Spring Cleaning~

Cleaning is an important part of organization, and what better time to do it than spring? It is the start of a new season, one that sheds light onto the clutter we’ve kept around during the winter and motivates us to get rid of it.

Here are some tips I thought of (or remembered) while looking around our house today:

*Bookshelves are for books. 95-100% of the bookshelf should have books on it (unless it is being used for something else, like storing figures).

*Tear out magazine articles you want to keep and staple them together or put them in plastic sleeves in a binder. File them in order of category so they are easier to find. Then recycle the rest of the magazine.

*Put like items together. This will reduce the time spent looking for one type of item (power cords, for example, or game controllers).

*Loose papers should be organized and placed in files, folders, or binders. Papers that aren’t needed can be recycled.

*Put names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses (etc.) in an address book. Don’t leave that important info on scraps of paper or napkins. They’ll get lost or accidentally thrown away.

*Put clothes away. Dirty clothes should go in a dirty clothes basket/hamper, and clean clothes should go in closets or drawers.

*Cleaning is not the equivalent of shoving stuff under a bed, in a closet, in the garage, basement, or attic, or a storage facility. Packing your clutter into these places does not get rid of it.

*Clean up your computer both inside and out (more so for desktop computers rather than laptops). Dust collects and can slow down or otherwise hinder the efficiency of your computer. Clean power strips and cords too. Don’t use a vacuum or feather duster. The vacuum can damage your computer, and a duster just spreads the dust. Do use a damp cloth or paper towel instead. Allow everything to fully dry before putting it back together.

*Clean out your refrigerator often. Things spill and spoil, and they need to be cleaned out before they ruin other items. The outside of your fridge should also be kept clean. One does not need a mess of magnets and photos on the front (and/or sides) of their fridge. Things will start falling off when people open the door. ^^;

*Get rid of furniture you don’t really need, especially if you live in a small house. Having too much [large] furniture makes a room feel cramped and cluttered, even if it isn’t. Give it away; someone else might be looking for something just like it! ^^

*Get rid of pens/markers/etc. that no longer work. I have held onto lots of useless writing tools for no apparent reason… I threw them all away last year.

*Use creative storage solutions–if you can’t find exactly what you need, make it! Mix and match with store-bought storage or build your own.

*Recycle all of those cardboard boxes lying around, or find a use for them other than storing junk you’ll never look at again.

*When purging items, ask yourself if you think you will need the item within the next six months. If yes, keep it. If no, recycle it, trash it, or give it away.

*Re-purpose up to a point. If you commit to re-purposing everything, it’s likely you won’t re-purpose anything.

*Try to recycle as much as you can~ It’s much better for the environment. ^^ Old clothes can become cleaning rags, for example, or re-purposed as a part of a new garment.

*The dining room table or the back of the couch/sofa is not the place for mail. Create a place for it, keep it organized, and go through it often.

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That’s all! ^^ Hope those tips helped~