Organize Your Way to Spring Cleaning
Get a head start on Spring Cleaning by organizing before you clean. Not only will this make cleaning easier, with the clutter gone they’ll be less to actually clean!
Make a Plan
If organizing your home seems overwhelming, break it down into smaller steps.
Consider
de-cluttering one room a week from March to May.
Be Prepared
Gather supplies before you begin: large garbage bags for items to toss or donate; plastic containers and various size plastic bags for items to keep; adhesive labels and a black marking pen, or a label maker. Use a bucket or handled caddy to tote supplies from room-to-room. Corrugated file boxes with handles (available at office supply stores) also are very helpful.
Start Small
Begin with your least cluttered room and work your way towards the real “disaster” zones, like the basement or garage. Once you begin and experience some success, you’ll be more motivated and skilled to tackle the tougher areas. It’s like working out at the health club—start slow and easy to build endurance.
Pace Yourself
Set your kitchen timer for 30 minutes and tackle at least one zone of a room, such as the floor of your bedroom closet, or a bureau drawer. Increase the time by 15 minutes each day until the room is clutter-free. Ultimately you’ll have spent several hours, but it won’t feel like it.
Follow the SPOTS™ Acronym
Begin by sorting like items into piles. With all pairs of black pants in one place, it’s easier to decide which to purge (toss or donate)—those that no longer fit, have permanent stains, etc.
Contain the remaining like items together. For example, place the most cherished pieces of your son’s artwork in a plastic container with a lid. Tag the container with a label (Johnny’s 1st Grade Artwork) so that it’s easy to find later.
And finally, store it—find a place where the container can “live” permanently. This last step is essential for maintaining order. Creating a “home” for everything makes it easy to find items when you need them, and easy to put away when you’re done.
Apply the 80/20 Rule
Whether clothing, pots and pans, or household papers, studies show that we probably need and use only about 20% of what we have. As you purge items, ask yourself:
Do you currently use it? If not, when will you? If your answer is “maybe someday,” consider that by the time someday rolls around, that item will probably be out-of-date and less desirable.
Does it have important sentimental value? If so, consider ways to preserve the memory in less space. For example, instead of keeping your high school cheerleading uniform in mothballs, take a photo of it. Store the photo and toss the uniform.
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