It’s that time of year again! People are opening the windows and ready for sunnier days (and less dusty homes). There is something about the sunshine that can show you just how much dust is in your home. I actually deep cleaned our house when we were in MN last week and oh my goodness it was necessary. Now, we hadn’t been there for almost six months, but it still felt amazing to have a clean home.
But spring cleaning isn’t just about Windexing your windows! It’s also about cleaning out those items you haven’t used in a few years, and maybe purging your pantry, or donating all of those books that you have already read? There are so many ways to “spring clean”, and to be honest we probably need to do all of them! We have moved so much that I should be done purging by now, but unfortunately I make up reasons to keep things during every move that I just end up getting rid of later. But there is something about getting older that makes me want to simplify everything, not the sentimental things, but all of the small things I manage to acquire along the way.
If the idea of purging a whole room at once is daunting, consider this:
1. Keep a bag by the door of every room
This way as you go about your days you can put something in that bag to give away or trash. You probably notice these things every day anyway, now you can just get rid of them next time you come across them instead of pushing them aside… again! Do that the day after trash day, then when it’s time to take the trash to the curb you gather them up and you are one step closer to a tidier home.
But if you are so bold as to do it all at once, I see you and I’m with you 🙂 but still not sure where to start?
2. Start with your medicine cabinet, vanity and pantry
These are places that tend to be most crammed of unused or likely expired items! And they are the most highly trafficked spaces. Think about it, how many times have you pulled something out of your pantry just to find that it is expired for, cough cough, a while? Or how many times do you look in your vanity at that wrinkle cream or impulse-buy-moisturizer that you don’t actually use. If you haven’t used it in six months throw it away! This includes your makeup. This stuff isn’t good to use after too long anyway, so if you’ve collected eight different nude lipsticks that all look the same so you only end up using two, throw the other six in the bin.
Spring Cleaning shouldn’t just be a term for physical cleaning! Apply this to your technology too, that’s right! Open up your phone and start to clear that thing out!
3. Clean out your inbox + detox your social media
This can be just as distracting as that chronically messy corner of your bedroom. Clean out that inbox of spam, or unsubscribe to that brand that you no longer care about. Delete those newsletters you have kept but will never end up reading… I’ve got loads of those.
Don’t pass on the social media detox! I do this about once a week. There is nothing wrong with “unfollow”! If their content doesn’t interest you anymore? That’s okay! Don’t let their content fill your feed if you don’t want it to. It’ll make room for those you actually want to see on a regular basis. To be honest, you should probably clean your actual phone too! My husband and I use our PhoneSoap every time we come home now, because, well, the ‘rona :-/
“But what about the actually cleaning Keegan?” Trust me, I’m getting there.
4. Always keep a cleaning kit in the house
This doesn’t mean it has to be some pristine basket full of perfectly manicured bottles, but it is easier to consistently keep things clean if you always know you have the right tools to do so. Recently I’ve realized how many plastic bottles I go through with my cleaning essentials and I try to do as many little things as possible to have a more sustainable house, so I’ve loaded up on Grove Collaborative’s cleaning concentrates. Add a few glass spray bottles from Amazon, and boom! You’ve got yourself the perfect cleaning kit.
I love Grove Collaborative’s subscription service because it’s a great reminder if you’re running out of things. You’ll get an email before your next shipment is sent out so you can check what you need and don’t need. Much better than heading to the store and grabbing something that you forgot you already had two of at home.
