New Year, New Home Resolutions
2020-12-28
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 1/3rd 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