Decluttering 101: 8 Ways To Ace Your Spring Cleaning
Here are 8 fantastic ways to ace your spring cleaning, making decluttering a breeze.
19/03/2019
The annual spring clean is your opportunity to welcome in the warmer weather with a fresher, cleaner, less cluttered home. When the big tidy up is complete, it can feel like a weight has been lifted off of your shoulders.
But how do you get to that stage? What’s the best way to go about saying goodbye to some of your worldly possessions?
Here are 8 fantastic ways to ace your spring cleaning, making decluttering a breeze.
Break it up
A sure-fire way to streamline your spring cleaning is to approach your decluttering process strategically.
You’ll only end up feeling burnt out if you try to take on the whole task in one go, so take some time to draw up your battle plan.
Make a comprehensive checklist of every area in the house that you need to deal with and prioritize each goal, tackling it in manageable chunks.
This is a fantastic way to make sure you can keep up your momentum throughout the process. Each small task ticked off your list is a reminder of the progress you’re making to a spring-cleaned, fully decluttered home!
Lay it all out
A favoured method of many seasoned declutterers is to pull out the entire contents of their cupboards and drawers in the area they’re tackling, and to lay it all out on the floor in one spot.
This allows you to see everything in that category, making it easy to note any duplicate items to dispose of. It forces you to keep going through the belongings until the space is cleared.
You’ll need to return and organise anything you decide to keep, so it’s also good motivation to be strict about what you hold on to!
This is quite a harsh method, so be sure to only begin one of these mammoth tasks if you have the time and energy that day to complete it, or if you don’t mind having a pile of clutter in the middle of your home while you progress through it!
Box system
When you’re in the midst of decluttering, you might become confused or overwhelmed if you don’t have a system of organisation for things you’ve already gone through.
Gather 4 baskets, boxes, or bags, dedicating one to items you’ll keep, another to donations, another for selling, and another for throwing away or recycling.
Having this system in place will keep the process running more smoothly, rather than leaving you to keep track of various ‘keep’ and ‘donate’ piles of items scattered across your floor!
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Konmari it
The “KonMari” method is becoming increasingly popular amongst aspiring minimalists and professional organisers.
When following this method, you ask yourself whether each item sparks joy. Is it something you use often? Is it helpful? Does it bring a lot of sentimental value and you can’t bear to be without it?
Look through your collections of books, DVDs, games, your hobby supplies, your kitchen appliances, and your memory boxes, looking for that connection with each item in your chosen category.
Easy wins
When you’re feeling a little tired and looking for a fairly easy task, there are some easy wins you can knock off your checklist.
Simple chores like exploring your pantry, medicine cabinet, and bathroom supplies for items that are out-of-date or are never used will quicken up the spring cleaning process.
Donate or discard the items (depending on their quality!) and check off another job on your to-do list.
Sort everyday essentials
It can be easy to skim over everyday items like towels, cutlery, glasses, and mugs, but these can all take up a surprising amount of room in your home.
When have you ever used every towel in your laundry cupboard before washing day? Do you really need 20 mugs in rotation?
You’ll likely free up a lot of extra
space by sorting through these everyday items, and you barely need to put any
thought into it!
Capsule
Setting up a capsule system in your storage is a great way to keep your home clutter-free and to help you evaluate what items you are neglecting.
Creating several capsule wardrobes with weather-appropriate clothes for the different seasons is a useful way to declutter your cupboards and drawers.
When you create the capsules, you
can easily see if there are items that you don’t use, and you can donate these.
The capsule idea can be extended beyond clothes to decorative items or even kitchenware (like Christmas cookie cutters!).
Your capsules can take up valuable space in your home storage, so look into storing these valuables in a safe and secure storage unit facility.
Have some fun
Sure, it’s not the easiest or the most exciting task in the world, but you can still make your spring cleaning decluttering fun!
Blast some music or play a film in the background to get you through the monotony of clothes-folding and scrubbing the insides of kitchen cupboards.
Have some snacks and drinks on standby to keep your energy levels up. The hours will fly past and you’ll be shocked by how much you have achieved!