Spring Cleaning - Decluttering!

Today is the official first day of spring, although around here it has felt like spring for a few weeks now - which is a rarity. In college (in MN) we used to joke about there being only "Four Days of Spring" and most years it feels the same here in WI. Since it is truly spring and even feels like it, bring on the Spring Cleaning! This post is part of the Spring Cleaning Challenge and Giveaway over at I Dream of Clean. Check it out for more spring cleaning tips and chances to win some great prizes.

One of my favorite tips that I have heard along the way, I think it may have been a seminar on organization at MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers), is a strategic way of decluttering your house (or individual rooms). What is great about this method is that you can tackle one room at a time, that way if you only have an hour you can pick a smaller room and get one done and still feel a sense of accomplishment.

Now, on to the method, you will need two boxes (or bins) and a trash bag.

• One of the bins is for items that have made their way into the wrong room/place

• The other bin is for items to either sell (at a rummage sale, consignment store, etc.) or giveaway (Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc.)

• The trash bag - is for you guessed it, TRASH! 

When you are finished with each room, be sure to put the items that have been misplaced into their intended location. And anything that does not sell at your rummage sale or is not taken by the consignment store should then be IMMEDIATELY taken somewhere to be given away - so that it does not end up as clutter in your house again. Be sure to record your giveaway items so that you can deduct them on next year's taxes.

Now the hardest part about decluttering, at least for me, is my desire to hold onto things that I may be able to use in the future. You've got to get into business mode, do your best to get out of sentimental mode. If you haven't used it in a year or more, the likelihood of you using it again in the future is very slim. If it is something that someone else may find useful, put it in the sell/giveaway bin. If it hasn't fit you in the last year (unless of course you are pregnant or just had a baby), put it in the sell/giveaway bin. Anything that is broken or missing pieces - should go into the trash. If it has holes or stains, put it in the trash - it just creates more work for someone else at a giveaway place to throw away unusable items.

Alright, sound simple enough? You can do it, I have faith in you! My goal over the next day or two is to tackle my bedroom - the place where I throw things, shove things, etc. when company is coming and then shut the door and my sewing/crafting area - it really needs some organization. Where do you plan to start?