I love spring cleaning! But after spending an entire year locked in my home for my own safety, this year, spring cleaning is very different. There are definitely more things than usual, but also more is emotionally at stake. My home has been my fortress, my oasis and my most comfortable place. To purge through my pandemic collections and toss things mindlessly feels absent somehow.
Despite not technically needing the majority of things that I’ve accumulated, they’ve actually provided me with great comfort. It’s really the clutter that I can’t stand. Have you found yourself surrounded by stuff, yet?
This year, spring cleaning looks a little different after spending a year at home. I am also focused on not just cleaning and organizing, but making all of the space in my home as purposeful as possible.
Get Pinning
I like to start with some inspiration. Specifically, a brand-new Pinterest board of the most ridiculously organized rooms I’ve ever seen. I even pin the most luxurious ones—hey, a girl can dream! Finding inspiration helps me come up with my own customized vision and expectation of what organization I can accomplish during this portion of the year. I also pin some cleaning challenges to help give me ideas.
Decluttering For My Mental Health
Clutter makes me itch. Growing up, we weren’t allowed to have clutter. My mother had a borderline obsessive cleaning habit, and she cleaned every single day. So, you can imagine that I rarely dealt with any kind of clutter.
Nowadays, I can deal with small piles of things here and there, but in the end, if something doesn’t serve a significant purpose and sits in a corner, it really bugs me, until I get rid of it. I also see cleaning as a way to de-stress. Nothing makes me feel creative like cleaning, and having open space in front of me, ready to be filled again.
Developing New Healthy Habits
Spring is a time of renewal. Think of it as a fresh start of sorts. This is the time of year that I like to take into account my wellness and health. Not only do I clean up the pantry and dump the items that have sat there for months, but I also take stock of what I have been cooking and eating. I think about the best way to fill the new space with fresh new foods and healthier snacks.
Creating Systems
Organizing your home can seem like an exhausting and intimidating task. You need to think about it in more simple terms. This isn’t a re-haul on your entire home. Instead, see it as an opportunity to take into account your everyday life, and creating systems to make your days flow as seamlessly as possible within your home.
Sanitizing And Disinfecting
If the pandemic has taught me anything, it’s definitely to be careful about the things that I bring into my home, and how we go about our daily routines. Think about how often you’re touching doorknobs, or using essential areas in your home for multiple purposes.
I now keep various sanitizing, cleaning and disinfecting products throughout our home. Having Lysol wipes and spray handy and in my face is a great way to be reminded daily to sanitize to prevent germs from spreading.
