Top 10 Articles of 2020 (as determined by you)

Woot woot! 2020 is FINALLY over! Time to take a look at the top 10 articles of 2020.

Yikes, it was a difficult year. In addition to the normal daily challenges, 2020 added a challenging election with a major pandemic to complicate things even further.

I’m so happy it’s over and I’m ready to see some changes for the better. How about you?

2020 in Review

I start each new year by looking back and reflecting on what happened and changed over the previous 12 months. While doing that, I realized how much you’ve become a part of my life.

If I’m not responding to emails, writing the next article, or creating a new printable, I’m trying to figure out different ways to help you create the home and life you deserve.

Your home, your life, your way. It’s more than just a tagline for me, it’s a personal mission and something I enjoy doing.

Top 10 Articles of 2020

I never really know ahead of time what’s going to resonate and be helpful for you. My only gauge is your response to each article.

When you leave a comment, respond to an email, or save a pin on Pinterest, it tells me that information was helpful.

Each time you like, follow or share a post to a Facebook group, I know that subject matter resonated with you.

THANK YOU for letting me be a part of your life and showing me that what I’m doing is of value to you. Keep letting me know what you need, and I’ll keep providing as much assistance and value as I can.

Now let’s get busy. Here are the top 10 articles, decided by you, in 2020.

1. Silly Decluttering Mistakes You Need to Avoid

I wrote the Decluttering Mistakes article to help you avoid all of the decluttering mistakes I’ve made or seen others make. One of the biggest being purchasing organizing baskets before decluttering.

in the article, I explain how each mistake will likely impact your decluttering project and how to avoid making it.

Little did I know it would resonate with so many of you. This article was so popular that I created a printable guide you can keep handy when planning your decluttering project.

If you haven’t grabbed your copy yet, click the button below.

Get the Free Guide NOW!!!

2. How to Win at Decluttering Sentimental Items Without the Guilt

Sentimental items can be some of the hardest to let go of. This article stirs up a lot of emotions and was written after helping somebody close to me declutter her home.

People often associate physical items with specific people, places, or moments in time. The notion of discarding or giving away any sentimental items can bring about deep feelings of guilt.

The article explores how sentimental clutter might be impacting your life. It offers several helpful strategies for dealing with items you’re emotionally attached to.

I also share ways to preserve the memories without holding on to all of the physical items.

If you have any helpful hints or pictures of how you’ve repurposed your sentimental items, please share. I’m always looking for new ideas.

3. How to Deep Clean an Oven the Easy Way

I can’t think of one person I know that likes cleaning the oven. It’s a pain in the rear.

The self-clean cycle emits a strong odor that makes it difficult to breathe. Spray-on oven cleaners smell even worse and don’t get me started on vinegar (news flash – I can’t stand the smell).

In this article, I cover the odorless (yes, I said odorless) solution I found for cleaning the oven and it’s super easy. I share my DIY non-toxic cleaning recipe and walk you through my entire process.

Readers have had tons of success using this method.

4. 21 Useful Hydrogen Peroxide Hacks to Help You Clean

If you’ve been hanging out with me for more than a couple of weeks, you’ve probably heard me talk about cleaning something with hydrogen peroxide.

It’s one of my favorite antibacterial cleaning products, which is essential in a Covid world. It’s odorless and mixes well with most other products.

This article is a compilation of hydrogen peroxide hacks for household cleaning. I include mix ratios and suggested uses.

Hydrogen peroxide is so useful for cleaning that I update this article each time I discover another use.

5. How to Keep a Clean House with Cats

When I originally wrote this article, I had 2 long-haired cats. One of them was a 25 pound Maine Coon with fur for days.

Keeping up with all of that cat hair was a challenge, not to mention all of the cat toys and litter trails around the house. I swear I could stuff a pillow at least once a week with the amount of fur he would shed.

Once I learned a few cleaning tricks and found some great products, keeping the house clean got a lot easier.

This article outlines the tips that helped me finally get a handle on it all and figure out how to keep my house clean even with two messy furballs. Some of them are total game changers.

6. Bedroom Cleaning Checklist to Deep Clean Like a Pro

I start this post with the startling fact that we spend 1/3 of our lives in our bedrooms. It should be a sanctuary, a place of rest.

That’s a little difficult to do when you have piles of clothes laying around the floor and cobwebs hanging perilously over your head. Not to mention the havoc the dust can wreak if you have any kind of allergies.

Since most of that time is spent sleeping and getting ready for the day, the cleaning often gets overlooked. We rush out the door and don’t think about it again until we’re ready for bed.

This article covers the daily, weekly and deep cleaning tasks that help keep your bedroom the clean and comfortable oasis it should be.

7. Dirtiest Things You Should Be Cleaning

This article was inspired by a good friend who was complaining about how much money she’d recently wasted on a new Dyson vacuum cleaner. She has two dogs and bought the top model to help with the pet hair.

It worked great in the beginning, but after a couple months, it just wasn’t picking up the hair. She was literally ready to throw it in the trash.

I asked her when she had cleaned it last. She looked at me like I had a third eye. Turns out that besides emptying the bin, she’d never cleaned the rest of the vacuum.

After that, she wanted to know what else she should be cleaning but wasn’t.

8. How to Declutter When You Don’t Know Where to Start

One of the questions I get the most often is how to declutter when you’re overwhelmed by too much stuff and just don’t know where to start.

Starting is one of the most difficult parts of decluttering, and some times a little direction can make all of the difference.

This article covers some of the best ways to get started on your decluttering journey

9. Easily Declutter Your Home in One Week

This article was a result of what I call ‘angry’ decluttering. I angry declutter when I’m can’t find something and realize a bit of clutter has built up.

That angry decluttering is a signal I should probably do a once over of the rest of the house. This article is a step-by-step, room-by-room process of how to declutter your entire home in just one week.

Please note if your home is really full of clutter, it will take you longer than a week to finish the entire house.

10. 15 Ways to Increase Storage in a Small Space

Storage is a huge problem in most homes, especially with the amount of stuff we tend to hang onto these days.

This article is a compilation of different ways you can increase and maximize storage in your home to make the most of the space you do have. It has storage ideas for every room in your home.

Don’t forget, I highly recommend decluttering before worrying about storage.

That’s a Wrap of the Top 10 Articles of 2020

There you have it, a summary of the top 10 Articles of 2020 on Tidy Life Happy Wife, as decided by the readers.

Thank You and have an Amazing 2021!