Spring Cleaning and other Clutter Thoughts

There’s nothing like spring to put a little umph in your motivation to get things organized, cleaned up, or cleaned out. I can speak from personal experience that when I started opening the windows to let fresh air flow through the house and the sunlight shines in, I saw all the spots I’ve missed while dusting (or not) during the winter months.

While sitting at my dining table the other day enjoying my morning coffee and letting my thoughts and eyes drift, I was stunned into sudden overwhelm by all the piles of things I’d let accumulate recently. Granted they are critical projects I have really good intentions of completing, but they also had a dull covering of dust! Had it really been that long since I’d set those few things down that they had gathered all kinds of dust already?

Let me assure you we are not alone in our Clutter Overwhelm! As a Realtor I see a lot of homes and a lot of clutter in everyone’s space. Even a vacant property will show signs of clutter: the random penny stuck in a floor board, a loose pill in the linen closet, or the dust bunnies in the laundry room are tell tale signs that too much stuff had gathered and the small things found the nooks and crannies that comes with too much stuff in a space.

Going on line I went in search of a few good ideas to help with getting order back to my humble abode. Low and behold there are dozens of top 10 tips, 30-day challenges, and checklists galore to help a person get and keep things in order. When we moved from one home into another a year and a half ago, I was a sorting and throwing away machine. Even in a small space it is easy to accumulate a lot of stuff. Already, after living in our new space, I’ve over accumulated again.

In my research on line there were multiple excellent resources, yet consistently the overriding recommendation was to just start! Another consistent comment was to completely empty out and clean out a space such as a countertop or a drawer or a closet, and then as you start to place the items back into the space to evaluate the use it has in the recent past, the near future, or the “I might need it someday”. If it’s truly an item you use or will use in the coming season, then put it back. If it’s something you might need someday and could buy it again if you needed it, it’s time to get rid of it.

My personal struggle is with keep sake items. I’ve accumulated boxes and files full of these things over the years and have lugged them from place to place, state to state at one time! I really like the idea of taking a photo of the item and then donating it. Then I can go back and look at the item and enjoy the memory. Also, I don’t have to dust it any longer. I’ve been taking some of the clean out items to the office and sharing with co-workers. They think they’ve hit the jackpot and I’m the hero for being so generous.

Then there’s the whole psychological implications of having clutter around all the time. I’ve tested the theory myself that if there are multiple stacks of to-do projects sitting out, I’m so overwhelmed by so much to do that I get nothing done. When I put things away, reorganize, delegate, or throw things away and write the sincere projects on a list I find I am much more productive with pulling out one project at a time and working on that accomplishment.

Are you thinking about spring cleaning? When we moved, I pulled all of my cleaning supplies and put them in one place instead of having supplies in each bathroom, the kitchen and laundry space. It has opened a lot of clean space in each of those areas and under sinks. I can look in the cupboard and see the critical items for each room. Now I have a central bucket, I have fewer dusters and brooms, and my products don’t get dried out and crusty from single use in each area.

One of the methods I use to declutter my own home and to check in on potential re-cluttering is to take a photo with my phone camera. For example, if I wanted to send a picture of my new couch in the living room to my sister, I’d back up and snap a look at the room. If I cannot see the main item, the new couch, for all the excess stuff I put in there, I know it’s time to clean the slate and get rid of new clutter, either put it away in its place or get rid of it.

A huge motivator is moving to a new home. The cost of moving boxes and boxes of stuff, or storing the boxes until your new home is ready is tremendous-not just in dollars but the mind space is costly. When we moved recently, we wanted to freshen up our décor, keep our favorite art pieces, change colors and arrangement of furniture, and create a new feel for the new space. I kept what I thought would be a good fit and what I thought were more precious items, labeled the boxes appropriately and then moved them into the house from the garage at a careful pace.

Last month I opened the garage door and realized I’d left some boxes, okay a lot of boxes, unpacked. As I started opening the boxes, I discovered tons of stuff I hadn’t missed and no longer wanted. My co-workers have been delighted and I’m fortunate to live in a neighborhood where a donation center comes by every other month for collections. Talk about motivation and easy, too!

With all of this rambling if you’ve made it this far you are probably wondering what is her point? My point is moving to a new home is going to inspire new ideas, new feelings, and, therefore, fresh beginnings. Don’t be timid with getting rid of the old stuff. Even if you live without a particular item(s) for a few months it will get your mind thinking of something creative and ingenious for its replacement and who knows what that could lead to…

Call me if you are getting ready to move, I can help you sell your current property and help you find a new one-yes, even in today’s market!

Lori Zurcher, 602-689-2354