Spring has sprung and it’s time for some spring cleaning!
Each year when spring is emerging the mind and body emerge too. We are now ready to clear away the clutter that has accumulated as we enjoyed nesting during the winter months.
So much stuff in so many rooms where on earth to begin? Here’s an outline of different spaces in the home and a few tips on how to purge these spaces and welcome the new energy the spring season brings.
Let’s start with your entryway. It’s time to put those heavy coats and winter boots away. Purge any missing mates to mittens and gloves and make room for rain boots and light weight jackets.
Rid your entryway of old mail. I often use a tray or basket for new mail that is only large enough to hold a few days or up to one week’s mail. Take a minute each week to stay on top of this and you will never have the stacks of unopened mail to deal with.
Next up is the kitchen.
Time to look at all of your dry goods and rid your cabinets of any outdated or never used items. You will be surprised how much you have that you don’t use.
Create a morning cupboard. If your mornings feel rushed getting everyone out the door consider keeping cereals, breakfast bars, protein powder and other morning routine items in the same place. You can store vitamins and supplements on a shelf here too.
Finally, remove everything on the countertops that don’t pertain to cooking and eating. Over crowded countertops makes preparing meals a challenge and often times results in less healthy food selections.
Don’t forget your refrigerator. This is a great time to throw away old condiments and other items that will never be used. Clean off the shelves and purchase small mesh baskets to keep loose food items in.
Laundry room: This is a space of great distress for so many of my clients. The first thing to do here is to remove any unused laundry supplies, old or broken hangers and anything not laundry related. Now it’s time to review your system. If you don’t have one, creating one is a great idea if you have an active family with more than 2 members. I’m a big fan of everyone having their own laundry bin. A laundry schedule will help keep things in order as well. Designate a day for laundry and have each family member bring their bin to the laundry room on that day. This will keep the clothes from mounting up on the floor leaving you no with room to navigate. This is also a great opportunity to get your school age children involved with household chores.
Next are garages and sheds.
This is the ideal time to get these two spaces cleaned out and ready for use. Let’s start once again with a good purge. Any broken or unused yard equipment should go. Expired seeds, old work gloves, old hoses or anything not in use should find another home or be thrown out. When setting aside for donation keep in mind that if you cant use it neither can anyone else. Some things are simply ready for trash or recycling.
Using wall mounted hangers for rakes, brooms and other garden tools provides more space and allows for easy access. I like to use containers for items like soil, seeds and other planting needs. A small bucket can be used for smaller gardening tools and placed on a shelf with a label.
Your tools should be hung or organized in a such a way that it only takes a few minutes to grab a hammer. If this isn’t happening consider purchasing a tool organizer or work bench with drawers. I love peg board and it is super useful for hanging smaller hand tools. Keeping nails, screws and bolts in clear containers with lids and placed on a shelf keeps surface spaces clear and ready for use.
Finally we move onto toys.
Every family I have worked with has had to face this at one time or another. It’s a constant game of purging when you have growing children so getting into a yearly routine is a great idea.
Rid yourself of the kids toys your children are no longer using. Your children do not have the same emotional attachment to these things that you might and there are plenty of children in need! Books are such a wonderful gift but if we don’t purge often enough we end up with our own children’s library.
Have your child select a favorite or two to keep and then purge any books that they have grown out of. Reward them with a new book or two that are age appropriate.
Start with just one of these spaces and you will feel super inspired to continue your spring cleaning. Start off small and lead into the larger projects. Good luck and happy spring!