Spring Clearing Week – a cleaR before a cleaN
There’s no doubt Spring is in the air. With longer days, bluebells and snow drops sprouting and birds treating us to a dawn chorus, we can say goodbye to the winter months and embrace the feeling of a new lease of life.
Many of us take this as a sign that it’s time for that annual deep clean. A period of intensive scrubbing, dusting, mopping and polishing awaits us, but often it’s not that straight-forward. By having a Spring cleaR before a Spring cleaN, you can easily turn what would have been a cleaning dawdle into a full on sprint worthy of Usain Bolt.
Spring Clearing Week organised by APDO (Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers) is now in its second year. It highlights the physical and mental benefits of having an annual review of your ‘stuff’ and environment. Apart from making cleaning easier, less clutter and more harmony in your home can help you feel more focused, less stressed and give you more time to concentrate on life and work goals.
The initial step is to identify clutter hotspots in your home. Houses are rife with convenient areas where clutter can easily accumulate. Here are some examples.
Kitchen Counter
A great place to keep appliances, condiments, beverages and cleaning products to hand. But this can result in your actual workspace shrinking and before you know it, you’re having to clear a space before you start preparing a meal.
‘Tops’
Dresser tops, table tops, desktops, deep window ledges – all magnets for clutter. That pile of papers, those discarded party bag toys, stray keys and ‘occasionally used’ tools. Are you sure you want to clean around these?
Drawers
Most households have at least one drawer which they cram ‘things’ they are not sure where to put into. Often, there’s more than one. Even when a drawer has a designated ‘role’ for example takeaway menus, how many of those menus are duplicated, tripled or out of date?
Bathrooms and Bedrooms
Specifically ‘products’. Shampoos and conditioners, skincare, make-up, sun lotions, hair products, those lovely looking ‘gift sets’ you are never going to use, yet don’t want to discard because they were a present. It’s time to be honest with yourself – if it’s been on display for over a year and you haven’t touched it, are you ever going to use it?
Shelves
A great place to keep books, ornaments, DVDs and more. However, instead of a neat row of books or ornaments with space around to show them off, shelves can often end up overloaded with each object individually attracting dust.
Wardrobes
Still got clothes from ten years ago you ‘might wear again’ one day? Do you own 10 pairs of jeans? How many scarves do you never wear? You’ll be surprised how good you feel after organising your wardrobe. Plus, think of the time you’ll save in the morning if you aren’t searching around for something to wear.
Entire Rooms
Whether it’s the spare room, home office or even the living room – sometimes clutter can get out of hand and leave you feeling daunted.
It doesn’t have to be a Spring Clean which spurs you on to declutter, it could be a desire to take back control of your home and emotional wellbeing. A cleaN after a cleaR is the icing on the cake whatever the time of year. But with National Spring Clearing Week upon us, it’s a perfect excuse to start now.
If you are unsure where to begin, don’t have the time, or need a helping hand from a professional declutterer and organiser, please get in touch with Make Space for a free initial consultation.