It’s officially Spring. The flowers are blooming, the bees are buzzing, and if you’re anything like me, you have a renewed sense of energy. I don’t know what it is about Spring, especially since I live in Southern California, but I get a burst of energy every time Spring rolls around. I get rejuvenated by the warm sun, the longer days, and the burst of color everywhere. What do I do with this energy? Well, I attack my house, of course! I attack closets and drawers room by room to declutter the stuff that has accumulated throughout the year. Here are some room by room tips on how you can declutter your home and get that positive Spring energy flowing.
Closets: Go through your closets with this question in mind, “What haven’t I worn in the past year?” If those clothes and shoes didn’t call out to you in the past year, they won’t call out to you next year. Make a donation pile out of the clothes that are in good condition. Places like Goodwill or Salvation Army take gently used clothing. You’ll not only be cleaning out your closet, you’ll be helping others in need.
Bedroom: How many sets of sheets does a person need? One set per bed does the trick. Use the linen closet to store extra blankets, pillow cases, and guest bedding. Keep accessories to a minimum since they tend to collect dust. Keeping your bedroom free from clutter creates a healthier sleeping environment. Apply the same tactic you used in your closet to your dresser drawers. Place shirts in rows with the edges facing up so you don’t have to disturb a pile of shirts when you pull one out. This also makes for easy viewing instead of having to hunt through a whole drawer.
Kitchen: Make a list of the things you know you need based on how you cook. Keep only the pots and pans that you use on a regular basis. Get rid of the paella pan that you’ve only used once, but had for 10 years (OK, so I’m telling myself this, but you get the point.) Go through all your cookbooks and donate the ones you don’t use to your local public library. Weed out all your cooking tools. How many spatulas does one person actually need? Replace the ones that have seen better days. Go through your food cupboard and pantry. Dispose of any items that are expired. Group all similar items together. Label all containers for easy identification.
Bathroom: Take stock of your linen closet. Do you really need 20 towels for a family of 4? (OK, so again I’m talking to myself.) Scale down to one bath towel, one hand towel and one face towel per person. Once washed, they can be placed right back into the bathroom. Keep a couple extras for guests, and a couple old ones to mop up any messes that may occur. The rest can be donated to your local animal shelter. They love using them there. For drying hands in the powder room, keep two hand towels: one hangs in the bathroom and gets replaced midweek. As for toiletries, put all essentials in a cabinet and only buy what you can use. No need to stock up. Those things are always readily available. Just replace when you’re running low.
If you’d like more information on how to organize your home check out my Pinterest board, here. You can also read, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying-Up by Marie Kondo. My friend, Jane says is’t life changing! Please leave a comment if you have any other organizing tips you’d like to share. Enjoy your Spring cleaning!
©Alicia Paley Home Interiors 2015
