- “How Much Stuff is in the Average American Home.” May 2022. The Simplicity Habit. https://www.thesimplicityhabit.com/how-much-stuff-is-in-the-average-american-home/#:~:text=Report%20Ad-,300%2C000%20Items%20in%20the%20Average%20American%20Home%3F,household%20contains%20about%20300%2C000%20things.
- Sarah Aguirre. March 2022. “6 Tips for Successful Spring Cleaning.” The Spruce.https://www.thespruce.com/spring-cleaning-a-complete-checklist-1900106.
- Caroline Picard and Amanda Garrity. March 2022. “38 Easy Spring Cleaning Tips for a Sparkling Home.” https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/g3345/spring-cleaning-tips/.
Resources
Six Successful Tips for Spring Cleaning
Spring is all about new beginnings and fresh starts. Nature is beginning anew with birds’ nests full of eggs, flowers blooming out of the hard earth, and fresh leaves beginning to flourish in trees. While all that is going on outside, many people feel compelled to create a fresh start in their own homes. That begins with spring cleaning! However, the overall task can feel daunting as the older we get, the more items we tend to accumulate. In fact, a study shows that the average American household contains roughly 300,000 items.1 This can make spring cleaning feel like too big a feat, yet there are several ways to break down the work to help provide a fresh start to your home.
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Six Successful Tips for Spring Cleaning
Here are six tips for spring cleaning your home that are easy, manageable and will help clear up your living space.
1. Go room by room
Each room may need a different amount of clearing or reorganizing depending on what’s in it. An office may need bookshelves to be cleared, dusted and rearranged, but your bedroom might need a closet refresh or the bedding fluffed. Create a spring cleaning checklist for each room tailored to areas that need a refresh or that have been neglected during the winter.2 Then methodically work down your checklist for each room.
2. Clear the clutter
It happens to everyone, we collect and let things gather until we have small piles of clutter in random areas of the house. Spring cleaning is the perfect opportunity to clear the clutter and make space within your house. Consider using the three pronged approach to either throw away, give away, or put away.2 Sometimes clutter needs to be tossed entirely while in other cases it just needs to be stored in a better place. Gather the things that take up space or that need a better home within your house and sort them into three piles. By the end, your house should feel more organized and spacious!
3. Reorganize junk drawers
It may be unintentional at the start, but over time one drawer in the house inevitably begins to collect odds and ends: a paperclip, some old coupons, that extra house key, some used up pens. When you are already in the zone of reorganizing rooms in your home, don’t neglect the junk drawer! Take the time to create the same piles as before: throw away, give away, and put away. A straightened junk drawer will free up some space and perhaps repurpose the use of the drawer..
4. Reorder bookcases
Bookcases can be a dumping ground for knick knacks, old papers, and loads of books. Over time, instead of appearing organized, they can feel cluttered. Take the time to give your bookcase new life by clearing off unnecessary items. You could even alphabetize the books or group items by color to make them feel more organized.3
5. Toss old clothes
Old clothes can be lurking in the dark recesses of your closet and could be stealing away valuable space. While you are folding away your winter clothes and adding in your spring wardrobe to your closet, take the time to get rid of old clothes or items that you no longer need. Something could be the wrong size, look worn or faded, or be something that you haven't worn in months. If it does not spark joy, either toss it or donate it. You could bless someone else with the clothes and enjoy extra space in your closet, a win-win!
6. Deep clean
Once all the clutter is cleared away or reorganized, it is the perfect time to give the house a deep clean! Think of areas that don’t immediately jump to mind. Maybe the grout in your shower needs a little extra love or your living room pillows need a quick fluff in the dryer. Whatever the household chore, a deep clean can help freshen many aspects of your home.
Spring can be the perfect season to give your house a refresh! Open up those curtains and don’t be afraid to roll up your sleeves and get a little dirty. The pay-off will be a beautifully reorganized home that is fresh and clean!
