The Art Of Spring Cleaning

With November looming dangerously on the horizon we’re swiftly crossing the boundary between pyjama wearing hibernation and the alluring freshness of summer. Don’t wait for the heat to get your spring cleaning out of the way for a fresh start to the warmer months.

Categories are your friend
It seems backwards, but approaching your spring clean categorically instead of geographically can streamline the whole process. By this I mean, choose to sort by items, rather than rooms so that you limit the amount of avoidant shuffling you do. For example, start with clothing or linen and stick to it until completion, and before you move on to the next category.

Lay your hands on me
Decide whether each of your possessions is bringing you repeated joy, is extremely sentimental or very useful. Anything that doesn’t fit into the above categories can be thrown out, donated or put into storage. Be ruthless.

Emotional tidying
Sounds counterproductive, but Marie Kondo, Japan’s infamous tidying magician invites you to have an emotional investment in the life and presentation of your things. Consider the feelings of your possessions and whether they really like being squashed in the bottom of a cupboard. If not decide on their future (as above).

Lettre d’amour
It’s really easy to get caught up in nostalgia during a spring clean. Open one box and you’re revisiting tales of the heart when you find a bunch of old love letters, or polaroids. To reduce the temptation of strolling down memory lane and getting sidetracked for hours on end, make sure you implement the rule of categorising and commit to being blinded to everything other than your key focus area.

Everything in its place
This is low-key anxiety inducing for commitment phobes, but decide that everything needs to have a place to live on a long term basis, depending on the frequency and purpose of its use. This will make simplify tidying on a psychological level and you will form positive habits around consistently keeping your environment clean.

Featured image: http://blogg.damernasvarld.se/