Instead of Spring Cleaning, Try Spring Cleaning
The desire to do a thorough cleaning of the house is very strong. You know the warmer months are approaching, things are looking up, and you want to enjoy it all in a fresh, updated environment. This usually involves standard cleaning, but what if you shake it up this year? Instead, try a spring approach to decluttering, getting rid of what no longer serves you so you can truly enjoy your space. Here’s how to do it.
Assess your space
This is something I do a lot, especially since I started actively decluttering about two years ago: I stand in a room and look at it as objectively as I can. Once you get used to things—a pile of stuff stacked on a side table, an old box you don’t really use, a Swiffer that’s somehow been sitting on the same wall for weeks—you no longer notice how cluttered it all looks, not to mention how little you actually use or need all that stuff.
It’s hard to do, but try looking around as if you don’t live there and really notice what’s going on everywhere. If you’re really struggling, call a friend to assess the situation or take a photo of the room. Somehow, looking at a photo of a room rather than the room itself really helps me see what it actually looks like.
Choose a decluttering method to follow
Before you choose a method (and there are many), make a commitment to stick with your decision and get rid of a lot of things. In general, no matter which approach you use, you’ll be sorting items into one of four categories: keep, throw away, donate, and sell. In fact, many decluttering gurus don’t even acknowledge the “sell” option, preferring to focus instead of storing, throwing away, and donating, but I find that selling things has been beneficial for me, not only financially, but because in the long run I have every confidence that someone else will benefit from them.
It can be helpful, especially if you’re not in the habit of decluttering, to lay out four boxes and sort everything by hand. One tip: when the box is full, immediately take it to where it needs to go. The waste box goes straight into the trash. The donation box goes to your car or, better yet, directly to a drop-off location. Developing a habit of taking action around clutter starts with saying what you’re going to do with each category of item.
As for which approach to take, you have options. I suggest starting your spring decluttering in a big way rather than gradually, just because that’s what spring cleaning is all about. You can switch to a more relaxed approach to keep the party going all year long. In the meantime, try to get rid of as much as possible. Good options here are the drive-out method and the Peter Walsh method .
The Grooming Method comes from Katie Holdefer, author of Embrace Your Space and Associate Editorial Director of Real Simple. This will add some momentum to your efforts, which is just right for spring cleaning season: You act as if you’re actually moving out of your home into a new one, except that the “new” home is actually the one you already have, only cleaner and better. You set a “move out” date and pack everything in the room, classifying it as if you were actually leaving, but asking yourself, “If I did move, would I want to take this with me?” Will there be room for this in my new home? Once everything is packed and you’ve gotten rid of anything that didn’t answer “yes” to these questions, clean the room thoroughly and then unpack. You may find even more things you don’t want to keep, so get rid of those too.
Peter Walsh’s method is also pretty brutal: empty a space completely, then create a vision for it. For example, if you’re decluttering your living room, spend some time imagining how you actually want to live there, whether that’s turning it into a place to get work done or spend cozy nights watching movies. Really focus on the vision of what you want this room to be, and then sort everything you take away from it into two piles: things that serve that vision and things that don’t. Get rid of what you don’t need, and then put the rest aside.
What to do if you get stuck
It’s tricky, primarily because we all tend to justify keeping things we don’t really need, either for sentimental reasons or because we’re worried we might need them one day. The reality is that you probably won’t need much clutter, and it can be replaced if necessary rather than taking up space in the meantime. To overcome these psychological obstacles, you can ask yourself questions while decluttering. Here is a list of my favorite questions , which includes the following questions:
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“When was the last time I used this?” This can help you determine if you’re actually using the item you’re about to get rid of.
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“Do I want to control this item?” This will help you realistically articulate the obligations and responsibilities that will require you to hold onto something.
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“Would I know I had it if I needed it?” This is useful for clearing out places like junk drawers that are full of things you excuse yourself from keeping “just in case.”
What will happen when spring ends?
I don’t always recommend ripping off the band-aid and starting with a heavy-handed technique like the moving method or Peter Walsh’s methods, but they work well if you’re trying to start a new, clutter-free lifestyle, making them great for spring cleaning season. It can be difficult and you may end up leaving behind a lot of unnecessary things, but the bigger the start, the better the results. To maintain and improve these results, you need to keep moving forward, constantly cleaning things up. I’ve been doing this for two years now and I’m still far from a minimalist, but there are some great long-term approaches you can follow to maintain that energy.
First, incorporate micro-decluttering into your existing cleaning schedule. (Don’t have an existing cleaning schedule? Here’s how to create one .) Micro-decluttering involves choosing a tiny space and focusing on just that, rather than an entire room or even the entire house. You are cleaning up not the bathroom, but the medicine cabinet. You are putting things in order not in the living room, but in one shelving unit in it. Choosing a tiny space each day will keep you from feeling overwhelmed and will create a much more manageable home over time.
The same is true for methods like 12-12-12 and 365 Less Things . With 12-12-12, you’ll find 12 items to donate, 12 items to throw away, and 12 items to put away each day, but it’s easier than it sounds. If you left junk mail on the table by your front door or found a Starbucks straw wrapper in your purse, it’s considered something you can throw away, just like a broken appliance. A blanket on the couch that actually belongs in the hamper is just as important as a full load of clean laundry. Again, do this in small increments to develop a habit. With 365 Less Things, you’ll commit to getting rid of one thing every day for a year. This is the perfect way to continue your spring decluttering spree because it slows down the process and makes it completely manageable. It may not seem like much, but after a whole year of doing this – when will you find yourself spring cleaning again! – you will get rid of a significant amount of waste, and your home will be better in the long run.