Spring Cleaning--Taking Small Steps

With the official start spring less than a month away, is it too early to talk about spring cleaning? You're probably starting to think that I'm obsessed with cleaning... I'm really not, but I do enjoy a clean room! When I was sick in January, I had one particular day that I was full of energy.  So what did I decide to do? Tackle our guest room/daughter's old room. Since Rachel always tells me to take everything down when I'm decorating and Marie Kondo says to take everything out of the closet when you're cleaning, I went all out! Complete foolishness!

After I tossed everything out of the closet, I was completely exhausted! I thought, "oh no! I have to do something with all of this!" My husband came home from work and said, "Woman! What have you done?!" (This is a common question he asks me!!) This time, however, I definitely bit off more than I could chew.

With this story in mind, I'm here to help you learn from my crazy mistakes...you're welcome! As we talk about spring cleaning, we're going to talk about taking small steps. And while I think cleaning is fun, we'll just say this is a more manageable way for you!

One of our sweet customers, Ruth, told us that for the month of January she de-cluttered a little every day. On the 1st, she got rid of one thing; the 2nd, 2 things; and so on for the entire month! WOW! How inspiring! That's a lot of stuff by the 31st!

One process is to focus on one room at a time. Do you have a room that really annoys you? Do that one last! ha! Pick a room that is manageable to clean out/de-clutter, and do it first so you'll feel accomplished! The next day you can move on to another room and repeat the process.

Another plan is to choose one chore at a time. Perhaps you choose cabinets--just work on the kitchen cabinets; then on another day, work on your bathroom cabinets; the next, do the pantry. And by all means, don't take everything out of ALL the cabinets at once. (Yes, I've done that, too!) Choose one cabinet, take everything out, clean and throw stuff out, then move on to the next. By doing these baby steps, you won't be overwhelmed. And if you get tired out, you won't have everything laying on the floor! Doing a little bit at a time will make the process easier, perhaps more enjoyable, and not so overwhelming.

What's your least favorite spring cleaning chore? Do you enjoy cleaning or wish someone else would do it? What's your funniest cleaning story?

The end of my cleaning mayhem story turned out well. The room is so clean and organized now--in fact, I will walk into the room just to look around and smile. Hmmm--maybe I need therapy!

Until next time, happy cleaning!

Joy