We’ve all heard these two words that suddenly seem to be everywhere once the warmer weather comes: spring cleaning. Love it or hate it, it’s a necessary process to get things in order and take stock of your home. However, there’s a process that’s just as important as spring clearing that also comes first: spring decluttering. So what’s the difference?
While spring cleaning implies some wipe downs, dusting, and other tasks tied to cleanliness, spring decluttering is a bit more involved and also makes the clearing portion easier. Spring decluttering prioritizes minimalism and necessity: what do you need, and what should you do with what you don’t? Follow along below for some spring decluttering tips that will make your home feel lighter and larger.
Determine in Three Questions if Items are For Keeps or For Sweeps
When going room by room, you can determine how ruthless you want to be — you may already have a curated, minimalist aesthetic, or perhaps you have a busier home and you like that style. No matter your preference, you can find success in asking these three questions of each item in your house: Do I remember the last time I used this item? Do I have a fond, personal attachment to this item? Is this item making the best use of the space I have? If you answered no to all three questions, you may have found something to toss away or donate.
Start with What’s Visible
This is all of the furniture, decorations, and other public-facing items that any guest would see if they walked in your home. This tends to be the easier part: we like what we keep out, we hoard what we don’t use every day. Take a look at seasonal decor — are there still holiday items hanging about? Go room by room, item by item: it’s tedious, but if done correctly, it can really free up some space.
Then Head to the More Difficult Places
Garages, basements, closets: we all have spaces where we stash old supplies, mementos, and clothes we forgot we bought. This step may be one of the most important spring decluttering tips. You really want to go deep into these mini storage facilities to take out not just what’s immediately in front of you but also the stuff lurking in the back. Such items may have gone untouched for years, which should make it pretty easy to determine whether they’re worth keeping.
Declutter with a Friend or Family Member
These spring decluttering tips are easier to abide by when doing them with an extra helper. Why? They’ll tell you like it is. Unlike yourself, this helper won’t have any personal attachments to the items at hand and can give you reality checks about what should and should not stay. It’s a tough process, but know that when it’s over, you’ll practically have a whole new closet or room to effectively use as you please!
Donate What You Can
They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Of course, not every item you find will still be in working condition. Sort items into usable and unusable piles. That which is not usable should be thrown out. Then, further sift through the usable pile: consider how much of it feels like a good thing to donate. Use your judgment and donate what you can to a local shelter, house of worship, or donation center.
ACS encourages decluttering because it opens up your home and shows off the beauty of the new flooring that you have your eye on. Additionally, it makes the installation process easier, as often, clients don’t like their floors but can’t change them because of all of the furniture and clutter atop them. Participate in spring decluttering; your house will glow when you’re done, and you’ll have a stronger sense of what kind of decorations you want when your home is less cluttered with old and/or unused items.