Springtime is here! As all the slush of winter melts away, it’s time to make our rooms clean. It’s time to get organized and ready for fresh air to refresh our homes. Sometimes trying to figure out where to start can be overwhelming. It doesn’t have to be!
Getting your house cleared out and ready for the warm weather can be managed with the right tools and attitude. Be realistic and know that any changes to your home will not happen overnight. It is important to go ahead with the right expectations. Are you ready? Here are some simple steps to follow when it comes to spring organizing.
1. Determine Your Action Plan
Before you tackle any rooms, write down your action plan. Having a checklist of everything you would like to accomplish can keep you on track, as well as provide satisfaction when a task is completed. Organizing items first, and then shifting to the deep cleaning aspect of a room, tends to work well. Plan to work your way around your house in a clockwise motion, starting with the room of your choice and continuing from there.
When organizing, try beginning with what your eye can see, and then move on to what has been shoved in drawers and closets. Most of us have junk drawers, the corner in the garage where we pile items, and does anyone else place random stuff on their stairs? I know I can’t be the only one who places items on the staircase that need to go upstairs or in the basement.
Do you have piles of mail sitting on your counter? That would be considered something you see, and rather unsightly as well. Plan to go through the mail and develop a system. Organize the pile by determining what mail should be shredded, filed, thrown out, or requires an action. Create a safe place for the mail that needs filing. This could be a file folder, or even an organizer that can fit inside a cabinet or a desk drawer.
As tempting as it may seem, try to prevent yourself from turning it into another stack somewhere else. Developing a system and using it every day will prevent the mail from piling up. Pro tip–help save the environment and lessen your mail by going paperless when possible.
2. Take Baby Steps
Once you have tackled everything the eye can see, then it will be time to move onto what is hidden in your home. Remember to give yourself grace and realize these projects won’t happen overnight. You’ll be going through items, donating and/or tossing items you no longer need, rearranging items, and gaining a fresh perspective of your home.
Plan to give yourself at least a day or two for each room. Keep in mind this isn’t including any deep cleaning you may plan to incorporate; we are focusing solely on editing. Take baby steps and know that your home may be organized chaos for a week or two while you tackle it.
To minimize every room being simultaneously chaotic, don’t move on from one space until it is finished. This tactic will help you feel like a rockstar as you complete one room and move down your checklist. This will also allow you to live life as usual in your home, and will be less stressful for those of you who have younger children. Besides, your sanity matters, am I right?
3. To Stay, Go, or Throw?
As you are organizing for springtime, you’ll be coming across various items that will need a place. Whether this place is at your home, another home, or in the trash–you’ll need to decide.
You’ll need to ask yourself some tough questions as you clean out your cupboards, drawers, and closets. If you haven’t used a mug in a year, ask yourself if it is worth taking up cupboard space. Perhaps three beloved mugs can stay, and the other five can go? You’ll want to be realistic with what you should truly keep.
That top from ten years ago? As much as you adore it, deep down you know it’s out of style. Are you really going to use it as part of a Halloween costume? If you are, great! Put it in the Halloween bin. But, if you never wear it and it is taking up closet space, consider donating the top or tossing it altogether.
While in the closet, a good trick is to rotate your articles of clothing, coats, and shoes based on the season. Store away items associated with the off-season in bins. These bins can slide underneath your bed, sit on a shelf in the basement, or anywhere in your home that makes sense to house them. As you rotate, continue to decide whether to keep, donate, or toss. Put aside any items you plan on donating and once you are finished organizing all your rooms, plan on taking a single trip to the donation center.
4. Freshness Awaits
When it comes to spring organizing you can do as much or as little as you prefer. However, the more you accomplish, the better you will feel. And who doesn’t want to feel great about their home heading into the summer?
Other areas to consider organizing each spring include incorporating a toy rotation system, changing out seasonal décor (okay, this one is a requirement, not just a consideration), tackling your mud room, and getting the outside of your home ready as well. If you enjoy landscaping, wash out your pots, clean off the lawn furniture, and get your porch ready to welcome visitors.
Once you’ve purged, organized, and developed helpful systems in your home, it is time to grab a glass of lemonade and relax! The deep cleaning can wait, at least until the lemonade is finished. Having your home organized will make the upkeep so much easier. Who doesn’t want to head into the summer feeling like a rockstar? You can do it, momma! Determine your action plan, take baby steps, make some decisions, and watch your home transform. Your home deserves it, but more importantly, so do you.
