A house that is well organized and less cluttered feels calmer, looks better, and operates more efficiently than a home that goes neglected and disorganized, with clutter strewn about. Easier said than done, however, since the pace of life these days often keeps people too busy to attend to wish-list tasks and too exhausted to undertake them even when they have the time. Not only that, but it’s hard to know where to even start a significant cleanup project, so sometimes people just don’t begin at all.

But organizing a home doesn’t have to be so overwhelming and taxing. The trick is to start small and not try to tackle the whole thing in one fell swoop. Use this monthly checklist to break down large chores into smaller, more manageable increments completed throughout the year, and your house will be running like a fine-tuned machine in no time!

Monthly Checklist:

• January: Pack up all your holiday decorations and return them to clearly marked boxes and bins as you clean and straighten common areas of your home as you go. Didn’t use that tree stand, tablecloth, or wreath the past few years? Make a donation pile of no-longer-used holiday items and drop them off at your nearest Goodwill the next time you’re running errands.
• February: Now that all your holiday cooking and hosting is over, it’s a good time to clean out the pantry, dispose of expired and unused foodstuffs, and reorganize your kitchen shelves.
• March: It’s almost tax time, making it the perfect opportunity to go through all your files and drawers of paperwork and bills, throwing out anything you no longer need.
• April: This is the month of spring cleaning—a reenergizing and rejuvenating time of year to get home surfaces sparkling and home textiles aired out. But first, you have to restock all your cleaning supplies: make one trip to the store for kitchen, bathroom, dusting, vacuuming, and sanitizing supplies.
• May: Now that the warmer weather is here, sort through your family’s winter clothes—in dressers, drawers, and closets—laundering what needs to be cleaned, storing what won’t be needed until winter, and donating items no longer worn.
• June: It’s a great month to attend to the kitchen, so open the windows and turn on some tunes as you clean and organize kitchen cabinets and drawers and weed out any pans and cooking utensils you no longer use. You can even add a backsplash or paint an accent wall a new color to freshen things up!
• July: The long days of summer offer the chance to take on the bathrooms while there’s daylight to spare. Go through cabinets and medicine closets, eliminating whatever’s not needed to make more space and then straightening up everything that’s staying. Set up accessories—like electric toothbrushes, hair styling tools, and cups and soap dispensers—in such a way to eliminate morning chaos as everyone gets ready for the day.
• August: Before a new school year starts is a prime time to get the kids’ rooms in order: fold clothes, clean out closets, go through the toy chest and donate unused items, get the bookshelves back in order.
• September: It’s time to put the summer things away and get the winter apparel back out again. Shop for school supplies, organize and label your kids’ school supplies and lunch boxes, maybe even map out a weekly meal calendar so you know what groceries to buy and prep for quick breakfasts, wholesome lunches, and ready-to-go snacks.
• October: As fall sets in, get your family room ready for quality family time by organizing your movie and video game collection, tidying up the software and technology in the entertainment center, and dusting off the books and photos in the room.
• November: In preparation for the holiday season, clean windows, draperies, and carpets so your house looks its best and is ready for company. Stock the guest bathroom if you’re expecting visitors.
• December: With all your closets and cabinets in order, you’ll be ready to wrap all those holiday gifts you now have time to shop for, decorate your home, and get to all that cooking and baking!

Feel free to reorganize this checklist any way that works best for you—like starting in rooms that you use the most or with the chores you enjoy the most—and know that you can begin at any time. It’s never too late or the wrong time of the year to launch a home improvement initiative that will improve your quality of life!

Home Services Enterprise is happy to help with cleaning and organizing your home. Call 301-674-9564 or visit www.homeservicesenterprise.com.