Spring is just around the corner. (No. Really. It is!) With spring comes spring cleaning, and with spring cleaning—for most of us—comes procrastination or any number of headaches. Here are five places to purge, to help you spring into spring!
The Kitchen
Clear off and clean up kitchen surfaces. Decide what needs to remain on the counter, what could be stored, and what could be donated or dumped. Consolidate spoons and spatulas, placing them in a container or drawer. A knife block also helps to save space. And clear containers work well for baking substances, on the counter or in the cupboard.
The Dining Room
Do you know where your dining room table is? Remove everything from the table. Find a convenient spot for car and house keys. Use hooks to hang up handbags and briefcases. If papers were on the table, find a new home for them. Stacking trays make sense of strays—or move items to the office, if appropriate. And if you don’t need to keep or file papers, recycle or destroy them.
The Living Room
Reclaim your living room! Hang coats in the closet, tuck away boots and shoes (or have a nice-looking storage space for them), and open, sort, and deal with your mail immediately. Place newspapers in the recycle bin when you’re done reading them. Recycle magazines or donate them to a hospital or doctor’s office. Have a dedicated spot for toys, trinkets, and remote controls, so they don’t take over the living area.
The Bathroom
When is the last time you wore that lipstick? Do you need all of those hair products? Is the tangle of electrical cords jangling your nerves? Review, revise, and relocate. Be honest: Dump what you don’t use and won’t miss. If space is limited, baskets or other containers could help corral cosmetics. And when you aren’t using your dryer, flat iron, or hot rollers, unplug it and tuck it out of the way.
The Closet
Take a deep breath … then create three piles (or sections): Keep, Consider, Consign.
Keep the items you actively wear—items that fit well, are in good repair, and look good on you.
Consider keeping items you haven’t worn in a while, perhaps because they need repairs or alterations, or you’ve lost or gained weight.
Consign (or Donate or Dump) items you aren’t going to wear—items that don’t fit, aren’t your style, or have outlived their usefulness.
Written by: Amy L Charles
Photo: stock.xchng
