The Salt System for Spring Cleaning

Spring begins, temperatures rise and the breeze has a little less bite to it. The grass slowly starts to green, blooms appear on stems and school ramps up for the final push. Summer is just around the corner and the world begins to feel alive. As we watch everything around us begin anew, it feels like the perfect time to refresh our spaces.

I love spring cleaning! Do you believe me? I really, REALLY do. I fully embrace my insatiable desire for order in a world of chaos. Organizing and decluttering can be as therapeutic as a good, long run outside or a day at the spa. With a husband, four kids, a full-time job, a house to keep running, endless laundry and meals to get done, it can feel like a lot just getting through the day. When I have the motivation of spring cleaning to really get into the clutter in my home and help things function so much better, it makes a huge impact on my ability to handle our daily tasks. That is the power of organization.

In maintaining an orderly household, it is important to go through each room at least once per year. Throughout the year items are coming into your home. How often are things going out? Raise your hand if you have more things coming in than going out! This creates clutter. Spring is the perfect time to review everything in your home and decide what stays and what goes.

Here are the steps to not surviving but thriving in the Spring Cleaning process.

ONE ROOM AT A TIME

Don’t try to do the whole house at once. If you only have time for a single space, choose the one that is most frustrating. That will give you the biggest positive impact.

TAKE EVERYTHING OUT

I decided to start in my closet, but, no matter where you start, taking everything out is the absolute key to success. Once your space is cleaned out, take a moment to observe what it looks like. Take a deep breath. Can you see how good that feels? With everything out, my closet was so clean and fresh that it motivated me to get rid of anything I didn’t need and only put back what was relevant. I donated ⅔ of what was in my closet. I don’t miss a single item. The only thing I notice is that every day walking into my closet has become a joy and deciding on an outfit is a lot less stressful when choosing from things I actually like to wear.

ASK YOURSELF THE TOUGH QUESTION: IS THIS RELEVANT?

Do you really wear that shirt? Do you need 8 pairs of scissors? How about 6 spatulas? Do those shoes still fit? Have you ever used that sample bottle of moisturizer? Is the lamp you are storing in the basement ever going to get used? If the answer is no, the item should go straight to the donation pile.

DECIDE WHAT STAYS AND MAKE A SYSTEM FOR IT

Once you have the items that will stay in your space, you want to create a system that will maintain the order you are working so hard to create. Adjust shelves, gather storage baskets and boxes, make labels and make sure you can see everything that is stored there easily. If you anticipate new things coming in throughout the year, make space for them now. This ensures you can keep the space clean and tidy going forward.

I spent the last month cleaning out my home top to bottom, following each of these steps and I can say confidently that this approach makes a huge difference. I was the most successful I have ever been by taking everything out, getting rid of anything I didn’t use (it was A LOT) and then creating a system for the items that stayed including having room for new things coming in.

My home has never felt so good.

Good luck with your spring cleaning! Enjoy the rain, the flowers and the fresh vibe of a beautifully organized home.

Hugs,
Sabrina