Ready For Spring Cleaning?

It’s almost spring and time for cleaning!

Renewed energy to clean and clear clutter often comes with spring and lasts for about ten minutes.

Here’s a tip. Don’t think you have to clean the whole house, basement storage area and garage, all at once. Spring is three months long. Tackle one task at a time and chunk it down into small areas. Maybe you’ll only rid your closet of unworn clothes. Your “new normal” wardrobe may not include those ball gowns taking up space.

List your tasks and stay focused on them. Designate a day and time on the calendar allotted for them.

While Marie Kondo’s name has become a verb, there are other equally wonderful methods of clearing and also cleaning. Don Aslett is a long-time trusted source of tips and trickery on the subject.

An extraordinary housecleaner, he’s authored several books, including, Is There Life After Housework? His system is simple and effective: SPROUT, DOUBT, REROUTE AND OUT.

SPROUT-a file for future sprouted ideas. Whether planning a remodel or wedding, it’s a place to hold all of the swatches, magazine ads, thoughts or ideas that aren’t online.

DOUBT-This is for the stuff that you can’t tend to in the moment but needs attention. Mail, magazines, and new recipes are put in this container to be sorted during your wait times somewhere. Choose a container large enough to hold a week’s worth but not so large that you can’t transport it easily. Sort and purge. Bills to be paid need an action file, while advertising can move to the recycling bin.

Magazines are 70% advertising and precious time is wasted going back and forth through the pages. Don says to read through it only once, and remove the pages with articles or ads of interest. You’ll have maybe 12 pages to address and recycle the rest.

REROUTE-This is what you’ll pass along to others, whether articles of clothing, books, or things you no longer need. Set a timeframe in which the items must be gone from your home.

OUT-the trash or recycling. Handle things once, rather than moving them around your home.

Tip: Spring means blooming trees, flowers and POLLEN! Enjoy the warmer temperatures but don’t yet open your home to receive a coat of yellow pollen inside. Wait until everything has bloomed before keeping the windows open. And if you have allergies, consider eating some local honey, early in the season, which just might help you prepare your body for the blooms ahead.

Stay enchanted!