Spring Cleaning

Hello all! Happy Wednesday!

The days are getting longer, the sun is setting later, and we are having more days that are warmer rather than freezing…there’s nothing quite like spring. I can hardly wait for next month!

Ever since the start of the new year I have been in cleaning and organizing mode. From closets, to cabinets, under beds and all around the house. I tossed and donated A LOT! I first blamed it on being coped up in the winter and wanting to get things tidied up after the holidays. Then I said I was getting my spring cleaning out of the way. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. The one thing I didn’t do was take any before or after pictures…blogger fail. So I apologize for the lack or pictures in this post.

If you are on the fence about doing some spring cleaning or need that extra push to get it done, I hope this post serves as that motivation.

Here’s some tips and tricks for spring cleaning:

• Start small
  • It can get overwhelming to start cleaning and organizing. Don’t get too stressed out about the mess or clutter, instead break it up. Start with a closet one afternoon or cabinets one night.  For example, I did my closet on Sunday after work, then the following week, I worked on organizing shoes and donating ones that didn’t fit. The following week, I went through my drawers. I broke it up when I had the time and I worked on small areas. I had a sense of accomplishment at the end of each task but wasn’t burnt out after a mass undertaking of non-stop cleaning.
• Make a List
  • If you can’t get to everything in one day or even one month, keep a running list of things of things you want to tackle. Sometimes I would be going about my day and would see a cabinet that needs organized or tidied up, if I didn’t have the time to tackle that in that moment, I jotted it down to clean it out when I had the time. I had a list to refer to when I had time to clean or organize and then it was always good to see how far you have come with organizing.
• Use It or Lose it Rule
  • This is a question I ask myself if I’m on the fence about getting rid of something. There are some things I know can be an easy decision to donate or toss. But then there’s the other things that may be harder to decide to donate or keep. The first question I ask myself is “Have I used or worn this in the past year?”, yes, the pandemic makes it tricky, but if I have used or worn it then I keep, if I haven’t then I reconsider. The second question I ask myself is “If I keep it, will I use it within the next few months?”, if the answer is yes, then I keep it and I do my best to use or wear it. This is another way to make sure you are using or wearing what you have.
• Don’t buy organizational tools while you are in the thick of it.
  • This is easier said than done. It can be easy to be cleaning something and then think, “I need to buy a new bin or desk organizer”. Hold off on buying a new tool or item, instead see what you must use. For example, for the longest time, I thought I needed a new jewelry box. I hunted for one for a while, but kept coming up empty handed. I went through my jewelry and ended up getting rid of things that were broken or I hadn’t worn and was able to reorganize my jewelry and turns out I didn’t need a new jewelry box. That’s another benefit of cleaning or reorganizing, you find new purposes for old things.

Those are just a few ideas or tips when it comes to spring cleaning. I have spent a lot of time over the past few months cleaning, tidying and reorganizing and it has been so nice to see more clean and empty spaces around my house and room. For those who enjoy spring cleaning and organizing, what are your top tips for cleaning? Drop them below!