Tips for Spring Cleaning Decluttering

Let’s face it, has it been months or even years since you have thoroughly organized your home? In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, the idea of organizing closets, junk drawers, even the garage can be overwhelming. This partly explains why it’s pretty normal to overlook decluttering key areas of your home. The tradition of “spring cleaning” not only encourages healthy living conditions, but has psychological benefits as well. If you plan on buying a home soon, this process will also save you time during the move.

Spring Cleaning – Health and Safety

At the top of the list of reasons that you should do a little spring cleaning is your family’s safety. Throwing away expired food, medicine, and makeup are all good ideas.

More than likely, there is some expired food lurking in the back of shelves and your refrigerator. For most canned items, a few months is no big deal. But food that is years past its expiration date should be tossed. It simply isn’t worth the risk.

The same holds true for expired medicine and old makeup. Old makeup and brushes can harbor harmful bacteria and should not be used. In short, if you have any doubts, simply throw it out.

Give Away Items That You’ll Likely Never Use

There may be plenty of items around your home that you’ll likely never use. For those living in single-story homes, you can’t just hide them in the basement or attic.  Whether it is books or old clothing that no longer fits or that you haven’t worn in ages, consider making donations.

The best way to begin this process is to evaluate what you have around the house. Just one hour or less of evaluation work can be enough to help you determine what should stay and what should go. As an added bonus, you’ll be helping someone who can actually use the item.

Here are a couple popular places accepting donations: Salvation Army, Goodwill, Vietnam Veterans of America, Big Brother Big Sister Foundation

Say Goodbye to Piles of Paper

Piles of paper will make you feel very disorganized. Even placing lose papers in filling boxes can help you reduce the clutter around your home. When organizing your papers and paperwork, be sure to label boxes and other storing containers accurately.

Explore Old Cabinets and Drawers

It seems to be human nature to stick items that we’re not sure what to do with into a so-called “junk drawer.” Over time, this drawer can grow and grow. Springtime is a great time to tackle the junk drawer head on. Throw away things that are clearly garbage, and donate other items when possible.

Store Winter Clothing

Too much clutter can be stressful and lead to disorganization. In turn, this leads to lost time and potentially even more stress. Storing your winter clothing during the spring and summer months can dramatically cut down on clutter.

Consider storing your winter clothing in the same area every year so that you know exactly where to go to retrieve your items. People living in single-story homes will often store winter clothing in boxes in their closets or even under their beds.

Decluttering is an investment, but it is extremely worthwhile. If you plan on buying a new home in the near future, you’ll feel far more prepared for your move. The time you spend organizing will be returned to you ten-fold. It will also help you get more out of your home each and every day.