It always seems impossible, until it’s done.
– Nelson Mandela
Spring is in the air! The sun is shining and there are even some flowers blooming. That also means that it’s time to SPRING CLEAN or as we like to call it SPRING PURGE!!!
If you’re like me, you have your go to shoes, jewelry, clothes, etc. Now is the time to prepare yourself and your home for the beautiful weather that’s to come! Don’t feel like you have to be superman or superwoman. Purging and organizing takes time!
We have set up a Spring Purge Challenge for YOU!
Each day you should be able to at least walk away with a bag full/or stack of items that you are willing to purge.
Below are some ideas of where to begin!
30 Day Spring Purge Challenge
- Coat closet– If you didn’t wear it this Winter, it’s time to PURGE it! Not to mention warmer weather is coming! Start choosing what winter clothes you want to pack away for next winter.
- Junk drawer– Those old batteries, paper clips, fast food straws, whatever it is that is piling up because you don’t know where to store it, ask yourself if you really need to keep those items?
- Purse– Those old candy wrappers, that old tube of chap-stick, and whatever else may be weighing your purse down, PURGE it!
- Wallet– Toss those old receipts, and cut up those expired credit cards and expired coupons!
- Linen closet– Do you have some towels that are starting to fray at the edges, threadbare rags or sheets that you just don’t use? PURGE them!
- Spice cabinet– Spices do expire, if you haven’t used those spices that are in the back of your cabinet throw them out!
- Nightstand– Has the top of your nightstand become a collect all?! Take some time to go through all of the stuff that has collected on top of it or in the drawers and you will feel much better looking at a clean nightstand when it’s time to settle in to go to bed.
- Shoes– Most of us have our favorite “go to” shoes. Choose your favorite ones for each occasion, and PURGE the ones that you always tell yourself, “I might wear these one of these days.”
- Refrigerator– It’s time to give your refrigerator a good scrub down. Throw out the old take-out and last weeks leftovers! And clean up that mystery spill from the bottom shelf!
- Cleaning Supplies– Do you have a cabinet or closet with cleaning supplies and half of the bottles are practically empty? Go through your cleaning supplies and get rid of the cleaners that aren’t your “go to” when you clean.
- Bookshelf– Now is a great time to go through all of your old books and clear some of those shelves.
- VHS/DVDs– We are living in the digital age. We can pretty much watch any movie we want at the click of a button. Why hand on to these items if they are overtaking your space. Maybe there are a few movies that have sentimental value, by all means keep them, but PURGE the rest!
- Medicine Cabinet– Typically medication expires before we ever get to use it all. Get rid of them!
- Game cabinet/closet– Do you like to play cards or board games? Do you have 10 decks of playing cards? Choose your 2 or 3 of your favorite decks and donate the rest. There are a ton of cute ideas for storing board games as art work. Check out Pinterest for some ideas.
- Make-up– Do you have a ton of make-up brushes that you never use? Did you know that make-up expires? “Out with the old, in with the new” Before you go out and buy new make-up purge the old.
- Extra Accessories (scarves/hats/gloves/belts/purses)– I’m sure over time you have lost a glove here or there, or maybe your family ALWAYS gives you a new hat or scarf for Christmas. Go through all of your accessories and PURGE the ones you know you never have or never will use.
- Shower– Toss those empty soap and shampoo bottles!
- Mail– This is one that is never ending! Dedicate a whole day to your paper clutter. Toss out the junk mail and organize the rest into piles. Ideal Organizing + Design Solutions can help with this, we understand that it can be very overwhelming.
- Clothes in dresser– Pull those clothes from the very back of the drawer that you never wear. Maybe you have a stack of T-Shirts that you have special memories attached to? Have them turned into a t-shirt quilt like this to free up space in your dresser.
- Clothes in closet– Maybe you have outgrown some of your clothes, or maybe they are too big for you after slimming down from your New Years resolution. Do you have a section that automatically gets pushed to the back of the closet? What are the chances that you’ll actually wear those?! Bite the bullet and PURGE them!
- Freezer– Same as the fridge…go through all of your frozen foods and purge what you will not ever use.
- Car/trunk– Man, it is so easy for your car or trunk to become FULL of clutter and trash. Take a day (or 2) and put things back where they belong in your home or in the garage.
- Car glove box/middle console– Organize all of your important vehicle documents and purge the rest!
- Kitchen cabinets (dishes, cups, etc.)– Did you pick up a set of dishes at a yard sale that you have yet to use? Chances are you won’t ever use them! Like our go to shoes, we tend to use the same dishes when we are in the Kitchen. Do yourself a favor and PURGE your kitchen cabinets!
- Hall table/entry way– This is another place that is a great collect all for paper clutter, keys, and junk. Take an evening to go through this section and find your table again!
- Under your bed– Oh, there are my old headphones! You never know what may have fallen under or behind your bed. This is a good time to find that missing sock or your remote that you lost a week ago! If you haven’t missed it up to this point, why keep it?!
- Pots and Pans– Do you have a set of pans that are all scratched up and you are using a newer set now? Why are you hanging onto them?! PURGE them! Create more room in your cabinet so you can find what you are looking for more easily.
- Socks and Underwear– This is a fun one! Do you have a bag or bin of socks that are looking for a mate? Have your favorite socks or underwear become filled with holes? Again, it’s time to let go!
- Jewelry– Maybe that necklace turns your neck green or you still have a collection of jewelry from when you were in middle school. If you do not wear it and it really has no sentimental value, don’t keep it in your jewelry box, go head and get rid of it.
- Laundry Area– This is usually everyone’s least favorite part of the house! Clothes get stacked up so easily! It can feel like it is never ending. Go through and pick up and toss whatever you have not been missing up to this point. A great tip if you have a house full is to keep 1 basket in each bedroom. Do not take it to the laundry room until that basket is full and do one persons laundry at a time. This way you know when they are running low on laundry and it’s not such a headache to figure out who’s is who’s.
Keep in mind, just because you are purging items from our home does not mean that you have to throw everything in the trash can.
Don’t forget:
- Recycle
- Donate- One man’s trash is another man’s treasure!
- Sell- If you have something that may be of value try to sell it for some extra money—Purging AND making money! Sounds good to me!
- Take those papers to be shredded so that your personal information isn’t just “laying around”
Feeling too overwhelmed to purge things on your own? That’s what Ideal Organizing + Design Solutions is here for!
Visit our Organizing page (soon) for information on our NEW PACKAGES!