The birds are chirping, the flowers are bursting, the sun is out and Spring is here....finally! All I want to do is be outside soaking it all up....but...with the flowers came an intense amount of pollen this year. I haven't had allergies in over a decade...I am paying for that this Spring! So...I thought I would give April a chance to have a few of those showers that it's famous for, and let some of that lovely yellow curtain wash away, while I do some indoor Spring prep!
I had a couple requests for this one! So here goes...but be warned, this will have to be a series due to my OCD tendencies, heehe...I hope it motivates and helps someone!
So, admittedly I am a type A personality, pretty OCD. Okay, so I am VERY OCD...I get giddy over a freshly organized drawer and look forward to trash and recycle day ALL week because I love decluttering and organization so much. Yes, call me a freak...I don't mind...at least I am a neat & organized freak! ;)
Where to start....there is just so much. But if you want to make a huge impact with 1 task...my Tip #1 would be "keep it in the closet!" It's kind of annoying that you spend a ton of time working so hard cleaning out something that no one else will really see, but honestly it makes a huge difference and is so gratifying! It's sooooo easy to stick things in the closet and forget. When I say hit the closets, I mean ALL the closets. Of course, the obvious is cleaning out the kid's closets, switching out the Winter duds for the Springtime wardrobe, sifting through those things that are worn out or already a little snug. But don't pass by those other doors! The linen closet, coat closet, even that kitchen junk drawer...the one that everyone has! Once you get going...you might just get on a roll!
Knowing that I have limited time to attack projects like this, only possible while the kids are at school, I schedule myself. Let's be frank, children are little hoarders, you just pray they outgrow it! So they definitely cannot be home when you declutter! My kids can think of a reason to save a toilet paper tube or a the wrapper from some toy they broke ages ago. And the things that you find under bookcases, and in nooks - the Ultimate Treasure they've been searching for their whole life!
So, first, schedule yourself and make it a doable task. Don't plan to clean out all the closets in one day, unless you have the WHOLE day. My first day, I set my goal of attacking the main linen closet, and my son's closet.
For us, the linen closet is one big one that houses all of our sheets, beach towels, sleeping bags and a few other odds and ends that have just ended up there. Weed out the stained, ripped or old sheets. If it's been a while, you might have acquired a few sets that you no longer use. You might also determine that you need new sheets, that's fun! In my opinion, there is really no good reason to keep more than 1 change of sheets for each bed and for us that's a lot! But, I still got rid of 2 sets of sheets and several duvets. This is a great time to donate your old sheets, blankets, towels to the local Humane Society or other Animal Shelter.
I realize some of this can be annoying, I had a giant basket of vacuum attachments that I had to go through, half of them were for an old version of my new vacuum and I had to try each one to see which fit! Also, every year that your kids get older, there are things you grow out of! We had 4 humidifiers! Paring that down freed up some nice space! Now when I open that door...it's so much less cluttered and looks so nice, that I kinda want to take a book and a flashlight and hide out in there! lol...
Next, use this time to figured out what you need. When I cleaned out my son's closet I had to get rid of a lot of stuff! He is about to turn 6 and growing like a weed with Miracle Grow in his shoes. Hence, I kept a notepad at the ready and marked down everything I was getting rid of, so that I would be able to easily determine what he needed more of. His birthday is coming up in a month and that's the perfect way to replenish what I am handing over to his cousin! At this age, they grow so fast that a lot of his things hardly get used and are in great condition. Thankfully his cousin is a year behind him and loves nothing more than Tucker's clothes! I realized that the kid didn't have but a couple pairs of shorts and 1 bathing suit, so what do you think the Easter Bunny brought him? Yep, some swim trunks! I am all about taking an opportunity to get them the things the actually need!
Don't forget the socks and undies! Make sure that all the underwear are in good, clean condition and none of the elastic is shot! Kids his age are quick to just stick things back in their drawers rather than turn them in! Match up the socks! Everyone has strays everywhere. Yes, one day the match to that sock might show up....but really do you want to hang around for that? Make all the matches you can and toss the rest! If you don't you'll end up with one huge drawer of nothing but sock puppets!
The coat closet! Don't overlook this one! Kids outgrow jackets too and that is something that the consignment stores always need more of! Those are usually gently worn in this part of the country and make for a great consignment item! Plus, they take up so much room, it's a great thing to turn over! It seems like someone gets a new jacket every Christmas, and those things will pile up and go out of style too! Clear out the old ones that you know you won't wear again! This is a fantastic donation item as well! Don't forget The Good Shepard House of Wilmington or any other Homeless Shelter, when you have extra adult jackets on hand! When Winter rolls back around they will be looking for those!
Make sure to go ahead and get your donation items to wherever they are headed, or they will just be clutter in a different location!
Happy Friday! I hope this helps and motivates someone to get their Spring Clean on!
