Hey Guys!
Spring is here so like everyone else I am ready to purge my home of the heavy winter decor, and clothes and have a fresh start. I don't know how Spring Cleaning became a thing but I can tell you that living in Cleveland Ohio I don't even want to think about deep cleaning carpets or floors until I am sure that we won't be dealing with salted roads anymore since this seems to cover my entryway during the winter. I also don't want to put away any of my heavier clothing until I am 100% sure that it will stay warm.
Since I have been living on my own since college, I try to cleanse and clean my apartment at least 3-4 times a year. This usually occurs in January for the New Year, in March for the Spring, and then usually either the end of the summer or early fall to make way for the cooler weather.
Spring Cleaning to me isn't always about the home but also the closet, mind, and body. I think at the start of every season it is best to kind of reflect and start over fresh for the next season. I usually spend a whole weekend getting the bulk of the cleaning out of the way so that the project doesn't burden me for too long.
The first thing I do is deep clean my apartment. Now I always clean my apartment, but I, like anyone else, am not always thorough with my cleaning. I make sure to mop all the floors, dust all the shelves and clean up any extra Holiday décor that may be left over. I also use this time to organize my stuff in a way that might be better looking and more convenient. I love the Dollar Tree for organizers. They have a ton of options for bins and dividers in many colors. I use the brightly colored ones below my kitchen counter to hold cleaning supplies and other necessities. Before they were in there, everything was kind of a mess. Now, I can easily slide one of these bins out and get to the supplies inside or the ones stored behind. For $1 they are a great buy!
I love to organize the little random things around my apartment as well and have found many glass bowls, trays, and other things at Goodwill. My favorite items to decorate and organize with are the beautiful antique glass dishes and bowls that I can always find at Goodwill. I love how they don't match and add just a bit of personality to the space. I also found a cute tray at Goodwill which helps to organize remotes and other coffee table essentials. Keep your eye out for these finds because not only are they unique but also inexpensive!
Once my apartment is clean I move on to my closet. Like any other woman I have way to many clothes. I keep it pretty organized but sometimes get a little lazy with my folding. I also like to keep it color coordinated as this helps me pick out outfits in a pinch. To better organize my closet I purchased a buildable cube organizer from Bed Bath and Beyond. I love it because it not only holds fabric cubes that can store my belts and travel essentials but also shoes. I also have hanging shoe and purse organizers. These can also be found at Bed Bath and Beyond and are an inexpensive way to organize and save space. I make sure that my folded piles in my closet and dresser are organized by type of piece and neatly stacked so I can see all of my items. I got some amazing drawer organizers off of Amazon that organize my bras, underwear and socks that I will link below. I feel that the underwear drawer is one of the messiest and most disorganized drawers in a bedroom and these help tremendously.
Do you have a Plato's closet or a similar store in your area? If you don't know what Plato's closet is here's the scoop. It is a store where you can sell your gently worm clothing and they pay you cash on the spot! They don't pay out very much since they sell the clothes at inexpensive prices but you will make more money then just donating it! I recently sold some clothing and jewelry items and made $23! Last time I made $40! If you don't have one in your area look for consignment shops. These take your clothes for a period of time (usually 30-90 days) and if the item sells you can make a percentage of the sale. After I sold my items at Plato's I took the remaining items to my local consignment shop and they took everything. If the items don't sell they usually give them back or they are donated.
My advice for selling clothes is sell in-season clothes. I know this seems counteractive since at the end of winter you would probably clean out your winter clothes but the stores are going into the next season so they want to buy things they can sell now! No one is really looking for thick sweaters and coats in April. So look through the items you wore last year and think "Am I still going to wear this this year?"
Here is my strategy for selling clothes: I go through all my clothes for the upcoming season and make piles. Anything old and very warn goes straight in the donation pile. Anything that is cute or name brand goes in the sell pile. Make sure if you are selling the items they are free of wrinkles and are clean, many shops won't even look at wrinkled items. I then go to Plato's closet first because they pay cash on the spot. Anything that is left over I take to my local consignment shop to wait for a profit. The rest of the items that are left over go straight to Goodwill. I love Goodwill because every time you donate they give you a 20% coupon! I have so many and use them every time! They also give you a receipt so you can use them to deduct from your taxes.
Once my spaces are cleaned out I focuses on myself. I try to drink more water everyday, keep up with my hygiene routine and just focus on myself. Now when I say hygiene routine I don't mean start to shower haha I mean focus on my skin care and get back to taking care of it if I fell off the wagon. I have also recently started yoga and find that this helps me after a long day and doesn't make me sweaty or stinky which is a perfect workout for everyday. I also take time to hang out more with my husband, family and friends.
A book that I would really recommend reading if you want to get motivated is The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. I have it on my Kindle and it teaches you about organizing and getting rid of the clutter in your life. I think as humans we accumulate so many things we forget that we don't need all of it to be happy. This book kind of pushes you to purge the extras in your life so you can focus on the important items.
What do you focus on for Spring Cleaning? XOX Chan