It might be a little early to talk about Spring Cleaning but its finally getting warmer, the rain is letting up and it’s been on my mind. So, I thought I’d provide a different take on Spring Cleaning. Instead of giving you tips and tricks on how to go about your Spring Cleaning rituals, I want to talk about the things that never seem to come up when we get ready to tackle our Spring Cleaning chores. For example, most articles talk about switching out winter clothes for spring and summer clothing, house cleaning from dusting to window washing to carpet cleaning. But what about all the other things like:
1. Cleaning and/or replacing make-up brushes or hairbrushes.
2. Cleaning out the junk drawer or any drawer for that matter.
3. Instead of just switching out winter clothes for Spring, what about going through & getting rid of the clothes you didn’t wear this winter before storing them away.
4. How about going through the cabinets & closets throughout the house. I don’t mean all at once but, every so often it’s a good thing to go through these areas to determine what to keep, what to donate and what to toss. Break it down & do one cabinet or one closet at a time until you’ve gone through them all. It will take time but there’s no rush. Afterall Spring is still a couple of months away.
5. When was the last time you looked at the stacks of magazines that seem to pile up around the house in different areas (think bathroom)? Do a sweep of the house & get rid of any magazines that are older than 3 months. The only exception is if you or a loved one are in that magazine.
6. Have you looked at the kitchen counter lately? Are there appliances or other random items that are there just because they’ve been there and not necessarily because anyone is using them. Take anything off the counter that really doesn’t need to be out. Put it away or give it away if you don’t need it or want it any longer.
7. Medicine cabinets don’t get much love either. Take a few minutes & throw away the old razers, expired medications & make-up that you haven’t used in several months. After you make some room you can put away the other things that have been on the counter because there was no room in the medicine cabinet.
8. Book shelves. Look closely & see how many objects, other than books, are on the shelves. Oftentimes there are so many other objects that you can’t even get to a book without having to move the other items (ie, photographs & small objects that you didn’t know what to do with so you just put them on the shelf). Wouldn’t it be great if you could just pull out a book that you want to read without having to move everything over to get to it? Move 90% of anything that is not a book off the book shelf. Keep a photo or a chotschke or two but move the rest out of the way so that you can actually see the books. Find other more appropriate homes for those items that don’t belong on the book shelf.
9. Wires and cables and chargers Oh My! I see it all of the time. A box or bag or drawer full of wires and cables and chargers that nobody seems to need. You’re probably saving them “just in case” but mostly they are for items that you no longer have. If you had the item you would undoubtedly need the wire that came with it for one reason or another. Soooo, if you haven’t needed it for a few months chances are you won’t ever need it. At the very least, go through them and sort and purge in the process.
10. Finally, get rid of anything that “you’ve been meaning to fix or mend” and just haven’t gotten to it. The broken piece of ceramic from your favorite mug, the ripped article of clothing, the handbag with the missing shoulder strap. I’m sure your intentions were good but, if it’s been sitting around waiting to be fixed for a few months, perhaps its time to let it go.
To be clear, I’m not saying that the above should take the place of Spring Cleaning. I’m just suggesting that there are other things and places around your home that need attention too.
I’d love to hear from you if you thought this was helpful. If not, I’d still like to know.