Before I jump into spring cleaning tips, I think it’s important to begin by establishing realistic expectations. Not all households are created equal. In other words, behind every closed door, we all have unique obligations and circumstances that can make it challenging to maintain household chores. Chronic pain, illness, motherhood, and anxiety, amongst many other obstacles, can all make cleaning problematic. It’s important to go easy on yourself.
Let me give you my current situation. I am in the process of moving. My apartment is currently unusually unorganized, and the packed boxes are piling it. While this may be the perfect time to discard old items, donate, or sell things I no longer want, it is still overwhelming. However, as the next couple of months unfold with more packing and moving, there is one thing I know I will need to adjust, and that is lowering my expectations.
At some point, a dirty sink full of dishes or a hamper that looks like it’s about to burst at the seams is inevitable. Let go of the expectation of how your house should look and set your own family’s expectations given your situation.
Now, let’s jump into a few tips to spring clean your way to success.
Handle It Right Away
When you get the mail, be prepared to sort it. Break the habit of touching it multiple times. Instead, open it and manage it, discard it, or file it away. This habit can boost your success because instead of convincing yourself, “I will get to it later,” which can quickly become a stack of papers on the counter, you handle it immediately and only touch it once. Some choose to use this method to sort through email and call it the Ohio method (only handle it once), but it can also be used with your mail. Try telling yourself only handle it once. It’s easy to remember, and it can help you avoid stacks of papers that become bothersome. Better yet, you can also go green with many subscriptions that are now online and choose paperless for bank statements, which can avoid clutter adding up in the first place.
Ditch The Clutter Accumulators
I once put a chair in my room for decorative purposes, and instead, it became a place to lay my clothes and be lazy. What about you? Has the treadmill become a place you stack things on? Or what about the top of your dresser? Be mindful of the ‘hot spots’ that have become a place of your “piles.” If it pertains to something like a treadmill, try moving the equipment out of your usual area or fold it up when it’s not in use. Try placing a vase of flowers on your dresser as a reminder to keep it neat and tidy. Think about your clutter accumulators and how you can nix those danger zones altogether.
Be Mindful Of Extra Space
Although a basement, garage, or attic can be a helpful place for storage, don’t confuse storage with stockpiling. If you have an item that you are on the fence about, don’t automatically place it in the basement out of sight. This behavior can quickly become a habit where things will accumulate, leaving you with a lot of excess stuff you’ll most likely forget about. Just because you have the extra space doesn’t mean you have to fill it. When you are getting ready to store an item, take some time to think about whether it would be better off going to someone who needs it now, selling it, or donating it. You may end up not missing the item at all.
Share The Chore List With Your Family
Studies show that children who partake in chores starting at an early age are more likely to have a sense of self-worth, self-reliance, and a heightened sense of responsibility. Even children as young as three or four years old can start to understand the importance of tidying up. Organizing and cleaning are a part of everyone’s life, and instilling this habit at a young age teaches them to take ownership. After all, we want to place our children on a path to success. If you have teenagers, they will thank you when they go off to college and know how to do their own laundry and are well-adjusted to living on their own.
Extra tip: let your children choose which chore they prefer to do.
Pick 5
Right before you go to bed, choose five items that need to make their way back to home base. Although it may seem that picking up five things won’t carry a lot of weight, it also reinforces the bigger picture, which is setting the habit of a tidy up. While a few minutes each night won’t make a huge impact right away, once you compile that time, it can make a world of difference. If you have your family pitching in to help during this time, five can easily be turned into 25, depending on the size of your household.
Use these tips as a starting place. Start small and be consistent. Only take it day by day as our cluttered spaces can make us anxious and overwhelmed. It takes empowerment to navigate through all of our things. Breathe—you got this.