With homes sealed up against the cold, winter creates a special kind of dirt inside the home. With #spring arriving early this year, you can get a headstart on the #deep-cleaning needed to get your home ready for the warm-weather months, however. Good Housekeeping suggests #organizing storage spaces such as the garage by sorting things into keep, #donate and toss piles before cleaning the walls and floors, then replacing the (fewer) things you want to keep. Also pay special attention to the things that gather lots of dirt and dust in a closed-up house, such as blinds, doormats, ceiling fans and curtains. #SpringCleaning
Tag: keep
Clear Your Closets for Colder Weather
With the temperatures falling and the days getting shorter, you’ve probably started getting out a few cold-weather garments that you haven’t seen for several months. It’s a great time to #clean out your #closet and decide what you will and won’t be wearing this fall and winter.
Start by taking everything out of the closet, Cleaning Is Caring suggests. Wipe the walls, doors and baseboards, and dust the ceiling, shelves and light fixtures. Empty and clean any bins, too; finally, vacuum or mop the floor.
Now the #decluttering and #organizing can begin! Separate all of your #clothing into piles designated #keep, #donate or #trash. Be honest with yourself — if you haven’t been that size for years or the garment is just too shabby to wear again, get rid of it. It’s only taking up space.
You’ll have to say goodbye to summer, The Spruce says, washing or dry cleaning the warm-weather wear you decide to keep before storing it in a location other than your main closet. Vacuum-seal bags and plastic storage bins are ideal for this.
Now that you’ve thinned the herd, you can put the things you do plan to wear back in your closet in a more #organized fashion. Houzz suggests folding most casual knits and putting them on shelves, while hanging dresses, pants, button-down shirts and outerwear. Smaller items such as socks and jewelry can go in drawers, bins and organizers.
If you notice an item or two that you would like to add to your #fall #wardrobe, feel free to buy it! But take that heap of also-rans that didn’t make it back into your closet or storage, bag it up and contact ClothingDonations.org for a #free #donation #pickup.
You’ll be able to find the things you want to wear faster when you need them, reducing #stress, and keep your #closet consistently more #clean and #organized. Bonus? #Donating to ClothingDonations.org helps #veterans. So you’ll look good and feel good, too!
Empty Your Garage and Start Sorting
Once you’ve removed everything from the #garage, you can sort everything into the familiar #keep, #donate/sell and #trash piles, says Living Well, Spending Less. This requires you to be absolutely honest about your answers to the following question: If you haven’t used whatever it is in the last year, will you really ever use it again? If the answer is “No,” that thing is #clutter. So get rid of the disused sporting goods, the rusty or duplicate tools, and anything that appears broken. Slap a price sticker on anything that someone else might want and host a #garage sale, or contact ClothingDonations.org for a free donation pickup.
Set Goals to Make Decluttering Actionable
Set goals to help #declutter your home fast and with a sense of purpose, says Blast Aloud; otherwise, you’ll wind up procrastinating. Goals can be based upon a number of items you want to get rid of or keep, the period of time you want to dedicate to #organizing a specific room, how often you want to declutter, or how much space you want to reclaim. Than take action! “There is no way a goal or a plan will automatically execute itself,” the blog says. “The sooner you start taking the necessary action, the faster the whole process becomes. Irrespective of how difficult it might seem to start off, rest assured, it will be easier once you commence.”
Try Decluttering in One-Hour Bursts
To blow through your #decluttering fast, says Be More With Less blogger Courtney Carver, try doing #organizing “bursts” in which you get rid of 100 things in 60 minutes. Set up a box for #trash and one for #donations and set the timer; you’re going to go quickly from space to space and eliminate items from each. Have a list of areas in hand and a number in mind, she says: Count off 10 items from the bathroom, 20 items from the kitchen, 10 items from the car and so on. Before you know it, you’ll have made a big dent in all that useless #stuff — and likely will have assembled a substantial #charitable #donation for #pickup.