Use the New Year to Revisit Overlooked Household Cleaning

A yearly reset offers a chance to check the spaces and equipment that busy holiday routines often leave behind.

Look beneath and inside

The Homes & Gardens New Year checklist includes carpets, spaces under furniture and appliance interiors. It recommends removing loose dirt before deeper textile cleaning and checking the areas concealed by larger pieces. Refrigerator shelves, drawers and seals are also included, with old food removed before the interior is cleaned and everything thoroughly dried.

Add the small neglected details

Window tracks, pillowcases and towels appear alongside the larger kitchen tasks. The guide notes that bedding care depends on the item, and pillow instructions should be checked rather than applying one machine-wash setting to everything. These tasks can form a seasonal review rather than a requirement to clean the whole home at once. Use the list to identify what has been missed, then select surface-appropriate methods and follow each appliance or textile manufacturer's care instructions.

A yearly reset offers a chance to check the spaces and equipment that busy holiday routines often leave behind.