It’s that time of year again! Spring cleaning is upon us. Luckily our members are here to provide simple spring organizing tips to help you accomplish your organizing goals. Rather than dreading spring cleaning, think of it as an opportunity to get rid of the items you don’t use and donate them to a good cause. Check out these great tips from a few of our members that will help you get started!
Georgia Member, Marin Rose of Libra Professional Organizing Services has a little motivation to get you going:
- When spring cleaning, remember that the idea is to
shed the old and unneeded to make room for the new and wonderful. So before you get out the broom, go through your home room by room and cull anything you simply don’t need. Be ruthless! This season is about looking to the future, not dwelling in the past.
Massachusetts Member, Susan Bohenko of More Than Organized can help you with her Top 4 things to do when taking on a big spring project:
- Plan – schedule the project into your calendar, allotting enough time to complete it – then add 50% more. Most of us underestimate how long a project will take. Let the other members of your household know about the project and how important it is to you in order to 1. prevent them from sabotaging your efforts and 2. possibly enlist their support 🙂
- Prepare – gather supplies ahead of time to avoid unnecessary interruptions. For a big cleaning project these may include cleaning rags, paper towels, trash bags, boxes, markers for labeling, a vacuum cleaner or shop vac, broom, Ziploc bags for storing smaller items, pen and paper for taking any notes, and various cleaning sprays.
- Focus – make a big project smaller by breaking it down. For example, you want to clean out the garage. Start in one corner and work your way around the space, methodically from tools, to gardening supplies, to toys, to sporting equipment. When cleaning you will come across lots of items that either don’t belong in the space, items that you don’t want anymore, or items that are in need of repair. Don’t try to address each item that you handle. Use boxes or bags labelled accordingly to house these items for you to deal with later. If you try to address each item individually you WILL get distracted, and decrease your chances of successfully finishing the project you started.
- Reward – spend some time appreciating what you’ve accomplished and plan to reward yourself with something special once you’re all done!
California Member, Natasha Rickert of Energy to Organize is here to share a few tips for the cleaning aspect of getting organized:
- Tote the tools and cleaners or store them in each
room so you don’t have to go back and forth throughout the home collecting supplies to get the job done. - Start from the top and work your way down so dust, cobwebs and other debris doesn’t drop on a newly cleaned counter tops or floors.
- Stick with multipurpose cleaners that can do dual duty versus specialized cleaning products. For example, use a light-duty evaporating cleaner that can easily clean glass as well as other surfaces.
Arizona Member, Tracey Shadley of ORGANIZE A-Z focuses on her specialty of closet design with these Closet Clearing Tips:
- Empty your closet & drawers completely
and then create piles (Keep / Maybe / Give Away) - Put back everything you want to keep in categories shirts with shirts, pants with pants etc. You will get more “wear” out of things that way.
- Get serious with the maybes. Ask a friend to sit with you while you try everything on. Honesty is key here! If things don’t fit or flatter… let it go and add it to the give-aways!
- Decide what you will do with the give-aways and make a plan to take care of that ASAP so you don’t stare at the bag for too long.
Washington Member, Julie Clarke of Organized at Last shares a few of her favorite tips for spring cleaning:
- De-clutter everything! Life quickly becomes overwhelming when it is too full. Donate or sell everything you don’t currently need, want or use.
- Use “green” cleaning solutions. Stop with the disposable cleaning products- they are expensive and wasteful. Use refillable bottles and reusable products which saves you hundreds of dollars each year, these can be purchased at a janitorial supply store.
- Let in the sunlight! Clean the window sills, windows, blinds, and curtains, and let the light shine in. A light, bright house feels great!
- Trade spring cleaning days with a friend. One day she helps you for 3 hours and another day you help her for 3 hours. You both get 6 hours of cleaning and it’s a lot more fun!
- Reward yourself with fresh flowers. Tulips and daffodils are very inexpensive this time of year and make almost any space look beautiful!
And remember if you are struggling to get that organizing done on your own, Organizers for Charity make it easy to find a Professional Organizer in your area who would be happy to help!