Winter has finally passed and Spring is coming to life all around us! The sun is warm, the birds are chirping, and school is out (well...at least for the college kids)! Spring is a wonderful season of color and flowers and.......SPRING CLEANING!
Oh yes, The dreaded - How on earth did I end up with so much stuff? I mean its only been a year since I cleaned our everything! - feeling that we all experience.
I thought it would be fun to share some of my spring cleaning tips with you - since I just finished cleaning out my bedroom and bathroom this week - that I feel make all the difference.
1. If you haven't pulled it out in the past 6 months...TOSS IT OUT!
I find this to be one of the most difficult things for me. I am definitely the type of person that is always holding onto things. When I was cleaning out my "junk drawer" I still had ribbons from elementary school... Elementary School!! I decided it was time to get rid of it. I threw out more than half of the stuff that I wanted to "save for memories". But lets be honest...the last time you looked at it was last year when you were spring cleaning. It doesn't mean that you can't keep a few things. There are items that hold precious memories. But take a second and REALLY think about it before y you decide to keep it.
2. Make the plastic bins fit...PERFECTLY
Putting plastic bins in your drawers, cupboards, or on your shelves is a really great way to keep things organized and clean. But have you ever noticed that tiny crack in between the wall and the bin that is perfect for that tiny little paper or that random little trinket? I thought so.... So how do you fix this? Measure the space that you want your bins in and then go buy bins that will fit perfectly to your measurements. That tiny little space will disappear and make it that much easier to stay clean and clutter free all year round!
3. When did I wear this last?
My closet is always my favorite thing to clean out each season. It helps me to really know what I do and don't have and what things I forgot that I owned. But it can also be a challenge to decide what to keep and what to toss out. When I'm going through my closet I will always find things that I have kept for way to long. Some of them are still in really good condition and then I realize that I haven't worn it for a very long time. That to me is an indicator that I need to get rid of it. If it is seasonal...that is one thing. But if I simply just haven't worn it I know that it is time for it to leave my closet.
4. One man's junk is another man's treasure
Once you've decided what to keep and what to get rid of...why not make a little extra money? After cleaning out all of your stuff it is always a great idea to have a yard sale! But if you are like me...you don't have time to sit out on your lawn for an entire morning/afternoon and watch people slowly come and go as they yard sale hop. I have recently discovered that on Facebook there are many "online yard sales" for the areas that I live in. I have no doubt that if you search your city or county that you'll probably find something. All you have to do is post a picture of your stuff and set a price. Before you know it...you'll get rid of all your stuff!
5. The Memory Saver
A big part of spring cleaning for me is cleaning out the junk I've accumulated onto my computer over the year. This is a great chance to clear up some memory space on my laptop for the new things that I will take up that space in the future. I like to start with my music and get rid of all the songs that I don't really listen to anymore or I never even knew I owned. I then get rid of all my documents that are no longer needed - you know..that paper on the revolution that you wrote 2 years ago - and I will never look at again. It's also always a good idea to go through your downloads folder and just delete it all...you won't loose the things that you installed but it will clear that space up for the other millions of downloads you are bound to make in the next year.
6. For the people who, like me, are really OCD
I don't know why but one of my biggest pet peeves is looking back at my social media pages and thinking "why the heck did I post that"? From Facebook to Instagram to Pinterest...we all post things that we - not necessarily regret but - don't particularly like anymore. If you share this fine quality with me then this tip is for you (and if you haven't disliked anything you've posted before...you deserve a award)! I have found that this tip can take the longest. Go through and delete all the things that you don't like anymore and replace it with new ones! On Pinterest you can even make new boards and reorganize the things that you have posted. I did this....it took FOREVER! But I love my pinterest even more than I ever have now!
I hope that these few tips help you out! My last advice to you...Do it now so that you can go enjoy the sun and the beautiful flowers that are blooming all around! Happy Spring everybody!
