By Mary Cornetta
From BHG.com
There is often a lot of talk surrounding spring cleaning, but many tips and guides don’t mention an important first step: decluttering. After all, if you fail to declutter your home first, your hard work scrubbing won’t be as effective. Too much unnecessary stuff makes it harder to clean around, and can hide dust, dirt, or, worse—mold and mildew. So by letting go of excess junk, you can perform a whole-home cleaning that is much more successful.
1. Cleaning Products
If you plan to polish your home from top to bottom soon, take a few minutes now to declutter your cleaning supplies so you’ll be prepared when the time comes. If products are scattered, corral them together in one spot and sort them by their purpose. You’ll most likely discover half-empty duplicate bottles, so combine what you can to cut down on volume. Take note of which products you’re low on so you can restock before your cleaning spree.2. Expired Allergy Medicine
The fall is a good time to declutter most medications, especially since it signifies the start of cold and flu season. But as spring nears and green pollen begins to cover everything in sight, this is the best time to go through your household stash of allergy meds. Check expiration dates and get rid of bottles and boxes past their prime by dropping them at an FDA-registered drug take back location. Don’t forget to scan eye drops and nasal sprays, as well as replenish what you need before the first sniffle of the season.3. Expired Sunscreens
Applying expired sunscreen can have damaging effects. While you might wear SPF on your face year-round, spring and summer mean more exposed skin, so your leftover spray and lotion bottles might not have been touched since last year. Search the linen closet, medicine cabinet, and last season’s beach bag and gather all the sunscreen you can find—including lip balms and SPF products meant for your scalp or hair. Throw out anything expired, and make a list of the products you'll need to replace before your outdoor spring activities.4. Outdoor Equipment
This is the time of year we find ourselves daydreaming about spending time basking in the backyard sun. Do something to distract from the still-chilly temps by getting your gear ready.- Furniture: Have your patio cushions or lawn chairs seen better days? If you know you can’t sufficiently clean old outdoor furniture, let it go.
- Decor: Whether it’s no longer your style or it’s been too weathered by the elements, be ready to toss (or donate if they’re in good, working condition) garden flags, statues, and string lights.
- Toys: Torn pool floats, yard games with missing pieces, and sports equipment that your kids have outgrown are also game for donation or trash.
- Outdoor dining essentials: As you look forward to your first BBQ of the season, sort through your outdoor dining sets, cups, tablecloths to weed out the things that are broken, worn out, or you have too many of.
5. Warm Weather Clothes, Shoes, and Accessories
Regardless of whether they’re stored in your closet year-round or you have to pull them from storage, use this season to sort through and pare down your spring and summer wardrobe. If you know you didn’t wear that floral romper the past few years or it no longer fits but you’re holding onto it just in case, this is your sign to surrender it to the donation pile.6. Lingering Cold Weather Clothes, Shoes, and Accessories
As you’re transitioning your closet for the upcoming seasons, it’s also a smart idea to take note of what cold weather pieces you didn’t wear this winter. Donate that sweater you didn’t reach for, or the snow boots that don’t fit quite right. If you didn’t wear something during this last fall or winter season, it’s a good time to reevaluate whether you need to keep it in your closet.7. Indoor Plants
As we approach outdoor gardening season, take a look around and see which indoor plants aren’t thriving. We’re definitely not suggesting you blindly toss a plant that seems like it’s in its last stage of life, but if your houseplants didn’t survive the winter, it might be time to let them go. Either commit to reviving them, or give them to a plant-obsessed friend who is known to bring houseplants back to life.8. Paperwork
If you’ve already taken care of last year’s taxes, congrats! Use this time to scan, organize, and shred whatever physical paperwork you can. For example, the pile of receipts you used for write-offs can be scanned and shredded, or properly stored in a labeled container. Even if you’re still scrambling to get your taxes filed, now is still an ideal time to declutter mail and files to make things easier to find.9. The Fridge, Freezer, and Pantry
Before cleaning the refrigerator inside and out this spring, toss all expired perishables so you can really make it sparkle and smell its best. Doing so will also make organizing the fridge an easier task once you’re done. Next, go through the pantry and toss expired non-perishables, and then sort the remaining items into zones so you can see what you have on hand. Focus on using up the cold-weather staples, such as soups and slow cooker ingredients, while you’re still in the mood for them.Dear Readers: We would love to hear from you. What topics would you like to read about? Please send your feedback and tips to [email protected].
