10 Easy Steps For A Spring Clean And Declutter

Is it time for a spring clean and declutter? Isn’t it always a good (or let’s say necessary) time for organising and tidying your home? It is if you live in a small home with little storage or hoard too much stuff!

If you work from home and have children, it’s even more essential to keep your home clean and clutter free before you drown in the chaos. If your home is also your ‘office’ you need to keep everything organised for productivity and headspace.

Clear outs can be intimidating but you feel so good when you’re done – it’s a real achievement.
You might need to spring clean for a specific reason such as moving, new baby or downsizing. Or if you are limited on space, you might need to do parts of this on a semi-regular basis to keep things manageable.

Spring always feels like the perfect time to clean, declutter and organise the home. Of course, you don’t have to wait till spring! If you combine cleaning and decluttering now, there will be less to clean and dig around throughout the year.

Here are 10 steps to make the process of a spring clean and declutter easier if you feel overwhelmed when in need of decluttering at home.

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1. Make a plan

It can feel intimidating to get started, even in a small home. In order not to get overwhelmed, it helps to make a plan. You could tackle a room a day, or break it down even further such as wardrobe today, and drawers next week.

Depending on your time, size space and whether you’ll be doing this alone or with help, draw up a plan to tackle it in chunks.

If it helps, write out a list after reading this blog, breaking it down by room and tasks involved. You can then have the satisfaction of ticking off accomplishments as you go. And you can prioritise the most urgent parts.

2. The deep clean

This has to be the worst bit, so get it done first. The type of cleaning involved is not as straight forward as your regular wipe downs or weekly cleans.

This is on a whole new level. I mean scrubbing the oven, washing cushion covers, cleaning blinds, washing windows, cleaning the fridge and so on. This part may take the longest and definitely needs to be broken up so you don’t throw the towel in early.

As part of your initial plan, get in all the products you need beforehand so you are ready to go. You could do a deep clean of your whole house first (in parts) then next tackle the decluttering at a later date. Alternatively, you could spring clean and declutter room by room.

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3. The Kitchen

Let’s face it, this will be grim. Fridges and ovens are mega tasks! Clean out your cupboards and cutlery drawers (why do these get so grubby?).

If you have a baby or pet (but not a prerequisite if you don’t!) it’s best to keep cleaning products eco friendly which may involve more elbow grease. Read more about eco products and their benefits.

In terms of decluttering, chuck any broken glasses and crockery and consider if you really need all that old Tupperware slung at the bottom of the drawers.

Throw away out-of-date food. Try to keep on top of that in the future, as it’s so wasteful. If you have food and bits in date you know you won’t use in time, take it to a food bank or a collection point at your local supermarket.

4. The lounge

Phew, this is easier and a bit of a break compared to the earlier steps. Go over your bookshelves, dust them, and take away any books you no longer want. Take them to the charity shop or sell them online.

Clear out any cupboards or magazine racks and things in other hiding places. You may find other random things tucked away on bookshelves or in the cabinets that no longer hold interest. Clear it all out!

5. The bathroom

This one should also be straightforward compared to rooms with lots of storage. Hopefully, your bathroom gets cleaned on a semi regular basis so it won’t need as much of a deep clean as other rooms (no judgement if not though!).

Work your way through the following areas:

• Go through your beauty and hair products. Is there anything you’ve had for ages you don’t actually use or can’t stand the smell of? Time to dump and create some space.
• If your first aid kit and medications are here, bin anything out of date and make sure everything is easy to reach (for the adults, not kids or pets for safety reasons)
• Clean your hairbrushes, make up brushes and sponges and chuck out any old make up.

6. The bedroom/s

Apparently, we only use about 10/15% of our wardrobes. That sounds ridiculous at first but consider how often we live in the same jeans, tops and dresses.

Have a good dig around and ask yourself, have I worn this in the last year? Last two years? There’s your answer on whether you need to keep it. This is one of the top decluttering tips for hoarders.

And what about the items that don’t fit, but you dream will again one day? What deadline will you put on that? If it’s already been years, it might be time to get real.

Get into a habit of clearing out clothes regularly and take them to the charity shop or sell online to make a little money. Have a look at cost cutting tips at home for more on this idea.

And when you do buy something new, apply the one in, one out rule so things don’t get out of control again. Well worn bits (laddered tights, baggy leggings, socks with holes etc.) need to be thrown away.

Read more on how to avoid impulse buying if you recognise you have this tendency.

If you are also sorting out children’s rooms it could be more difficult due to the sentimental value of all the cute clothes, blankets and toys which trigger lovely memories. You can keep your favourite cute items but you may have captured a lot on camera already (see personalised gifts for little ones for the best keep-sakes).

Consider passing on clothes and toys to friends with younger children/babies as this means you may get to see them a bit longer! Also, do pass on items to a baby bank or charity shop to help those that might really need them.

7. Paperwork and finances

If you prefer printed copies of things, you might still keep bills or statements but keep them to one year or less and remember most institutions will be fine with online versions.

Carefully protect any special documentation such as birth and marriage certificates. Consider what you can photograph and keep digital versions of. File away other items as needed.

Look at your finances too and cancel any direct debits for items you don’t need or use, such as memberships and subscription services. Read more about this if you are looking to cut costs at home. Close down accounts you don’t use to improve your credit score.

8. Outdoor space

Spring is a great time to get outside for de-weeding, cleaning out pots, sweeping up and polishing gardening tools.

If you’ve got a big garden, you’ll have quite a task ahead of you which could take some time. Don’t forget to clean up your garden furniture, so it’s ready when it’s time to sit outside.

Even if you’ve only got a windowsill, give it a brush down and wipe down any pots and window boxes. Clean the windows to let in more light. Every corner of your home and outdoor area will benefit from a spring clean and declutter!

9. Keep all in order after your spring clean and declutter

You are now close to the finish line. After a big spring clean and declutter, you might want to look at how you organise your home and belongings going forward.

This might be a case of rearranging your furniture or you may prefer a more structured feng shui approach. Marie Kondo and her approach to tidying and decluttering is amazing, but who’s got time to roll socks like sushi rolls?

Take what works for you and ditch the stuff which feels too ambitious, so you don’t feel overwhelmed when decluttering. Otherwise, it won’t be sustainable. You want to stay on top of a tidy home and keep it manageable.

10. Enjoy your hard work, but don’t drop the ball

Whether you live in a shared home or have your own space, decluttering could be a mammoth task that takes some time depending on the original state. But it’s much easier if you break the tasks down and stay on top of it. Tackle it room by room or week by week, so it’s manageable and you can see progress.

When you finally get your space clean, tidy and shipshape, sit back and enjoy it! Try to not let things build up again, as it’s such a big job to redo completely. Don’t buy or collect lots of stuff you don’t need and keep checking cupboards for out of date items.

And remember, you don’t need to wait till spring to face your deep clean and declutter. You can do this anytime of the year or at the start of each new season. Tackle it in advance if you are moving soon to reduce the sorting and storing of unnecessary items.

Keeping organised and clutter free is so good for your head space. And think of how much easier it will be to find things if you aren’t navigating loads of stuff in the way. It also makes general cleaning less tedious as there’s less stuff to move or clean around!

Good luck with your deep clean and decluttering challenge!

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