The birds are chirping, the grass is turning green, the bees are out… You know what that means? Spring is here! And with it, our wishes of getting organized and embarking on that novelty of Spring Cleaning. Why is it that the season of Spring makes us want to clean our house from top to bottom? And why is it such a daunting task? Well, at least for some of us. Especially those of us will small spaces and lots of clutter.
We are going to break down Spring Cleaning into easily digestible and doable tasks so that you can actually finish Spring Cleaning this year.
Since you have a small space, it is critical to be able to let go of items that you don’t need and don’t have space for. Hoarding + small spaces do not go together. The key to living in a small space is to use every opportunity to make it appear larger. Every item in a small space should have a place to rest. So clear your mind and get ready to let go.
Clothes
If you are finding that you have more clothes than closet and drawer space, then it is time to get rid of some clothes. There are three ways that you can get rid of clothes and not feel bad about it.
- Give clothes to Goodwill – Gather clothes that are in fairly good condition and take them to Goodwill or your local homeless shelter. If you have business attire you can donate those to companies like Dress for Success.
- Make some money – Sell your gently worn or new pieces on Poshmark. You can earn a little cash while clearing out your clutter.
- Pass them down – Who doesn’t love a clothing swap? Except this time, offer your clothes to one of your BFFs. On one hand you’re clearing out your closet, on the other, you can always borrow that clothing item back down the road.
For more tips on decluttering your closet, read “Purging 101: 5 Steps to Decluttering Your Closet.”
Paper
Another source of unnecessary clutter is paper. If you have too much random paper, receipts, old bills, etc. laying around, it’s time to get rid of it.
Gather your papers into two piles:
- Throw away pile – The first pile is paper that can be directly thrown away. For instance, papers that do not have your personal information located on them.
- Shred pile – The second pile is for papers that have your personal information on them and need to be shredded before being thrown away.
Once you’ve gathered your papers into the both piles, throw away what can be trashed immediately. If you have a shredder in your home shred the papers with your personal information immediately. Don’t say to yourself, you will shred them later. We want to avoid having them continue to pile up and thus continuing to clutter your small space. If you do not have a shredder, stack your papers up and take them to an office supply store like Staples. Check your local office supply store for shredding prices. Prices are usually reasonable and are per pound.
Stay tuned for more of our Spring Cleaning series…
