Are you thinking about Spring clearing?
Spring has sprung here in Canada. Our days are getting longer, we’re opening our windows for the first time in months and we’re feeling a sense of renewal in the air.
The “Spring is in the air” feeling instinctively pushes many of us into a spring cleaning frenzy. However, there can be an important step missing in the spring cleaning process… Spring Clearing.
With an “out with the old and in the with the new” vibe or mentality, keep these tips in mind when you start your Spring clearing.
Get Yourself Organized
As we’ve discussed in past blogs, the first thing you want to do when starting an organizing and decluttering project is to make a plan.
Decide what rooms or areas of the home you want to include in your project and create zones. Give yourself a time limit and prepare three items: a garbage bag, a donation bag and a recycling bag.
I don’t recommend getting organized for Spring in one day. Give yourself some time. There are a lot of decisions to make and letting go can be exhausting.
Check out my podcast on how to zone your home for better organization.
The Bedroom
If you like to get the big projects out of the way first, start with your closet and drawers.
From one section of your closet, take everything out and put it on your bed. This is the perfect time to donate the clothes you didn’t wear for the past 4 to 5 months, put aside anything that was borrowed to give back to its owner and throw out anything that is no longer wearable. Then you want to remove any winter clothes such as heavy sweaters, long underwear, wool socks etc. Launder anything that needs laundering and then store them away.
Tip: When you’re getting ready for Spring clearing, remember to keep a few light sweaters for those cool spring and summer nights.
Repeat this process until you’ve gone through all of your closets and drawers.
Click here for step by step on decluttering your closet.
Next, swap your heavy winter blankets for lighter options and if you use flannel sheets- change them for cooler cotton sheets.
Store away those heavier sheets and blankets. Remember to keep one handy for those cooler summer nights when you want to sit outside.
The Bathroom
Go through all your drawers in your bathroom. Once again, take everything out and discard expired prescriptions or over-the-counter medications.
Tip: make a note of anything you need to replace.
Before you put everything back in its drawer, organize the medications by season. Meaning putting the cold and flu medications to the back of the drawer and keeping the allergy medications to the front. Do the same with cosmetics and moisturizers. Put heavy moisturizers to the back of the drawer or cupboard and put the sunscreens and light moisturizers to the front for easier access.
This is also a great opportunity to go through old towels. If any are ripped or shredding- get rid of them. If you have too many towels and they are in good shape, consider donating them.
Front Closet
This is where most of us will keep our winter jackets and boots.
The same process applies. Take everything out and spread them on a flat surface. Again, this is the perfect time to donate what wasn’t worn, or what we’ve grown out of and throw out what is no longer wearable.
It’s always a good idea to wash or dry clean our jackets and wipe down winter boots before storing them.
Kitchen
There is a definite shift in the appliances we use in the Spring and Summer months vs what we use in the winter. You may not want to store away your slow cooker that you use for stews and soups because you may still want a soup in the summer months. But, it may serve you better stored at the bottom or back of a cupboard rather than front and center. Leave the easy access spaces for grilling utensils and dishes like fruit and vegetable platters.
Go through your pantry and remove expired items. You may want to organize your pantry with flours and baking goods to the back of the cupboard with grilling sauces and spices to the front. This will depend on if you tend to bake and continue to use your oven often in the spring and summer months.
Bring in the New
Now that you’ve made space, it’s time to bring in the new. It’s time to take your spring and summer clothes, sheets, blankets, appliances and shoes out of storage and find them a new home in your closets, drawers and cupboards. It’s also a good opportunity to donate and throw out any clothes you no longer wear or won’t wear in the upcoming season.
Tip: don’t forget your umbrellas and rain boots. Spring is our wet season!
If you’d like more information about the Calm The Clutter home organization course, click HERE.
You can also check out my new course Paper Organization: How to Declutter and Organize Paperwork HERE. A course for an unbelievable low price! The topics include
- Benefits of organizing your paperwork
- Paper organization goals
- What to do before organizing your paperwork
- What to keep and for how long
- How to sort and organize paperwork
- What to do with incoming paperwork
- Where to go from here!
Before you go, don’t forget to join our Facebook group “Organize For Success” HERE.
Or download my 7 Top Organizing Tips to Get You Started for more organizing tips.
