Get started by opening the blinds, opening the windows and doors, and allowing FRESH AIR to rule the roost.
Spring Cleaning coincides with Easter, Passover, and the clock time changing. It’s a natural time to get in gear, and get your house in order.
Here are some simple hacks to consider:
1. Turn on the music and get in a good mood – For me, I love Motown, singalong 60s, and the Beatles… add some reggae and CCR to the mix, and I’m in a better space.
What’s your sound of music?
2. Dedicate a time to take on the task of spring cleaning. Set up a time for success. For me, it’s an early morning weekend. Coffee is brewing, sunlight is streaming in, and birds may be chirping.
What’s YOUR best time for activity around the house?
3. With time, place, vibes at full tilt… grab your supplies. I recommend big BLACK garbage bags for discarding trash. I use kitchen-sized WHITE bags for donating soft goods (clothing, linens and such). Paper towels, rags and some cleaning agent for sprucing up shelves and cabinets. Broom and vacuum are all you really need.
4. If you desire, replace worn-out shelving liners with new rubbery ones… it’ll freshen up your closet and pantry cabinet look.
5. I like to get the kitchen, the heartbeat of the home cleaned, cleared and organized first. Start simply (remember my S.M.A.R.T system?)… start simply. Maybe you start with the towel drawer, maybe the kitchen miscellaneous (i.e. junk) drawer first. Toss those unused twist ties, old toothpicks, crumbs and funky stuff you never needed in the first place.
Consider these other kitchen “hotspots”:
~ Match up your Tupperware® lids with bottoms and purge the ones that don’t fit.
~ Check your silverware drawer for mismatches, unwanted, and just clean out the crumbs.
~ Get your pantry, pots and appliances glowing… clean, wipe, and organize your stuff.
~ Put similar/same items together… you’ll be better prepared for the next shopping trip when you see all your canned goods in one place – pastas, snacks and such kept together.
6. Make your entrance to your home beautiful. Dusting, wiping mirrors, replacing bulbs, and getting your entry positively glowing. It’s that first impression, right?
7. Get your garage to kitchen home entrance functional and free. Many of us use the garage entrance as our front entrance on a regular basis, but we have brooms, mops, toxic chemicals stored where we walk each day. Take a moment and deliberately expand the garage door entrance into your home and have it be welcoming. Your mood will change instantly.
8. Bedrooms. Make your bed every day. Why? Well, as Navy Seal Admiral William McRaven suggests, making your bed puts you in control from the day’s beginning. You have an accomplishment under your belt, and at the end of the day, getting into a nicely made bed helps your mood again. Make your bed. Clear your bedroom countertops of extra bottles, brushes and stuff. Dust, clean and organize your nightstand drawers. I do it, and so should you.
9. What about the laundry room? How’s that set up for success? Raise your hand if you LIKE doing laundry, LIKE folding fitted sheets, and LIKE the whole process. Well, by doing laundry more regularly, there’s less dirty, smelly clothes lingering… the process is less cumbersome, and well, folding fitted sheets is an art and a science… and how necessary is that fold anyway? Still, getting laundry done, folded and put away clears the clutter every time.
10. Enroll others in your spring thing. Who says this is a solo journey? I highly recommend you take care of your stuff FIRST – before casting blame on others… nothing says credibility better than practicing what you preach. When your stuff is handled, THEN you might gently suggest your spouse, your kid(s) and your pets get involved… Teach and work together, so it takes less time. Then the next time, they are better suited for solo action.
11. Finally, clearing the clutter, cleaning the floors, walls, ceilings and windows… while it’s not a life and death scenario, it does help you feel more alive, more in control, and less foggy, distracted or down in the dumper.
Last word. If you are a fragrance fan, I urge you to discard and replace plug-in aroma items, as they are neurotoxins causing headaches, allergies, lethargy, and who knows what else?! They smell nice, sure – but at what cost to your well-being? Use soy or beeswax candles, and natural essential oils instead.
Wishing you great success in getting your house in order. And, as I always say, please, if you need a professional t guide you, and help out along the way, don’t hesitate to reach out to me online, by phone, text or otherwise. My number is 561-706-7779 and my website is aPlusClutterClearing.com
Clear the Clutter… Clear the Mind™