Spring cleaning: Decluttering home and mind.

Springtime is approaching, and I can hardly believe how quickly the seasons change. Once again, it’s the time of year to declutter and finally get organized. So to inspire you, here is both my why and how of Simple Spring Cleaning.

This activity clears our physical spaces, while helping us decompress. So, with space and clarity as my guide, I am determined to lighten the visual and mental load and keep stuff at bay.

“For me, too much stuff is stressful like trying to fit into a too small dress; it is stifling.”

I’ve always been a declutterer. To be honest, I can’t stand stuff in the corners and things lying around everywhere at home. It makes me feel trapped. I need space, light, and air.

When I need to get inspired to do the big jobs, I close my eyes and imagine what the garage will look like with both cars in it instead of stuff. Fantasizing about how good it will look is what it will take to get me in the mood to tackle those big jobs.

In fact, feeling restless, I’ve started imagining what my house will look like with clear surfaces in every room.

So, the first order of business in the spring cleaning frenzy is to  picture it clean.

Pick a room, a space, a closet, or a drawer and picture it clean and empty.

While you revel in the fantasy of a clean room, also picture some  organization.

I fantasize storage for sports equipment in the garage!

tool storage!

shelves!

Clutter robs us of open spaces. Stuff clutters our homes and minds. Some of it is old thinking that we need to let go of, a safety valve.

Every time I think about trying to store all that stuff now, I get hives. So I start with picturing it clean, better organizing, and then reduce!

Reduce, reuse, recycle, but also donate, donate, donate. 

In your spring cleaning refresh, realize you will have to let go of some things.

Get some boxes, at least 3-6 and some trash bags. They will be your sorting boxes. Your ultimate goal is to reduce.

Losing my parents made me hold on to things, but now I want to rejuvenate my spaces and let go of the clutter. Spring cleaning is a needed renewal, a refreshing of the home and mind time.

Third, set the time to start. Make that day all about the big clean up. If it is today, don’t hesitate.

So, picture it clean, get some boxes, pick a time.

Now, do one thing to motivate yourself by removing the biggest eyesore.

So, right now, do one more small thing to clear the floor, drawer, or room.

Accomplish removing that one big eyesore, followed by one simple clearing of debris.

In the garage, we picked up all the extraneous boxes, paper, things in the middle of the floor, and stored the cans and drinks better. Then, we chose a day for the sorting with boxes.

Next break it down. Make it doable.

Spring cleaning is a process.

The garage, which is the biggest job, is not a one women job. My husband has been working on it since we moved in, organizing and making a workable space, but all of our years of accumulation ended up on one side and he didn’t know what to do with all that stuff.

We needed a purge and some shelves for the necessary storage. We needed to do it together.

Recently, a friend completely cleaned out their garage, painted the floor, and bought storage for seasonal things and auto necessities. It is a project I dream getting done by elves when I am asleep.

Make the big jobs  do-able by breaking them into sections, groups, or areas.

As I go through each room or space, I am going to take several boxes with me. Same for the garage. Break it down, make it do-able.

I take a box or 2 and a couple of large trash bags  for garbage.

Include 1 – 2 boxes  for the give-aways.

Have another box for things to be relocated.

I do it best at high speed without stopping to look at things I find. Don’t get caught up in memory lane. Right now is about the big win early.

Put like things together as you sort the rest into trash, give away, relocate, and items staying put.

If I am doing the garage or a room, I put the trash, give-aways and relocates outside the area and make zones for the rest. For instance, all the paint over there. Art supplies right there. Gardening here.

Also, keep a traffic area, somewhere to walk without stepping over things.

We have removed most of the trash, the giveaways, and now we  put everything that is similar together to store them properly.

I can put out of season clothes in these.

Foldable Storage Bag Organizers

This hanger should be in my laundry room.

Home-it Mop and Broom Holder Wall Mount Garden Tool Storage Tool Rack

outdoor storage or pet supplies in the garage

50 Gallon Patio Bench with Storage

As soon as I have sorted and emptied the area, I remove the boxes and organize what is really supposed to be there.

I remove the other boxes and clean up. Then I don’t have to look at it.

If the hour or two per day doesn’t work, then I will do a drawer, closet, or section of a room per day. Just need to break it up into smaller doable pieces.

Something in the air and light changes as March blows through and I just want to send junk away with the wind. All of it.

I am looking to have less stored instead of more stored. As I declutter the house, I feel like my mind will be less cluttered too, so I will make a list of things to accomplish. Anything rolling around in my brain nudging me for attention needs to be dealt with or tossed out with the boxes and trash.

Our minds and moods lighten with the purging.

After the dealing with the stuff and spring cleaning, don’t recreate the mess.

I recently did my jewelry with something like this. It looks nice so it isn’t hard to keep it straight.

Mirror Jewelry Cabinet Lockable

We have toned down our shopping and accumulating in the last few years. We don’t buy anything without discussing it and we don’t buy what we don’t need.

Our priorities have changed, so we buy less, store less, and I want to clean less overall.

I really want to have to clean less. That is my big goal. Less clutter, less stuff, much easier to keep tidy and run a vacuum or mop.

Seriously, we are grandparents with inside dogs, but only occasional guests. How hard should it be?

I guess it is time to be more selective and let some of it go, while keeping the most significant. I’ve always been brilliant at that, but I need the big boost to really get it done.

I’ve always wanted drawers to look like this!

Simple Houseware Closet Underwear Organizer Drawer Divider 4 Set, Gray

So, here it is. Clean house, clean mind, soul soothing, less hectic, less chaos. Out with the old stuff, in with the new mind.

No time like the present!

Enjoy the new clean space!

Might have to dive in tomorrow. Spring cleaning is therapeutic, and I need the recharge.

Click here for more on Spring Cleaning Closets!

Or click here for the motivational post to help you let go of the stacks of stuff.

Barefoot and writing,
Kim