New Year, New Home Resolutions

Out with the old, in with the new – to celebrate 2021 and new beginnings, we’ve compiled a list of home resolutions to keep your space clean all year long. Whether you’re a Maire Kondo protégé or one in four Americans who mop once a month or less* (yikes!), we have tidy tips for everyone. So, let’s start with some essentials.  

How to start 2021 clean and organized 

Declutter  

Before you jump into actual cleaning, it’s important you toss out anything unnecessary – yep, we’re looking at you, mystery pantry items. If you haven’t used something in months, it seems damaged, nearly empty (you probably won’t be using that peanut butter jar with half a scoop left) or is worn-out – say goodbye. Grab those trash bags, cue up some Beyonce, and rid yourself of clutter.  

Create a cleaning schedule  

Once the clutter is gone and you can (finally!) see your floors, it’s time to think about cleaning. For many of us, 70% in fact*, the biggest frustration with cleaning is how quickly things get dirty again. The best way to guarantee a spotless home? Pencil in time to clean regularly. When you have a routine, cleaning becomes less of a time suck and your house won’t have dirt and clutter build up. Pro tip: we recommend cleaning surfaces (floors, countertops, table, etc) once a week and deep cleaning (washing windows, cleaning blinds, vacuuming couches) monthly.  

Make your bed  

We swear by this tip! It’s our favorite way to turn our mood around, make our room look a little neater, and it barely takes any time. Instead of wasting time in bed doom-scrolling through Instagram or snoozing (again!) get up and make your bed to start the day off right. Plus, you’ll be happy at bedtime when you return to a tidy bed for those Zzzs! Especially with many of us continuing to work from home, wrapping your workday with a clean, hotel-like bed experience feels especially indulgent.   

Wash your sheets regularly  

Speaking of beds, it’s more important than ever to wash your sheets regularly – especially with our faces being constantly covered with masks. This one may be a bit…obvious, but it is an easy cleaning task to overlook. While this is second nature for some of us, we also understand many of us forget.  Pro tip: Silk pillowcases are a great bed refresh – they support a luxurious sleep, skin and hair health AND regulate body temperature.  

Spray your shower after EVERY use  

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, if you have a shower door, clean it every time you take a rinse! It’s so tedious and time consuming trying to remove built up scum. To save yourself some time and mental sanity, give your shower doors a daily spritz before you hop out. Be more efficient at cleaning with our best cleaning hacks.  

Toss out one old item for each new one  

The holiday season can result in a gift haul – a new Christmas sweater, a Black Friday gadget you scored, or even a festive candle. For every new thing, try to get rid of at least one old thing. This is foolproof way to ensure no clutter builds up over the year and it’s a great way to continuously donate items to those in need. Organizations like the Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity will even pick up large items from your home, making it even easier to give back We think Joshua Becker would be proud of this resolution.  

Bonus Tips for Robotic Vacuum Users  

As a robotic vacuum user, you’re already one step ahead in your commitment to maintaining a clean home – but to get EVEN more out your robotic vacuum cleaner and make your cleaning experience even more hassle-free in 2021, here are some RVC-specific resolutions to adopt in 2021.  

Wet the mopping pad before mopping 

ECOVACS owner RP swears by this. After wetting the pad, squeeze the water out then install it on a cleaning cloth plate to increase your robot’s efficiency. This small step will help the water to seep through the cloth more evenly and you’ll be happy when your floors look even more sparkly.  

Clean out the dust bin regularly  

We get it, emptying the dust bin is annoying, but doing so frees up your robot to suck up more dirt and debris to ultimately be more efficient. ECOVACS users DeeGee and Cory recommend emptying the bin regularly and even checking the rollers for hair after each use to prevent damage. Good maintenance will go a long way.  Plus, your robot will be ready to use for the next time and you can just set it and forget it, according to ECOVACS owner Bernie. And if you don’t want to empty the bin of your robot for a month, check out our Auto-Empty Station that can hold up to 30 days of dirt and debris. 

Turn on Quiet Mode to maximize vacuum battery  

Getting a little more out of your robotic vacuum is as simple as setting it to quiet mode according to ECOVACS owner James. While not every vacuum may have these features, setting the robot to vacuum mode will shut off carpet boost, which will lengthen battery life. Plus, you’ll have a slightly less noisy clean J  

Run the robot after cooking  

Whether you’re just frying eggs or making a three-course meal, scheduling your robot to vacuum after you’ve cooked can guarantee a consistent clean. You’ll be thankful when your feet won’t be spreading flour throughout the house – we've been there. And for the 1/3^rd of who aren’t vacuuming weekly*, this is an easy way to get yourself into a routine cleaning schedule.  

*According to a November 2020 ECOVACS survey of over 1,000 respondents