Spring cleaning and decluttering 

March 21 marked the spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, meaning that for much of the world, lighter and brighter days are coming. Many cultures have spring-time traditions and this time of year is often seen as a time to regroup and refocus after the long winter months. In today’s mindfulness and wellbeing article, we’ll be talking about how we can tap into the invigorating power of spring to improve our domestic environment. Check out the following tips! 

Start small and be realistic about what you can accomplish

Any cleaning or decluttering process can be daunting, particularly if you’ve let things slide for a while. Setting yourself a small task to accomplish will make it easier for you to get started, so instead of going through an entire room, think about starting with one item of furniture, such as a single wardrobe or bookcase. It’s also a good idea to start with the items that you’re least emotionally invested in, such as kitchen items, and gradually move on to tackling more sentimental items like photos. If you don’t naturally like the decluttering process, try to find ways of making it more palatable in your mind, such as freeing up time that you’d normally spend on struggling to find all of your things. Realise that no matter how bad it feels to start, you’ll feel better for it afterwards.

Try to have a plan where possible

If you can, it can be helpful to set dedicated time aside to really go through your home properly, particularly since any cleaning or decluttering exercise tends to take longer than anticipated. But even if that’s not possible, it’s good to have a rough idea of how much time you have available and plan accordingly, including factoring in time for putting things back in their original places afterwards. It can also be useful to think about what you want to tackle and in what order. Some people favour cleaning room by room or unit by unit, while other people advocate cleaning vertically from top to bottom, so that dust from the higher-up places can be cleaned once it settles on the lower-down places. How you choose to approach your work is up to you, but having a rough plan of action can make you feel less daunted about getting started.

Take regular breaks and know when to call it a day

Depending on how much you like decluttering, you might find yourself getting bored fairly quickly, in which case take regular breaks so that you don’t lose focus, and don’t forget to eat. If you can, try leaving the house for a while as part of your break, since it will give you some emotional distance and also allow you to see everything with fresh eyes once you’re back again. If you find the process tedious or upsetting, it’s always worth putting some mood music on or listening to a podcast to keep you company. And if you’ve really had enough for the day, know when to call it quits and revisit everything later. Even if you’ve accomplished less than you’ve intended to, you’ll still feel better for having made a start.

Reuse or recycle what you can

Sometimes there’s no other option than to just throw items away, but if you come across anything that might be of use to another person, it’s worth trying to spread the word among your family and friends, through social media, and through any online neighbourhood community groups you might be a part of. If you have clothes that are in good condition you might be able to sell them through online reselling platforms, or give them to charity. Always look after your personal safety when giving items away, and try not to feel too guilty if there are some things that you just have to throw. Many people find decluttering daunting because of its associations with waste, but in many ways getting rid of old possessions is a way of making room to better appreciate the items that we do keep.

Be open to finding interesting things 

One of the best things about going through old things is the potential to find interesting or useful things that we might have forgotten about, whether that means clothes that we hadn’t been wearing, money in pockets, or books that we’d left half-finished. It can also help you take stock of what you have and what you need, particularly if you’ve moved around a lot and accumulated a lot of duplicate items. Sorting through all of your possessions can help you identify what you really need and stop you from having to buy things that you might have already. Plus, if you use your imagination then you might be able to use your existing possessions in new ways, saving you from having to buy additional things.

Be prepared for the emotional onslaught 

One of the most challenging things about any decluttering session is the high potential for encountering items that can be emotionally triggering, such as mementoes of a former partner or a deceased family member, or anything that reminds you of a different era in your life, such as younger photographs of yourself. It’s worth remembering that sometimes looking through old items can be part of the process of healing and moving on, but do this at your own pace and always take breaks when you feel the process is becoming too much for you.

Set aside some time for cleaning afterwards, and reward yourself once finished

If you’ve had things piled up for a while then moving them around has probably reminded you of how dusty some of your corners are, so it’s good to use this momentum to clean drawers or cupboards before putting everything back again, particularly if it’s a while since you’ve seen the bottom of them. Since cleaning and decluttering is often an all-day exercise, it can also be a good idea to use the time to launder things you don’t usually get round to, such as curtains, since you’ll have plenty of time for turning around washes. 

Once you’ve cleaned and tidied your home, it’s great to reward yourself by opening some windows to let fresh air and light in, lighting a candle, or buying plants or flowers. If you feel better for having cleaned and decluttered, try to make this a regular habit and find small ways of keeping your home clean and tidy every day.

We hope you’ve found these tips helpful, but we’d love to hear any advice you have about keeping on top of clutter and harmonising your home environment, so please leave your suggestions in the comments. Stay mindful, and see you again for next month’s updates!

Sources

Elizabeth Metcalfe | House and Garden

My house is chaos: where do I start?

https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/organise-declutter-house-for-happiness

Joshua Becker | Becoming Minimalist

How to Declutter Your Home: 10 Creative Decluttering Tips

https://www.becomingminimalist.com/creative-ways-to-declutter

Shifrah Combiths | Cubby

The 27 Best Decluttering Tips of All Time

https://www.cubbyathome.com/best-decluttering-tips-ever-80040301