The “Clean and Treat” Trick Will Transform Your Messy Kitchen
Apartment Therapy’s January Cure is a free 20-day program that’ll help you refresh your home for the year ahead. Sign up here and get all assignments delivered to your inbox.
The first week of the January Cure is now complete, and we’ve done so much already to prep for the year (and projects) ahead. To round out the week, we’ll be dedicating today to doing whatever you want to get done — whether it’s catching up on an assignment, starting a new project, or getting some cleaning done. That’s right! It’s a “choose-your-own-adventure” Cure day, and here’s how it’ll go.
Day 5: Pick a task and treat yourself.
Today and the next two Fridays of the Cure, you’ll be deciding what you need to work on. Do you need to play some catch-up on previous assignments? Or, want to take on a bigger project that you do in one day or spread out to get done over the weekend? Or maybe you just want to do something completely different. Below, we share some ideas to get you started.
Finish (or start) a previous assignment.
Deep clean the kitchen.
For a bigger lift, you can check off a task from the cleaning to-do list you created on day three or do something else you’ve been meaning to finish. For instance, deep cleaning a spot in the kitchen! You could take care of the kitchen drain, clean your stovetop, take grease off the cabinets, get your oven sparkling clean, or attend to your dishwasher (including the filter!).
Whatever you decide to do today (or in the next few days), just make sure you’re treating yourself to something good after all your hard work. After all, one of the best ways to keep you motivated to stay on task is to pair it with a reward (beyond the reward of completing the task, of course). So go out and buy yourself some pretty flowers to put on your kitchen table, enjoy your favorite snack on the couch, or light a nice-smelling candle in your living room.
Share what you worked on today — and what your treat was — in the community forum.
More ways to participate in the January Cure:
- Sign up for email updates.
- Visit the 2026 January Cure page and catch up on assignments.
- Download the January Cure calendar.
- Activate your free membership to talk about all things Cure in our community forum, check off completed tasks, and track your overall January Cure progress!
The Cure Program is a tradition here at Apartment Therapy — it happens every January, April, and September. Click here to learn more about the year-round program and when to sign up.