Once you’ve completed your spring cleaning, keep your cleaning streak going by taking on some organization projects. A new season is a fresh start, and one of the most impactful places to focus on a fresh start is your home. If you’re committed to an organized home this spring, read on for easy-to-implement spring organization tips.
Declutter
After your major spring cleaning tasks are complete — clearing the gutters, cleaning the windows, power washing the exterior, deep cleaning the house, professionally cleaning the upholstery — and any additional spring cleaning tasks, it’s time to declutter. Clearing away the piles of papers and miscellaneous items that accumulate throughout your home can have a significant effect on the way your home feels, as well as the way you feel in your home.
Create a Place for Every Item
Often, items pile up because they need a designated place. Ensuring every item you bring into your home has a place to go will help reduce surface clutter, making daily cleaning, organizing and living easier. Places where items typically accumulate are:
- By entry areas:
- Kitchen counters and islands
- Kitchen tables and dining tables
- Coffee tables
Pay attention to the areas that attract the most clutter in your home to identify the best storage solutions for your needs, such as:
- Lockers, shelves, or baskets by your main entry points to corral jackets, outdoor accessories, bags, backpacks and shoes
- Baskets for papers on the kitchen counter – be sure to review and sort these papers several times per week
- Art or craft carts to corral projects that may accumulate on tables
- Decorative boxes to collect remotes, coasters, glasses, or books on coffee or accent tables
Remove Items From the Original Packaging
The original packaging on any item you bring into your home reflects the company’s branding that made it — not your home. Leaving items in their original packaging creates visual clutter with the package’s colors, imagery and fonts. Removing items from the original packaging can make a more cohesive, calm and organized look throughout your home. Examples of items to decant and transfer from the original packaging include:
- Dish soap
- Hand soap
- Salt, pepper and other spices
- Baked goods that you display on your counter
- Snacks and other dry pantry goods
- Fruit
- Cleaning spray
Assess the Drawers
Clearing the surface areas and swapping the items into a drawer is a short-term solution. The surfaces may appear clean and clear, but you will have a larger issue inside the drawers. Overflowing, unorganized drawers can be stressful and a waste of time and money if you can’t find the items you already own. To most effectively organize your drawers, empty the entire contents of the drawer, thoroughly clean the inside of the drawer, invest in drawer organizers, begin to throw out items you don’t need, and categorize the items that are staying. You will be amazed by how large the garbage pile becomes.
