Most of us grew up in homes when April arrived, like clockwork mom would yell, “We’ve got spring cleaning to do!” Dad’s task would consist of sweeping out the garage and clearing out the utility shed, fixing whatever lawn furniture needed sprucing up. Snow shovels were hung out of the way and the blades on the lawn mower were sharpened. Somehow cleaning out our closets was a must while mom relined all the kitchen cupboards with brand new contact paper. Light, airy curtains would replace all the heavier ones, and every window in the house would be opened wide to let the fresh air in.
It’s amazing how we hibernate like bears during the winter accumulating unnecessary items and simply letting some chores fall to the wayside. But the minute that fresh air and warm sunshine embraces us, we want to escape outdoors and not tied down with household tasks. Here are some tips to ponder.
The key isn't tossing away most of your stuff and hiding the rest away in containers you really don’t want, it's realizing you need to change bad habits with good ones that will stop creating the mess in the first place.
It’s all about the space - knowing what activities take place in each room will dictate what items need to stay or should get tossed.
 |
| Clutter galore |
Is storage needed? Clutter is created due to lack of space and can be fixed easily with built-in shelves, drawers, cabinets, an armoire, baskets and bins, perhaps an ottoman with storage or a coffee table with drawers.
Does the furniture suit the room? When we shop for furniture, it isn’t hard to fall in love with an entire floor display. Too many pieces can create the feeling of clutter in a room. Think about rearranging or relocating/moving pieces elsewhere.
5 The magic word is sort ~ keep it if used regularly, donate/sellit if it’s no longer used, a duplicate and could be benefited by someone else, store it cause it’s sentimental or used during another season but taking up unnecessary space now, trash/recycle it if you even have to question its importance, can’t remember when you last used it or why you have it in the first place.
Don’t procrastinate. It’s those little things we put off every day that pile up to a big mess. If it only takes a few moments of your time, address it right there and then. The task doesn’t have to be perfect. All you need to do is start the process and attempt to do your best.
