Home benefits from New Year’s resolutions, too

"A resolution to avoid an evil is seldom framed till the evil is so far advanced as to make avoidance impossible." Thomas Hardy (1840-1928), English poet and novelist, "Far From the Madding Crowd" (1874)

Over the years in this column, I have bemoaned the fact that I'm not good at resolutions and consequently don't make them anymore. For those of you who make New Year's resolutions and actually achieve them, I would say about 1 percent of you, yippee!

But then I started to rethink the resolution thing. I'm still not going to make them, but so what if you don't actually achieve the full thing. For instance, if your goal is to quit smoking; well, any cigarette that you don't smoke is a good thing. And if you want to lose 30 pounds, and only lose one or two, that's good, too. So I guess the upshot of the resolution thing is that you have good intentions and whatever progress you make toward your goals should be applauded. So here it is -- applause, applause. Congratulations!

Transferring your personal goals to the "home edition" is a very simple task, and more attainable. If you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or any other end-of-the-year holiday, chances are you have decorated your house with holiday fixings. When you take down those holiday decorations, that is the perfect time to make and keep the home edition New Year's resolutions.

Removing the decorations clears the deck and makes way for you to reaccessorize your rooms. And, here's your first resolution: declutter. It's sort of like losing weight, right?

Most of us have too much stuff on our dressers, tables, shelves, etc., and this is a great time to fix it. When you're putting back your regular decorative things, edit them a little. Don't put them all back. Just like dieting, pounds will creep back on over time and so will your accessories. But enjoy the pared down feeling for a while. You may actually like it. Packing them up also will give you a chance to sort and clear out your storage places.

A very important resolution for your home should be to remove and keep out as many unwanted smells, toxins or other compounds that can cause damage to your home and the air in it. Please know that I'm not picking on smokers. I used to smoke and I understand how hard it may be to give it up; however, smoking in your house is just not a good thing.

In addition to making everyone in there breathe in the smoke, smoke and nicotine cause tremendous damage to your home. Just ask anybody who has tried to rent or sell a home where previous occupants smoked. It's expensive and time consuming to clean the ducts and clean, or in some cases, remove carpet. And more than likely, the entire space will have to be painted.

Often times, all of that is not enough to remove the odors. The smell also will permeate any fabric, including lamp and window shades and, in some cases, you can actually see the nicotine stains. Our homes and things in them cost a lot of money and when you can prevent the damage, why not?

If quitting smoking is on your personal list and you can't quite achieve that goal, take it outside. I would think that would get old and possibly cold; and it might just help you quit. Your house and all the things in it will be grateful.

Resolve to treat your home and everything in it with a little more care. Put your home on a maintenance schedule. Don't you sometimes resolve to take better care of yourself? Get regular check-ups; see the dentist twice a year; go the gym; get your eyes checked? Well, our homes are no different and need constant care and upkeep.

We know from personal experience with our bodies that maintenance is the key and if we fail to keep up that schedule, more than likely something will happen that could have been prevented. And what a bad day that is! Change the air filters, get your fireplaces checked out; have your furnace and air conditioning cleaned and checked. And also just like our bodies, pay attention to what your house, your appliances, etc., are saying to you. Your repair bills will reflect how much or how little attention you have paid to the details.

These are just a small sampling of resolutions you can make for your home. If you make and keep a few simple resolutions, living in your home will be a little sweeter and costs a little lower. That sounds like a great situation to me.

So whatever you may resolve to do this year, I wish you every success, in and out of your home.

Carolyn Muse Grant is a founder and immediate past president of the Architectural & Decorative Arts Society, as well as an interior design consultant/stylist specializing in home staging. Send questions to creativemuse@cox.net.