have.  

Week 1 Bedroom

Wash Or Swap Out Your Comforter Set-Wash your comforter and sheets on your bed.  As the comforter and sheets are washing and drying, sanitize your mattress.  When I wash my comforter and sheets, I prefer to do it in the morning as my comforter takes a while to dry.  After the comforters and sheets dry, make up your bed.

Declutter the drawers of your nightstand- Our nightstands can be a catch-all for all the things. To declutter and clean your nightstand,  first, take out everything. Grab a towel and vacuum and clean the drawers.   Declutter any trash and items that you no longer need.  With the remaining items group like items together. Place and organize the groups back in the drawers.

Limit the number of items on the top of your nightstand and only include  3-5 items. Repeat this process tomorrow for your 2nd nightstand!

Clean out your drawers-Similar to decluttering your nightstand, take everything out. Next, clean the drawer. If you have any clothes that you have not worn or have holes or stains, get rid of them.  Fold the remaining clothes and group them by color. Place the items back into the drawer.  Repeat for another drawer tomorrow!

Declutter toys or clothes in your children’s room– Take a box or bag and make a trip to your child’s bedroom. Start by donating clothes that no longer fit. Next, get rid of broken toys and any toys that your child no longer uses.

Week 2 Bathroom

Clear the counters-Look at the current state of your bathroom counters.  Are there items on the counter that you don’t use every day? Find a new home for these items.

Declutter expired, facial products– Declutter and throw away any expired facial products.  

Declutter and clean underneath the sink-Today may take a few extra minutes and you will need a trash bag.  In addition to continuing to declutter expired makeup and facial products, look for old hair products, old cleaning sponges, medicine, vitamins, old razors, and old toys.  Trash any old fingernail polish, old air fresheners, old sponges, toothbrushes, and toothpaste.

Wash your towels– Freshen your towels with a good wash (include vinegar as a bonus).

Deep clean the bathroom– Now that you have freed your bathroom of clutter give your bathroom a deep clean by scrubbing the toilet, shower, and sink. Don’t forget to clean your mirrors.

 

Week 3 Kitchen

This week we will focus on the kitchen, the heart of the home! Our main focus is to declutter the kitchen as it contains an overwhelming number of items.

Empty and clean your refrigerator– Deep clean your refrigerator by first removing every item.  As you remove the food items check the expiration dates on the items.  Throw away any old food.  Remove and wash the shelves.  With the shelves removed, clean the inside of the refrigerator before returning the shelves and food.

Match your Tupperware with your lids– Go through your Tupperware set and declutter any containers that don’t have a lid or vice versa.

Declutter expired food and check for bulky boxes– Check the expiration dates of your spices and food items.  The first time that I decluttered my spices, I was shocked that we were still using spices that had expired several years ago.  If you have food items inside of boxes check your boxes.  Many times once opened, the boxes contains only a small amount of of food.  Taking the food out of the boxes opens up space in your pantry.

Wipe down and clean your appliances– Clean and wipe down your appliances including your microwave, stove, and oven.  If you have help move your refrigerator and give the area behind it TLC by sweeping and mopping.   

Meal plan for the next day– Get ahead for the following week by meal planning.  Plan what you will eat each day and make a list of food items that you will need.  Look in your refrigerator and pantry as you may already have some of the items needed.

Week 4 Living Room

Change your current living arrangement– Look at the current placement of your furniture.  Freshen up your space by moving your couches or chairs.  If you have throw blankets on your couch you can even change the location of the blankets.

Show your sofa love by giving it a cleaning-First, remove the seat cushions and throw away any trash that has become hidden underneath. Next, vacuum any dirt (the amount of crumbs that we find is crazy). Return the cushions. If necessary, spot clean or vacuum the cushions.

Wash your curtains or clean your blinds– Our curtains and blinds are often overlooked when we clean and tidy our homes. If you have washable curtains, give the curtains a quick wash.  If you have blinds use a microfiber towel or vacuum with a soft brush.

Clean any spots on the wall-If you have any spots on the wall gather a towel or soft sponge to remove the dirt.  House Beautiful has a soap solution that will help remove the dirt.  Always test a small spot first and be mindful of the type of paint on your walls.

Look around your living room– Does every item have a home?  Strive to give every item a home.  Baskets work wonders for remote controls.  If you have an entertainment center with drawers, use the drawers as homes for items in your living room.

Bonus: Home Management

During the month of February you can also focus on your home documents.  Below are some extra ideas!

Create a home management binder– All that you need to create a home management binder is a binder and colored paper or dividers to divide each section.  Read all about how to create a home management binder HERE.  You’ll also find inside a free home management cover!

Create A Command Center Or Command Drawer- A command center is a dedicated place where you store your family’s important documents such as mail, calendars, school reminders, appointment reminders, event reminders, etc.  I like to call it a central hub for the home.  In addition to documents, this area can be a designated place where you store your keys, bags, and purses.   Imagine never forgetting where your keys are because you have a standard home for them!

Look for a place today to begin to create a command center– The kitchen, refrigerator, entryway, drawer, and empty walls are great places to create a command center.

Shred or throw away any mail– Do you find yourself constantly saying that you’ll get to your mail but never do? Read through your mail and shred or throw away any documents that you do not need. Consider going digital to reduce mail clutter.

Delete unnecessary email– Take the time to go through your emails and delete old emails.  Also, unsubscribe from companies and subscriptions that you do not need.  This will help with the amount of email that you receive each day.

 

Final Thoughts

The most important part of this challenge is to honor and show your home love.  Most importantly, the Love Your Home Challenge is meant to allow us to learn that we can be content with the items that we have and through hard work we can be happy and love our home. If you are looking to complete major tasks, this article shows how you can break those projects into 1 a month.

 

Click HERE For Your Free Love Your Home Challenge Printable!