Spring Cleaning Tips & Tricks

There are a lot of things to love about springtime. It’s a sign of “rebirth,” not having to wear a puffy coat, and vitamin D is in high demand. Those are all fine and well, but what I love most about springtime is, spring cleaning! Yep, that’s right. I love being able to pack away my winter garments, wash the nooks and crannies and pull out each little dress and sandal as though it’s a new seasonal present. I realize that I am in the minority, but I’m here to give you a few of my favorite tricks and tips so you can spring clean and still have time to enjoy those extra hours of sunshine.

 

  1. Work by categories, not by room:

While working by room is good in theory, there is too much room left for error. By breaking down what you will sort through and clean up by category, you ensure that nothing is forgotten. For example: You decide to clean by room, you purge, sort and fold/hang all of your clothes again. You move onto another room only to discover more coats, shoes, etc. By this point you’re more likely to say “screw it” and leave it for next year vs. taking the time to pull out each piece to see if it’s needed. Don’t create more work for yourself in the long run. Work by categories, not by rooms.

 

 

  1. Clean Digitally:

Most of us are guilty of waking up in the morning and immediately looking at our inbox and social platforms. But how does it feel when you first wake up and see that looming inbox number resulting from a lack of upkeep. Spring-cleaning shouldn’t just stop at your physical possessions. Make sure to go through your email(s), social platforms and anything else that is a digital stressor in your life and get to work. Unsubscribe from those pesky newsletters (unless it’s mine!) once and for all. Create folders within your inbox and set up rules so that each email that comes in goes into a specific folder (personal, business, finance, social, etc.) Keep seeing people on your social platforms that you don’t even know? Or better yet, don’t even like, get rid of them! Once your digital life is up to date and sorted, you’ll begin to see the big impact it has on your life.

 

 

  1. Drawers Get Dirty Too:

How many people take all of the items out of a drawer, sort through them and then put them back in an organized beautiful way? Well, that’s great, but you’re forgetting one thing… That drawer is dirty! When you’re going through your home by category and sorting through each drawer, make sure that once you take all of the items out you clean the bottom of the drawer. You’d be surprised how much dust, dirt, food crumbs and hair gets to the bottom (I’ve seen it first hand!). A few things you can do to ensure the drawers are clean: Take a damp paper towel and wipe the drawer down. If you have a vacuum use that to get into the corners. If you don’t have a vacuum, wrap tape around your fingers and use the sticky side to pick up the dirt in the tight corners. And lastly, pick up some drawer liner paper, this will make cleanup a lot easier as you can just take the liner out and shake it off, Taylor Swift style.

 

  1. Junk Mail:

Ever get something in the mail and wonder to yourself, “How did they get my address?” I’m sure we’ve all been there. Once again, spring Cleaning isn’t just washing your windows and polishing your silverware. Take a step back to think about all the little things that clutter your life.  Sort through all the mail you get on a regular basis and really see what you need vs.  what’s junk. Set up bills to be paperless and contact the company that sends you coupons for “jumbo size popcorn” and tell them to take you off whatever list that is! By cutting down the size of mail you get daily, you’ll have less to sort through, which in the long run means less mess. Plus, going paperless is good for the environment!

More to Read