ATLANTA – It seems as though a moment ago we were complaining about the ice of winter, with its bone-chilling temperatures, its penchant for shutting down roads and inducing us with cabin fever.
But just like clockwork, spring is here, and summer will surely follow.
That’s how nature operates. Trees shed leaves in autumn, and new buds bloom in the warmth of spring, signaling, ah yes, that time when we clean. The house. The basement. The garage.
“It’s a natural thing to open the curtains and let the light in and enjoy the warm weather,” said Suellen Germani, owner of Creative Order, a professional organizing firm she founded in 2005. “With that comes cleaning. I don’t know if it’s an innate urge to declutter in the spring or something we’ve just been programmed to do.”
It all comes down to bringing order to our personal space, starting in most cases with the closet, Germani said. For some, that means stowing the winter wardrobe and replacing it with more seasonal fare.
“Whenever you do the wardrobe switch, it’s the perfect time to go through what you didn’t wear in the past season and decide what you want to keep or have live someplace else,” Germani said. “That can be donations, consignment or the trash for those things that have stains and tears.”
How do you decide what gets to stay and what doesn’t?
“If it doesn’t fit, it needs to go,” said Carleen Tabb, a personal stylist and founder of Cie My Style in Atlanta. “After that, you need to focus on style, discarding things that are dated.”
For instance, Tabb said, blouses with large collars and shoes with block heels or square toes are so yesterday.
And if you’re replenishing, versatility is key, she said.
“If you can’t wear it three different ways, it isn’t closet-worthy,” Tabb said. “It will just hang there collecting dust.”
Germani, who in addition to providing organizational services also offers life coaching, said January, when people are making New Year’s resolutions, and spring are peak seasons when it comes to people wanting to purge and bring order to their lives.
After the closet, the home office, garage and basement should be top priorities because spring is also the time of year when many of us turn our attention to taxes, want to tidy up our yards, go camping or begin planning those beach vacations. The garage is where we store tools and beach gear.
“When we come in as organizers, we help them get those areas tidied up and create zones for things such as gardening, camping supplies and sports equipment,” Germani said.
Clients, she said, are often embarrassed or they think she will be horrified by their space, but spring cleaning isn’t about being a neat freak. Even piles of paper and clothes might say clean to some.
“Being organized is being able to find what you want when you want it,” Germani said. “It often doesn’t matter how it looks to the person whose stuff it is.”
Although spring is normally the impetus for getting one’s house in order, Germani and Tabb say more and more of us are seeking to declutter our lives in every sense of the word. They say even the calendar can amass clutter, putting demands on our time and leaving little room for personal growth and recharging.
Many of us, however, are realizing we’re happier with less, Germani said.
“We’re finding as a society that things don’t necessarily make you happy,” she said. “There is more to it than that. When you get rid of things that aren’t serving you and keep only those items or time commitments that make you happy, then it opens up room and time for more creative outlets like writing or painting.”
Clean and organize your home in 10 minutes
Keep cleaning supplies on each level of your home. You will avoid having to run to the bathroom for dish soap, or to the kitchen cupboard for the shower cleaner.
Don’t procrastinate. Get in the habit of cleaning immediately. For instance, don’t let dishes sit in the sink (rinse and get them in the dishwasher right after eating); make the bed the moment you get up.
Make it bright and cheery. The lighter the room, the cleaner and more open it feels. Add a dash of bright color to take visitors’ eyes off the stacks of clutter.
Baskets, baskets and more baskets. Baskets make great storage units, are easy to ‘’throw’’ stuff in and can be tucked in a closet or under a table at a moment’s notice.
Do one ‘’deep cleaning’’ project a day. These include vacuuming, mopping, window cleaning, laundry and other time-consuming tasks.
Dryer sheet tricks. Use them to clean the inside of glass shower doors and tiles to prevent soap scum buildup. They are also great for loosening caked-on food from baking. Simply fill with warm water, place the dryer sheet inside, let stand overnight and it will be easy cleaning the next morning.
Microwave magic. Steam a bowl of hot water inside a dirty microwave for 10 minutes. Baked-on foods will soften and wipe off with a damp cloth.
Bathroom and kitchen have priority. If those two areas are clean, the whole house will feel it, so wipe down countertops and sinks after each use.
Don’t be afraid to purge. Once a month, go through one room or one closet and get rid of stuff that doesn’t fit or no one plays with. Nervous about having regrets? Put it in a ‘’to donate’’ box. If in two weeks, you haven’t thought about it, say goodbye.
Make cleaning enjoyable. Grab your headphones, press play, and dance. Music will motivate and speed you through the task.
Source: Jennifer Chung, CEO and co-founder of Kinsights, an online advice-sharing community for parents.
