Hey there everyone! Spring is upon us, and we are so giddy for warmer weather after what feels like such a long winter. Now that spring is here, nothing feels quite as good as entering this new season with a clean, decluttered home. But the first question that always comes to mind is….”Where on Earth do I start?” We are here to help! Follow along with these tips, and you will be on your way to squeaky clean very soon!
1. Focus your Time
Make a schedule if it helps and try not to do your whole house at once! Figure out if you’d rather clean over a few days or weeks or maybe knock it out during a long weekend. Moral of the story here is to do a little at a time, so you avoid overwhelming yourself.
2. Examination & Reflection
Do some reflecting… figure out what you really use, and what brings you joy within your home. Anything else… get rid of by either donating, up-cycling, or repurposing. Here in Des Moines, Hope Ministries is a great place to take your items – and a great cause!
3. De-clutter
This is easier said than done… but get rid of your clutter. Focus specifically on the tops of surfaces such as countertops, desk tops, dressers, etc. Everything (and yes I mean everything – even the stack of papers that’s been on your desk for 4 months, and the soda stash that piles up in your mudroom) should have a designated place. Bonus points if you can find a “place” for these items that is out of your daily line of sight (unless they of course bring you joy).
4. Junk Drawer
Tackle the junk drawer that everyone dreads! Completely empty the drawer, vacuum out the crumbs, glitter, and dust bunnies and then find a place for all the previous contents of the drawer. Throw away things you haven’t used in the past six months, and also utilize drawer storage organizers or even bowls to get things in order!
5. Pantry and Closets
Getting your pantry in order will help you understand what food you have and things you are running low on, which will in turn make grocery runs ten times easier! Obviously throw away things that are expired, and donate things you haven’t opened that you never use in recipes. Closets too! This one can be tricky, but throw out items that are unrepairable, and donate items you just don’t love anymore. Try on anything you are unsure about and imagine how you would style it. Don’t save clothing items that are for “what if” moments. For example, “What IF I lose 20 pounds?” Or “What IF I get invited to dinner with the King?”. Whether these ideas are practical or impractical, your closet and clothing should serve you in your current state and body.
Our biggest saving grace when it comes to pantry and closet organization is actually a local Des Moines business, the NEAT Method Des Moines. They helped us organize our pantry in last summer’s show home. Check them out for all your organizing needs!
We hope this blog gave you some direction and guidance with your home organization projects. Is there another topic you’d like to hear about? Let us know by emailing us at office@elizabetherindesigns.com! We want to write about what you want to learn more about! Check out past blogs about organization and spring cleaning like Spring cleaning is here! Here’s our favorite cleaning products and practices. Or The thing NO ONE wants to Address : Spring Cleaning.
Have a wonderful day, reach out to us to get started achieving your vision.
EED Assistant Designer,
Marah Schmitz