19 Apr 5 Essential Spring Decluttering Tips
Spring is that time of year when we all get the urge to refresh and revitalize our homes. The warmer weather and longer days make us want to air out homes that have been closed up during the winter and lighten up our decor. Along with the typical spring cleaning, it’s a great time to declutter and reorganize your home.
While it can be tempting to launch into a house-wide decluttering frenzy, that can quickly become overwhelming. So here are some tips to clear the clutter without losing your mind.
1 | Focus on one space at a time.
When you get the itch to declutter, it’s easy to start a big project because your motivation level is high. All too often either your motivation decreases as the job drags on or life interrupts and you’re left with a bigger mess than when you started.
Instead we recommend that you focus on one space at a time. Smaller jobs are finished more quickly, helping you feel accomplished and motivated to do more. You can work on a single room in your house or break it down into even smaller tasks. Rather than clearing clutter out of the whole kitchen, for example, start with the pantry, or even the dreaded junk drawer!
2 | Start with your most-used spaces.
We encourage you to start in a room that gets frequent use rather than a space like the attic or garage. Those are usually big, time-consuming jobs and you don’t necessarily enjoy the results the same way you would in your most-used spaces.
Decluttering a room where you spend time every day will make an immediate impact on how you feel in your day-to-day life. Imagine how good it will feel every morning when you open a drawer in your bathroom and find all of your cosmetics neatly organized.
3 | Empty everything from a space.
While it’s true that this makes decluttering a bigger job, it also allows you to see how much stuff you really have in a given space. It’s one thing to go through and quickly pull out what catches your eye, but it’s much more effective when you have to touch each item.
You’ll see just how many half-used jars of oregano you have when you’ve removed all the contents of your pantry. Once a space is empty, it’s also much easier to clean and it gives you the chance to organize items more effectively.
4 | Purge as you make seasonal swaps.
Spring is a great time to store away heavy sweaters and other winter gear to make room in your closet for warm-weather clothes like shorts and swimsuits. It’s tempting to save time and just put winter clothes and gear in storage, but your future self will thank you if you take the time to purge now. There’s no need to store ski boots that no longer fit or a sweater that you didn’t wear once this season.
Likewise, don’t put swimsuits in your drawer if they don’t fit or hang onto beach chairs that need to be replaced. You won’t remember they’re damaged until it’s time to use them and then you’ll be annoyed that you didn’t deal with it sooner.
5 | Store items with care.
As you swap out seasonal items to make room in your closets and dressers, be sure to store off-season items carefully. Even though it adds some extra time to the process, it’s a good idea to clean winter clothes and gear before storing it away.
Store items in a cool, dry location and add cedar or lavender sachets to repel pests.
Bonus tip: Hire a professional organizing service!
At North County Concierge, we can help you transform even the most cluttered area into an organized and functional space. Take a look at our tips for getting ready for a professional organizer.