As the new year approaches, it’s the perfect time for a fresh start—and a home refresh is probably just what you need! While many of us focus on common areas like the living room or bedroom, there are plenty of overlooked spaces that can become cluttered over time. Especially if you shove everything in the closet before the Mindful Mop crew comes to clean (we see you.) So here’s a guide to help you declutter the forgotten spots in your home and make 2025 your most organized year yet. Team Mindful Mop is here to do the rest of the dirty work 🙂
Under the Sink
The space under your sink is one of the easiest places to ignore. It often becomes a haphazard collection of cleaning supplies, old sponges, and forgotten bottles of half-used products. YIKES. We need to start from scratch here. This means taking everything out, wiping down the shelves, and evaluating what you actually use. Are there empty or expired products lurking in the back? I know there is…Please just throw them away! Consider investing in small baskets or drawer organizers to keep everything neat and easy to access. The result? A much tidier, more aesthetically pleasing and functional space, where you can find what you need without digging through a mountain of mold-invested supplies.
The Junk Drawer
Don’t lie…We all have at least one drawer in the kitchen or entryway that has slowly transformed into a junk drawer. Pens, receipts, paperclips, random rubber bands, and old takeout menus somehow end up in this convenient catch-all space. HAHA we have a couple of these ourselves right now. To tackle this mess, we need to first empty the drawer completely and sort everything into piles. Decide what you actually use regularly and what can be tossed or donated. You might even find some old goodies you’ve forgotten about! But don’t get distracted for too long in the worm hole of memory lane. Make a quick trip to the container store or go on amazon to grab some drawer organizers or small containers to keep utensils, scissors, or even batteries neatly arranged. This small step can make a huge difference in how easy it is to grab what you need.
Our favorite under the sink organizer 1
Top of Your Closet Shelf
This one I am especially guilty for during the fall and spring, when the seasons change and my out-of-season clothing is just…in the way. Because when you’re in a hurry, it’s easy to shove things out of sight on top of your closet shelf, right? Seasonal clothes, extra bags, and old storage boxes tend to pile up here. But as time goes on, the clutter grows, and before you know it, it’s hard to even remember what’s up there or stop it from tumbling down every time you need one article of clothing from the pile. We have to start by pulling everything down and assessing what’s still useful and like relevant to this season. Now is the time to donate clothes you haven’t worn in the past year, box up out of season clothing and move it to storage. This way, the top shelf won’t become a chaotic catch-all, and you’ll have easy access to everything stored there.
Here are our favorite seasonal clothing storage bags
Our favorite clothing storage bins for the closet
The Linen Closet
The good old linen closet might seem like an innocuous spot, but it often ends up overflowing with mismatched towels, blankets, and sheets. It’s common to hold onto items “just in case,” but these extra linens can quickly take up space that could be used more efficiently. How do we solve this? Well let’s begin by taking everything out and sorting it into categories: towels, sheets, pillowcases, and blankets. Throw out anything that’s too worn or stained and donate items that no longer match or are in excess. I promise you, you don’t need the ratty old beach towel from the 90s. Fold the remaining necessary linens neatly and arrange them by type and size for easy access. Shelf dividers or storage baskets can help maximize the space and keep everything organized.
That’s it folks! Your house is now more organized and ready to get freshly cleaned by the Mindful Mop team in 2025!!! By focusing on these overlooked spaces, you’ll not only make your home feel cleaner but also reduce stress and create a more functional living environment for the new year. Decluttering is a great way to start fresh and enjoy a more organized home. So roll up your sleeves, grab some trash bags and containers, and tackle these areas today—your future self (and our cleaning team) will thank you!
