4 Tips to Get Ahead of Spring Cleaning and be More Organized

Old Man Winter might still be in full force across most of the country, but spring will be here before you know it. The arrival of warmer temperatures often inspires people to tidy up their homes from top to bottom and take other steps to get their lives in order.

But if your home is brimming with clutter, there’s certainly no reason to wait until late March to start your spring cleaning goals. Instead, you can get started today to become more organized and take back control of your life and your home.

It is always best to start getting organized with a clean slate, and that starts with having a clean and tidy home. One thing that can get in the way of that is having a home that is also home to a number of bugs of pests. With the months that have passed before, you could have accumulated some extra house guests because of cold weather, humid weather, and a range of other things. Even just having a messy kitchen and kids leaving out crumbs and not cleaning them away could lead to you needing to call someone like Stewarts Pest Control services. So start afresh, and get on top of any problems or pests first. When you’ve got  clean slate to start with, then the spring cleaning can commence.

Here are four tips to help you be more organized, even if there are still piles of snow on the ground:

1. A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place

One of the best ways to become more organized is to give everything you own a home. For instance, if you routinely run out to buy a new extension cord, roll of packing tape or box of light bulbs because you cannot find these items in your home, set aside 10 minutes a day to track down and find these often hard-to-find items and give each one a labeled storage box to call home. 

Over the course of the next few months, work on organizing your clothes, linens, cleaning products and more by putting everything in a designated spot. This will take some time but will be so worth it to be able to find what you need at a moment’s notice.

2.  Know Your Clutter Hot Spots

Virtually every home has at least one hot spot for clutter. In fact, these common areas tend to include the dining room table, nightstand and kitchen sink. Make an honest assessment of your home and identify which areas tend to collect stuff, including piles of bills and other paperwork, magazines, washed and folded clothing, pet items and other things. Set aside a few minutes a day to tidy up each hot spot and put everything away in its designated place.

3. Clear Out Your Closets

Chances are your closet contains a few items of clothing that have never seen the light of day. Over a weekend, instead of binge-watching a series on Netflix, pull everything out of your closet and, piece by piece, decide if you love it and want to keep it or if you want to donate it to a local thrift shop. 

If you find you’re donating many items, then it’s probably high time to go shopping for clothes that you plan to wear. Say you never wear formal clothing like blouses or button-downs to work. Then, by all means, treat yourself to some all-weather flannel shirts that are both stylish and comfortable. 

Additionally, if your donate pile is full of heavy corduroy pants you bought years ago, invest in a few new pairs of jeans, light cotton pants or whatever styles make you smile. The goal is to have a closet filled with clothing you like and will actually wear, instead of storage space for unused duds.

4. Use One Calendar

Do you sometimes miss a dentist appointment, deadline or another important date because you use multiple calendars? If that’s the case, experts suggest using one portable calendar to jot down everything. This includes reminder notes to yourself, appointments, upcoming vacations and more. 

If you’re old-school and like a paper calendar, then buy one that can fit inside your purse or backpack so you can take it on the go. Relying on Google Calendar is also a wise choice. Indeed, knowing everything that’s important in your life is in one centralized place can put your mind at ease and help you become more organized.

You Can Do This, Starting Today!

There’s no reason to wait for a certain date on the calendar to take charge of organizing your life. If your home is cluttered, your closet needs to be tidied up and you’re missing important dates, by all means, start today to get organized and take control of your life.