Hey friends, now that the holidays are behind us the weather outside feels less than ideal. I personally really begin missing the warm weather days when I want to be out and about and now that I’m in a new city I really want to get out there and explore. Anyway, one thing I’ve been doing once the holidays are over is I start my spring cleaning. I know it says spring and there are definitely some things I leave for then like opening all the windows, can you say brrr? But a lot of the things that are on your list can be done now so that when that weather is beautiful you aren’t stuck inside cleaning out closets and your fridge. So here are some tips to get a jump start on your spring cleaning this winter.
Start by choosing one thing to get done. Doing a little bit at a time with do marvelous things for you. One it keeps you from getting bored and tired. Two you can mark it off your list and feel accomplished that you got it done not overwhelmed that you didn’t get the entire list done.
A great place to start and that will help you with all your remaining spring cleaning desires is your cleaning supply area. Throw away empty containers, evaluate if you even use it anymore, make a list of supplies you need and organize what remains. This will help you quickly get what you need when you are cleaning and at least in my life is often overlooked and can quickly become out of control.
Clutter piles are our worst enemy, I know it you know it…everyone knows it but they are a hazard of life so you got to deal with them. I like starting the year by making some time for these piles that have cropped up around my home, ones that I’ve turned a blind eye to saying to myself “I’ll get to that tonight.” Commit to dealing with every item in that pile you start with. If it needs filing, get it done. If you need to email someone about it, do it. But don’t start answering other emails or browsing facebook. Get yourself back to that pile! Once you get it dealt with you will feel sooooo much lighter.
The holidays just happened, now is the perfect time to put together a share pile of your stuff to take and donate. Girl, you’ve got to make room for all those fabulous gifts you got this year. Pick a closet or a dresser and start weeding out the things you no longer want. Be honest with yourself. For the longest time I would keep things just because I thought I had to. It wasn’t sentimental to me, it didn’t necessarily fit my style but it was a gift and I couldn’t let it go. I feel a Frozen song coming on… back to business, downsizing from a 3 bedroom home to a one bedroom apartment really taught me to weed my stuff. But you don’t have to do that to learn this skill. Start small, let go of the guilt, and feel better once you have shared it on so it has a chance to live in a loving home.
Once you have decluttered an area clean it from top to bottom. Dust, wipe down walls, sweep or scrub. This will also help you make notes about areas of your home that might need repairing once spring comes.
Check the expiration dates. I thought I was really good at using things up or getting rid of things when the expiration date passed. But another side effect of downsizing was finding out that I really wasn’t all that good at it. I found 3-year-old bags of coffee grounds, and bullion granules from long enough ago I’m embarrassed to mention. Going through and taking a hard look at the expiration dates on things in your spice rack, pantry or medicine cabinet will have a huge effect on getting old and expired things out the door.