Spring Cleaning 101

The spring season is synonymous with rebirth and renewal; hence as we move out of winter, spring provides an opportunity for us to refresh and revitalize our homes. The term spring cleaning generally relates to the annual practice of clearing away clutter, deep cleaning, and organizing. Some claim that the desire to spring clean is simply an established ritual of westernized countries, while others believe they are moved to do it based on biological impulse. No matter what the motive, many people find it deeply satisfying to get their homes in order come springtime. There are three main hurdles involved in spring cleaning:

• Clearing clutter is the first hurdle. Clutter refers to collections of things lying about in untidy masses. It generally occurs due to over-accumulation of goods and lack of space to store items. When deciding what to keep or release, a person must ask:

1) Do I like, need, want, or use this item?

2) Is it worth the space it’s taking up?

3) Does it take too much of my time and energy to maintain?

4) Is it valuable or sentimental?

5) Do I have doubles or triples that I’m not using?

Items that are not liked, needed, or wanted should be let go. The same rule applies to things that are not used or valuable, or sentimental. Items that are duplicates, those that take up too much space, or things that absorb too much energy to maintain should also be “released.” That means that those items should be sold, donated, regifted, discarded, or recycled. As many professional organizers explain, it is impossible to organize clutter. So be selective about what to keep. If your home is hard to clean because you own too many things, that is a big sign that you need to sort through things and let stuff go. Get the help of a professional if you have emotional attachments to non-sentimental items or face physical roadblocks.

• Deep cleaning is the second hurdle. This involves going room by room to thoroughly clean and disinfect areas from top to bottom. Examples of deep cleaning include sanitizing bathrooms and performing tasks like scouring the shower, washing the shower curtain, disinfecting tubs, toilets, sinks, faucets, and more. A deep cleaning of a kitchen area includes sanitizing the oven, microwave, stove top, burners, disinfecting the garbage disposal, and wiping down surfaces of the fridge. Examples of deep cleaning in the living room include vacuuming under sofa cushions and in hard-to-reach places, cleaning windows and windowsills, dusting picture frames and lighting fixtures, and shampooing rugs. For the bedroom, dusting, vacuuming under the bed and in closets, and rotating the mattress are chores that likely need to be done. Have helpers lined up if heavy lifting is required.

• Organizing is the third hurdle. This step generally follows clearing clutter and cleaning, especially when it requires taking everything out of a space, such as a junk drawer, to complete the first two tasks. What’s most important is to give items a home, make them easy to retrieve, and find ways to organize that are pleasing to the eye. In this step, you’ll go room by room and concentrate on places where you tend to hide the mess, such as inside closets and dresser drawers. A main goal of organizing is to manage the items you are keeping and that have value to you by giving them a specific place to go. For clothing, you’ll want to coordinate by keeping like items together. For example, it’s a good idea to store your socks in the same drawer. If you wish, you can further organize them by using dividers to group them by color or sock type. In a closet, like items can also be arranged for easy retrieval. For example, dress pants, work blouses, and dresses can be grouped and hung together by category. They can also be further coordinated by color, if desired. There honestly is no right or wrong way to organize; simply give things a place to go, make sure they are safely and neatly stored, and be sure the organizing system you are using makes sense to you. If you have trouble managing your things, it is possible that you have too much, and you may need to repeat the decluttering process.

Spring cleaning is a general term for getting one’s home decluttered, cleaned, and organized come springtime. It relates to the season of renewal and new life. Just as birds prepare their nests, humans also seek to get their own “nests” in order. The spring season is a time of awakening after a long winter. Increased hours of daylight provide newfound energy to get things done. Regardless of whether it’s rooted in nature or tradition, the impulse to clean seems to hit many of us who are hungry to get our homes in tip-top shape. For guidance, it’s a good idea to create a room-by-room to-do list or print a cleaning and organizing checklist already created on the internet. Lists provide order, help to establish a task timeline, and ensure that no details are forgotten. Happy spring cleaning!