Spring cleaning always seems to creep up on me and I end up feeling overwhelmed. For me, cleaning this time of year is a time to get ready for summer – clearing out all of the closets, making some fresh changes to our living spaces, and cultivating a few new healthy habits. The cold weather has finally subsided, and a warm presence is just around the corner. This always makes me feel inspired to make some healthy changes and get ready for a new season ahead!
With that, I’m going to share a few easy ways we can incorporate some attainable spring cleaning into the weeks ahead. There are a TON of spaces in our home that can be cleaned this time of year, but I’m going to narrow it down to only three that I believe will leave you feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on the summer with less clutter, and a fuller heart!
Disclaimer: The article below is a snippet of my Home & Living column for SPLENDEUR magazine. Enjoy this brief introduction to the article, and click the link at the bottom of the page to read the entire feature. Thanks for your support, friend!
Up First: Clearing Out the Closets
Don’t let the closest intimidate you. I’m sure we’ve all been inspired by the famous Marie Kondo and her incredibly meticulous hacks for leveling up closet space, but you don’t have to go all out like her to make a few small changes that will leave some room for a new Summer dress or two.
The first thing I would recommend is dumping out each of your dresser drawers individually and making piles of things you want to keep, and things you are okay to rid of. Take it slow and maybe tackle only one drawer a day if you have a lot on your plate. This is also a great opportunity to start a habit of keeping your drawers organized, so don’t worry if this step takes a couple of weeks. Take your time, and find a system that works for you.
After your dressers are organized and cleaned out, I would tackle all of your closets. Start with your own and divide it into sections: dresses, blouses, pants, and then misc. (other items you keep in your closet). Once you’ve done through your entire closet, you can move on to other closets in the home which would include your children’s rooms and/or coat and linen closets, too!
Once all closets in the home are cleared out and organized, you can decide to donate all of the excess, or sell some of it on Instagram/Poshmark to make some extra cash.
TIP: Selling your gently used clothing is a great way to set aside some extra spending money for new seasonal clothes, especially if you have little ones who are growing out of their clothes quickly! This is an especially great tip if you are trying to justify getting rid of a newer piece of clothing that you feel you would be “wasting” if thrown out.
Up Next: Spring Cleaning in The Kitchen
I know what you’re thinking: “the kitchen?” YES! The kitchen is one of the easiest places to get unorganized FAST. Ask yourself this: How many “junk drawers” do you currently have in the kitchen? These are the drawers that you throw a few pens into one day, and then a couple of coupons the next, a pair of scissors the week after, and before you know it, you have a full-blown junk drawer on your hands! It happens to all of us, don’t feel embarrassed!
I had a friend confess to me once that after cleaning out four (yes, four) junk drawers in her kitchen, she felt like she had a huge burden lifted off her shoulders. She had so much new practical space for cooking tools that made her life 100 times easier when cooking in the kitchen. She said it felt like a mini-renovation, and I can totally see why!
Go through your entire kitchen and throw out old food/ingredients, expired coupons, broken utensils, and all of those pens that don’t work. You will be surprised how much space you have that is currently being taken up by unused junk!
TIP: It’s not a bad idea to invest in some affordable drawer organizers to keep things in their place. I love using separators in my drawers to keep everything in its place. This will especially come in handy when you’re in the middle of cooking and you don’t have time to be rummaging through the drawers for that spatula you can’t ever seem to find! You’ll thank me later, I promise.
