How to Do a New Year’s Refresh for Your Home
There’s many a cliche, idiom and famous quote about keeping your space clean. There’s the classic “Tidy house, tidy mind” and all its variations. You can go slightly more moral (or biblical), with “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.”
You can keep a place spick-and-span, or as clean as a whistle. People have made multi-faceted careers from their love of cleaning, organising and decluttering — just look at Marie Kondo who proclaims to “love mess.”
Libby Sander, an Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour at Bond University, even wrote for The Conversation about the impact clutter has on our bodies — and cited research on how clearing said clutter from the home resulted in “a better ability to focus and process information, as well as increased productivity.”
And when it comes to the start of a new year — goodbye 2022, you’ve been okay at times, and hello 2023 — it’s tempting to treat it as an opportunity to declutter almost everything in our lives. Relationships that need pruning, bodies we believe need trimming (they don’t), personalities that need complete overhauls (once again, they don’t).
At the beginning of this year, 72% of Aussies claimed to have a New Years' resolution. We’re giving you one that’s easier to put into place — mainly because you only have to do it once, and then that’s it for the year. And if you don’t want to do it come January 1, that’s fine; it’s the type of task you can do any time of the year and feel better for it.
Where are we going with this? We’re circling all the way back to keeping your space clean. Not only with a new year’s cleaning checklist (more simple than it sounds, we promise), but also with a new year home refresh. Yes, budget is taken into account — no breaking the bank here.
Even if you don’t necessarily start 2023 off on the right foot, at least your home can.
New Year Cleaning Checklist
We’re not going to take you through every last task in every room of your place; that would make for an endless list. We will hit up the main rooms (especially the ones we here at Sheridan cater to), and give you a variety of tasks you can take on that won’t take it out of you. And for a quick tip: Start with the easiest one, so you feel accomplished having got something out of the way.
Cleaning Your Bathroom
First and foremost, before you start cleaning the bathroom, make sure it’s well-ventilated — open up any windows and the door.
Start with the two easiest things to clean; makeup brushes and razor heads. For the former, go with shampoo and water; rinse your razor head with water, or warm water if there’s any build-up. Go through any drawers and cupboards and check the expiry or use-by date, and chuck everything that’s no longer good. Some brands recycle their packaging back, so have a quick look into it before putting it all curbside.
Next, move onto (or into, literally) the shower — this cleaning job you can do with pantry items and ingredients you (should) already have. Everyone from Better Homes & Gardens to Real Simple to Good Housekeeping recommends this method: a plastic bag or Ziploc, filled with white vinegar distilled with water, tied around the showerhead. Leave it for an hour or so — overnight if it's really grimy — and then let the water run as normal afterwards.
As for the walls, floors, countertops, toilet etc. — give these a scrub and wipe down with the relevant cleaner. Baking soda is god-given for cleaning as well.
Go through all your towels. Any that have been out for longer than a week — put them in the wash. Ones that are pilling or pulling, are patchy in places or seem to be doing a better job at keeping you damp than keeping you dry — put them aside. We’ve got a Recycling Program for you.
Cleaning Your Bedroom
When was the last time you cleaned your mattress? Or, a more simple question — when was the last time you turned or even flipped your mattress?
We’re going to garner that it’s been a while. One of the easiest things you can do is vacuum your mattress. Yep, you heard (read) that right: vacuum it. Just make sure the vacuum you’re using is clean before you do so, or you’ll end up with a bigger mess.
Another task to get on top of, which we’ll also guess that it’s been a while since you’ve done (or even thought of) — cleaning your bedding. Not as in the sheets or pillowcases — here’s hoping you’ve got that on regular rotation — but actually washing the pillows and quilts.
We’ve got a care guide for both (and then some) to help you out; make sure to read the care label before throwing it in your washing machine.
Another answer to how to refresh your home for the new year — clean out your linen cupboard. Empty the whole thing out (dust or vacuum the actual cupboard itself), and sort out everything into their sets. You can use pillowcases to store corresponding sheet sets within — an easy way to keep things neat and tidy — or a reusable tote bag for storage. Repair where you can — loose threads, lost buttons, zips and the like.
If there is bedding that’s just not usable as usual, you can always donate preloved bed linen and towels — of any brand — to our Recycling Program.
You can also do the linen cupboard clean out with your actual cupboard — as in, your wardrobe. Work in bits (ie. shirts, and then pants, then coats), and divvy into piles — put back in rotation, repair, resell, donate, recycle.
Cleaning Your Living Room
This should be one of the easier ones when it comes to your new year’s cleaning checklist — a more open space (hopefully), with fewer nooks and crannies (hopefully).
Head straight to the couch…and don’t plonk down, but get those cushions and throw blankets, and wash as instructed. That could include the fill of the cushions too, depending on how they’ve been used that year (do mine double as a placemat? Not no!).
Go ham with a vacuum in this room, especially in terms of any couches — vacuum underneath, on top, and between the cushion cracks. If you’ve got a leather couch, wipe it down with a damp cloth.
If you’ve got slats or blinds, give them a dust/vacuum/spray and wipe. Oh, and once again, let some air in while you’re doing so.
Got a rug in your rental that covers a carpet that’s probably older than you are? Take it outside and beat it mercilessly against a wall or the ground. Great way to get out any pent-up aggression from 2022, too.
New Year Home Refresh
Okay so yes, that may have been just a bit of work to get through, but doesn’t your space look all the better for it now?
No? Well, if not, that’s where the refreshing comes in — the sprucing, the changing it up, the rearranging; all that jazz. It’s one thing to have a clean space, it’s another to have a space that genuinely feels like home.
So how do you refresh your home for the new year? We’ll tell you.
Refresh Your Bathroom
So you’ve culled your makeup and/or skincare list right down to the essentials, you only need to replace what you’ve truly used and needed, and will reuse again. Make a little moment of it by putting it in a fancy line or cluster; you can even bring in a mirrored tray if there’s space.
If in your clearout, you found old containers, diffusers, and candle jars, you can clean them out and use them as storage — for your (now clean) makeup brushes, razors, toothbrushes, and Q-tips.
One way to add colour and character to your bathroom — whether minimal is more your vibe or a pop of colour — is through towels. Particularly, a towel set, which is an easy all-in-one that looks put together (even if, at times, you aren’t). You can treat yourself to the Supersoft Robe & Towel Set that comes with two robes and two towels, perfect for any…guests.
There’s also the Meridian Towel Set, which comes with two hand towels and two bath towels. It also comes in four colours (pink, green, white and dark grey), so there’s something for every space.
One thing that’s great for zhushing up any kind of bathroom is the humble bath mat — great for keeping your tootsies comfy, and the floor slip-free. The patterns, weaves and colour help add texture and depth to a space as well — look at Alvar, Larken and Newbery.
A cheap and cheerful way to refresh the space is by swapping the lighting out. This is particularly pertinent if you’re currently renting, because we all know landlords love a bright (harsh) white light as opposed to anything the slightest bit softer.
If you have a tub or shower with a curtain (and it’s worn out, has holes, the like), check on Facebook Marketplace to see if there’s anything else going before you go shopping for one — for as cheap as $6 (I just checked), you could change the feel of the whole place.
Another thing that can help change the feel of your bathroom is greenery. Put plants in any available spot (windowsills, countertops, hanging from the towel rail), and you’ve got a place that feels more like an indoor jungle than anything else.
Refresh Your Bedroom
Just like the bathroom, one how to for refreshing your home on a budget is the lighting. Whether it’s a bulb change, moving the lamps around (or even between rooms), getting a new lampshade, or trawling the old Marketplace for a trusty second-hand op, it’s an easy fix. It could even be the old fairy light trick (no it’s not basic, it’s magical). It could also just involve opening the curtains or blinds or even changing said curtains out.
Now that you’ve gone through and sorted out your linen cupboard, you can play mix and match with your existing bedding — we’ve got some fool-proof colour combos for you that’ll bring interest to your space. Maybe it’s adding a popular pattern or a coloured sheet under your existing white quilt cover.
Sometimes adding something like a bed cover, a throw or a blanket, is enough to make the old feel new again. Come winter, and your past self will thank you. Styling some colourful, textured, patterned, or just differently sized cushions atop your bed can act as a focal point on your bed
If you’ve done the clear-out and it still feels cluttered, you could invest in a bed skirt so you’re able to use underneath your bed frame for storage, or you can pick up old wicker baskets and place them around your room as a sneaky space to keep stuff kept away.
There’s also the tried and true method of just…rearranging your room. Move your bed closer or farther away from the window, put a table in that corner instead of against this wall. Throw a rug (or two!) down to keep it all interesting. If you do have any tabletop space, group together whatever nice-looking keepsakes you may have — hardcover books, a vase, dried flowers, a framed photo.
Refresh Your Living Room
And last (but not least) on your new year home refresh is possibly the highest foot-traffic room in the house — the living room.
A place for friends, family and one-night guests to hang out (hopefully not all at the same time), you want it to look as good as possible. And honestly, it’s just a wee bit obvious when the space is looking a little tired.
The first way to make it feel new again is the same as the other two rooms — open up the windows, change out the bulbs, and get greenery in place. Oh yeah, and rearranging the furniture.
The living room’s the prime space to turn into a jungle, on account of all the flat surfaces that are on offer. TV cabinets, side tables, window sills, kitchen tables. There’s also (generally) more floor space as well, meaning you can go for a statement plant in a statement pot.
Frames, artworks, photos — if you can’t hang your items, you can do leaning clusters on the above flat surfaces, or even just against the wall. If you don’t have a bookcase, you can go for the old coffee table stack trick, making you look well-read and sophisticated; it also serves as a reminder to accomplish your New Year’s resolution of reading more.
Stacks of hardback books also serve as a platform for an artsy vignette — a sculpture, an artsy (unused) candle, a paperweight, a succulent.
If your flat surfaces are a little dated — or friends and family won’t use coasters for their drinks no matter how many times you’ve asked them — the easiest way to make them feel new again is with the help of a tablecloth. And no, not the plastic party one you got years ago for an event you can barely remember, a grown-up, on-trend one — like our Abbotson Linen Tablecloth, coming in the colour flax for neutral-lovers, or striped for those who prefer a bit of colour.
Another way to freshen up your home on a budget is with a rug — jute, tassled, shag, faux fur, wool. Whether your floor is carpet or wood, a carefully placed rug can change the feel of a space — especially if you play with sizes and textures. Go for a colourful one under the coffee table, or something stylish peeking out from under the lounge.
And last but not least, while we’re on the subject of lounges — it’s time for your cushions and throws to make their appearance. They’re possibly the easiest ways to make your space feel new again; more is more when it comes to something that adds so much personality. And if you’re wondering how to style them, we’ve got six tips for you.
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From $119.99Abbotson Linen Pillow Sham -
From $59.95Larken Bath Mat -
From $14.95Living Textures Towel Collection