Clean Sweep: Organizing Tips to Kick Off Your Cleaning Spree

Spring cleaning is a seasonal ritual that helps you keep your home looking its best for yourself, your family, and your guests. If you traditionally give your home a thorough cleaning in the spring and summer, here are some methods you can use to make the job easier and faster.

Try the 3-box solution

The three-box solution makes clutter vanish, and you can have your kids help. Gather three boxes for each area of the house you will clean. Label them “Keep,” "Donate,” and “Throw Out.” Now, dump everything in your closets and your drawers on the floor and sort them into these boxes. If there’s an item you’re ambivalent about, don’t hesitate to utilize Marie Kondo's “Does it spark joy?” technique. If it doesn’t make you happy or is too small or too broken, get rid of it.

Make sure everything has a place

This organization technique simply ensures that objects are put in and stay in their proper places. For example, outdoor winter clothes go into the closet or are hung on the coat hanger near the front door rather than tossed on the foyer settee. Books go into bookshelves, and you can set up a recycling area in the kitchen for recyclables. Buy bins for plastics, aluminum cans, paper, and glass items, and make sure to label them.

Buy label makers to make life easier

Label makers are inexpensive and easy to find. Put labels not just on recycling bins but also on jars and canisters to let you know which type of food or spice, or herb goes where. Label folders that hold needful items such as birth certificates, taxes, and information about your home and car. Put labels on bins that hold blankets and seasonal clothing.

Invest in under-bed bins

When it’s time to put away those blankets, flannel sheets, and clothing that kept you warm all winter, consider putting them in a bin that slides under your bed. This saves an amazing amount of space. Make sure to wash or dry clean the items before storing them. Stains and smells you can’t detect may become detectable and set when the clothes are in storage. If your bed is a little too low to the floor, invest in risers to raise it up a bit. Another solution to storing winter clothes is to put them in suitcases that you don’t plan to use for a while. Again, clean them first.

To learn more about organizing your home during the May clean sweep, go to our pages on Instagram and Facebook. Check out Marketplace by TheHomeMag to find certified local professionals to help with this or any other household project.