April unleashes an urge in me to organize and clean out the spaces in my house. This year, it has inspired home maintenance too. I have been purging and organizing every space in my way - my closet (again), the linen cabinet, my kids' rooms...the list goes on. We recently moved the girls back to their own rooms, and my son into our former guest room, so that revealed a whole other list of items to be done. Then, as I mentioned, we decided to do some home maintenance and my hubby and I went through the house room by room and made a list of upkeep to be done. This was a fabulous exercise. After eight years, it needed to be done! Through it all, it feels so good. So good to have things in their place. So good to have a beautiful space to greet me when I am open a door or cabinet. So good to feel organized. I want to share this "good" feeling so I am highlighting a previous post I wrote last year to inspire. Happy organizing!
5 Spring Cleaning Projects That Will Change Your Life
Originally published 4/5/13
I don't know about you, but a clean house brings me lots of joy! I have only tackled half of the items on my Spring cleaning projects so far, but the ones below have truly changed my life, bringing order and beauty to my home spaces, and in turn have filled me with inner peace and calm. Try them for yourself. Life. Changing.
Clean out your closet: This isn't your basic purge. Purge with an awareness of what you feel fantastic in and what makes you feel uncomfortable. Get rid of the stuff you never wear, but say you will someday...you know, that dress that has been in there for two years unworn or the skirt that you'll wear someday when you get the right shoes or lose that last 5 pounds. If you don't feel great in it now, purge! And then, here's the life changing part. Toss out those plastic hangers and put them on wood hangers (IKEA and The Container Store are great sources for hangers). Fold all of your clothes neatly like in a boutique. Organize them by color. Step back and say "Ooh. Ahh. Hello, beautiful closet." I am still on a high from my closet's transformation three weeks ago!
Organize the cabinet under your bathroom sink: Invest in some plastic shoe boxes from The Container Store ($1.99 each) and organize all that stuff under your sink into categories. I have one box for first aid, another for shaving stuff, another for cotton balls/swabs/Q-tips, another for travel items, another for toothpaste/toothbrushes/floss, etc. Once you have them all neat in your new bins, stack them under the sink and exhale. Never again, will I dread finding a razor or bar of soap. P.S. This works for the other spaces in your home that have tons of stuff (e.g. the laundry room cupboards, below the kitchen sink...)
Corral the stuffed animals: The stuffies on my kids beds were driving me crazy. I started with my son and am tackling my girls' beds next. I bought a colored, tiered net with shelves from IKEA and placed the animals inside. It's stylish, fun, and practical.
Purge your kitchen gadget drawer: I had rubber spatulas galore, wooden spoons I hadn't used in years, and loads of other gadgets I never used. I could barely close the drawer and when I tried to open it, things always got stuck. For this project, get real with yourself. How many peelers do you really need? Do you really use that egg slicer? Then, clean out the drawer, get a drawer divider from The Container Store and bask in the beauty of your drawer that slides open and close easily!
Organize the pantry: For someone who cooks as much as I do, this truly was life changing. I made a major investment in The Container Store in storage bins and baskets, but it was so worth it. I got rid of appliances and serving platters that were taking up space but never used, organized my cookbooks with the corresponding cookware (for example, slow cooker, barbecue, and baking), and took snacks out of their packing and placed them into attractive baskets. Everything is neat and in its place and it looks so pretty. Every time I walk in there (and that's a lot), I smile!
Do you have a spring cleaning project that has changed your world? I'd love to hear about it. Please share in the comments section below.
