Spring is here! Does that mean it’s time to declutter?

Spring is here! Does that mean it’s time to declutter?

And, ready or not, along with the spring season, comes the expectation and tradition to spring clean.

Many of us are more than ready after the long months of winter. Our homes have been closed up for far too long and now feel stagnant and airless. The long-awaited time has arrived when we can open the windows and doors of our homes, let in the fresh air and sunshine of springtime, and sweep out the dustiness of winter.

The outside world is alive with the richness of spring. The flowers and trees are in blossom, and the warming tendrils of the sun peek out from behind the cover of winter.

Ah, what a delight to welcome spring.

But then, as the sun shines brightly in our windows and doors, the first of the hidden aspects of winter rears its ugly head. All those areas that went unnoticed in winter now show up glaringly in the shifting light of spring.

That’s when we discover the areas in our home we ignored for so long. Those areas that were hidden by the darkness of winter. The months of snuggling in to stay warm and the human need to do a bit of hibernation.

With spring, we shake off the inactivity and idleness of winter and have renewed energy to get moving. We feel motivated to get things done and energized to dive into making our homes more springtime fresh and clean.

However, as we begin to clean and tidy our homes, we discover another hidden aspect of winter …. The accumulation of excess stuff. Those items we purchased or kept now make the task of spring cleaning feel like a huge, monumental chore.
 
Excess stuff definitely makes deep cleaning a real challenge, if not way more work than we envisioned.

But what if, in our desire to dive into cleaning, we skipped the most crucial first step? The step most of us tend to sidestep as we pull out the buckets, sponges, cleaning products, and vacuum cleaners.

What is the first step? Decluttering before we clean.

I know for me, for years, my approach was to organize first. To put things away, find places to store all the excess, and shove as much as I could into a closet, cabinet, garage, or drawer. In other words … hide it and get it out of the way fast!

I would then dust off my hands and tell myself, Ah, yes, that’s better. Now I can deep clean.

However, after I had done that successfully (or so I thought) for years, the task of deep cleaning had gotten far more tedious, overwhelming, and time-consuming because there was simply no more room to hide or store all the excess stuff I had accumulated. It had finally caught up with me, my tendency to organize before I let go.

I wish I could say I learned the lesson quickly or easily. However, my tendency to organize, or more accurately, to hide stuff away, was deeply ingrained. It was easy to kid myself since my home was not messy or untidy. Except … I did have way too much stuff.

All that excess did was make the task of deep cleaning long, tedious, and drawn out. To the point that many areas of my home were left untouched.

So, what has been my solution? The one that I encourage you to consider.

Declutter first. Get rid of the stuff now, before you even begin. Don’t put it off until another day, month, or year because the piles just get higher, and the “hidely-holes” only get more crowded.

And the most challenging part, yet most beneficial, is to keep on decluttering throughout the year. To make it a daily routine, habit, or practice.

Ask yourself … What in life truly matters to me? What do I truly value? Could it be freedom, peace, calm, to be less busy, or live simply, to name but a few? The answer truly does guide you as you decide whether to bring it home or pass right on by. Whether to keep it or give it away.

You’ll notice the big difference next spring and appreciate the results. You won’t shudder at the words … ‘Tis the season to deep clean! Because you now know it truly does get easier with less stuff.

 

 

 

Article by Joan Silva published in the monthly Crockett Signal magazine.

April 2023 Issue.