Shall We Spring Clean?

May 13, 2021

I do not especially love cleaning…but I love Spring Cleaning. Mostly because you can apply the idea way beyond the reaches of your rugs: Spring is a great time to chop off a few inches of hair, streamline your wardrobe to highlight those pieces you really do wear, and whittle down your beauty products to the bare necessities. You can even – stay with me, here – spring clean your mind. (Click here for a Tarot spread for spiritual decluttering.)

In other words: I think about it less as “cleaning,” and more as “simplifying.”

Below, alllll the ideas you could possibly want if you’re in a simple life kinda mood this weekend.

1/11

Weekly Cleaning Checklist

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Years ago – when we lived in a 800 square foot apartment – I put together this easy cleaning checklist, and I still use it to this day. (Well, usually.)

2/11

How To Tackle Pets' Eating & Sleeping Areas

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Pets are wonderful. They are also gross. Click through for a technique for cleansing, sanitizing, and disinfecting their favorite eating and sleeping spots (bonus: this technique also gets rid of parvovirus).

3/11

Oh God, The Garage

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Yeah…it’s not good. Mine wasn’t, either.

Until I FIXED IT. (This is a fun video featuring many screams.)

4/11

Those Oft-Neglected Spots

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Every once in awhile, it happens: my eyes land upon a spot in my house that for whatever reason I’ve never noticed before, and I am horrified. In no particular order, here are some oft-forgotten (and thus pretty gross) spots in the house – plus which product you can use to clean said spot if you’re so inclined.

5/11

Refresh Your Winter-Weathered Patio

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Our deck (and outdoor furniture) was officially trashed. So much so that I thought I’d have to replace it.

But?!?! In just a few hours – with a few cool tricks – it looked brand. new.

6/11

Tidy All The Things

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I’m constantly paring down the amount of stuff I have. I give things away to friends; I sell them; I donate them to Goodwill. I can’t stand having items that I don’t use or need laying around. And yet – after applying some Marie Kondo techniques – the results of my clear-out were frankly astounding.

7/11

Declutter...With An Old Silverware Organizer

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This is one of my favorite little tricks: Using a silver organizer in unexpected places. Click through for a whole bunch of ideas.

8/11

A Quick List of Things You Don't Need

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While I’ve always been big on decluttering, it’s been helpful to me to figure out the four primary reasons I have for holding onto possessions that have passed their usefulness date.

Try this. It works.

9/11

Closet Makeover To Maximize Storage

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Closets only function when you treat them like something other than dumping grounds for shit you don’t want to deal with right now.

My closet makeover was one for the ages (and includes another fun video!).

10/11

Small Space Storage Solutions

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Over the years I became something of an expert in organizing the possessions of multiple humans living in extremely close quarters. Here are some of my must-haves for maximizing your space.