After this long, long winter, my life is in need of a good spring cleaning. I’m talking floor to ceiling kind of clean. I’ve already tackled my closet, but now I have to really spruce up the rest of the place. Looks like I have a hot date with the bleach and vacuum cleaner coming up.
While I love devoting a day to cleaning (I really do, it’s weird), I also love that feeling of satisfaction from checking something off the list. Even checking one thing off my list– however small– can give me the motivation to get through the rest of it.
Need to feel inspired to tackle your whole spring cleaning list? Start with one of these tiny tasks:
THE NIGHTSTAND | My nightstand is tiny. However, it somehow becomes a dumping ground of late night working-from-bed sessions and lazy Sunday mornings. I have an ever increasing number of books that I want to read, a few magazines with articles flagged for later, Chapsticks that I thought I lost, candy wrappers (?!), and ~400 hair ties. Anyone else have the same problem?
MAKEUP BAG | I always forget that makeup has an expiration date. Mascara should be replaced every three months! I know for a fact that I have at least six tubes of mascara that I’ve had for at least a year. I have some old nail polishes, hair spray that is past its prime, sunscreen that certainly won’t even be effective anymore, and stuff I don’t even know how or when/why I got it.
PURSES | Hello, totes. The number of totes, handbags, and clutches I’ve accumulated over the years is out of control. I try my best to keep the collection at bay, but every now and then it just is too much too handle. That would be now. Even though parting with bags and organizing what I choose to keep is not my favorite task, I LOVE going through all the bags. It’s like searching for buried treasure. Without fail I find all of the hair ties I have lost, a couple of twenty dollar bills, my favorite lipstick I misplaced a month ago, a gift card I never redeemed… etc. Talk about a spring cleaning bonus!
FILE CABINET | Okay this is the one task I dread more than anything else. Something about paperwork just stresses me out. I loosely keep up with my paperwork and have a general system for filing things. The closer to taxes the worse it gets. Paperwork up to my eyeballs. Now that I’ve checked corporate and personal taxes off my list, I think it’s time that I get my files back in order. (Ugh, really dreading it.) Maybe I’ll upgrade to this tabletop organizer… it’s too cute.
KEYBOARD | Finishing off the list with the simplest thing… cleaning off your keyboard. Mine gets so gross. It surprisingly makes a huge difference. Shiny, clean buttons! (Just try not to think about how many creepy crawly germs are zipping around the keys.) I disconnect my keyboard from Bluetooth for my iMac or turn off my laptop so I’m not messing around with keystrokes. I use a Clorox wipe to clean off every key and then a Q-tip to get in between the keys. A bright and shiny keyboard… like new! (And very clean!)
Can’t wait to have everything in tip top shape! Do you have any easy spring cleaning tasks?
xoxo
For me, the biggest Spring cleaning tip is my laptop and all my files. I think you have mentioned this in a post before but I love decluttering all the documents and photos on my hard drive and transferring them to an external one if I really want to keep it or simply trashing it! Nothing is more refreshing that having a clean desktop and organized files in my mind. As far as other cleaning goes, I live in a dorm room so I try my very hardest to keep it clean all of the time because otherwise it feels SO much smaller. However, I do go through my closet and make sure everything in it is something that I have worn in the past 3 months. If I haven't I ask myself if I will wear it, or if there was a specific reason I didn't wear it. If I can't exactly answer either of those it gets donated. Often times I find parting with clothes really hard because they truly do hold memories but in the end it does feel good.
Annie N Belle
I totally agree about cleaning up your computer files! It makes me feel so much better to create folders and subfolders and subfolders… Being able to find anything quickly is always the goal.
Alyssa J Freitas
My nightstand is definitely one of the worst places I constantly have to clean because I'm always placing random papers there! Cleaning the keyboard sounds like a great idea, I will definitely be trying that sometime soon!
xx, Mikkaela
The Southwestern Prepster
THE LAUNDRY. -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey's
Also, I need to start finishing up all the food I hoarded for my winter months of hibernation haha ;P
For me, the biggest Spring cleaning is in the closet. I remove everything from closet and dresser and I clean everything with a special product for the wood. Then I wash all the winter sweater, flannel shirts, corduroy pants. I clean my wellies and my boots and I put everything away for the next winter. This hard work takes about 2/3 days!!
I think that I'm going to clean my keybord now..
XO
Valentina
PreppyInVenice
http://preppyinvenice.blogspot.it
I don't really "spring" clean–I just do small chunks years round. That said, some of the things I like to tackle are my computer files, unworn clothes, extra bags, old makeup, books I don't plan on reading, and extra apps on my phone.
I hate starting cleaning projects but LOVE when they are done! Refreshing my living space seems to refresh my life.
Her Heartland Soul
http://herheartlandsoul.com
These are some really great tips! I need to dust everywhere and really clean off my keyboard!
xo ClassToCloset
Ugh, keyboards lol. Some simple tasks that I've done recently are cleaning off ceiling fans, wiping down bannisters and baseboards, cleaning windows and windowsills, and cleaning out the entryway closet.
Sarah
Sweet Spontaneity
For cleaning Apple chiclet keyboards, I recommend baby wipes! (They work well to clean a LOT of things, actually.)
Glad I'm not the only one with a mess of a nightstand. Mine constantly has at least 5 (or more) water bottles on it, mugs with leftover tea/coffee, chapstick, bobby pins, tissues, everything!
Reading this made me excited to clean up! I agree about finding treasure in your totes – always a fun surprise!
xo
Alex | Mrs. Mason Dixon
I always try to do a deep clean of my apartment every week or so…it feels like 100x less overwhelming to do it that way! I also find it keeps me more on top of my long term goals as I am more likely to write my book than Netflix in a clean room!
Meg of An Affair of Character
I was just cleaning my apartment this weekend and spring cleaning fever has taken hold of me too! I love that you started with your closet because that's where I definitely have the most room for improvement as far as organization goes. I use Clorox wipes on my keyboard, too!!
xoxo,
Ash
I like to start with laundry – I always throw in too much (or not enough?!) detergent so my apartment immediately starts to smell cleaner! I also think the tiny kick-off tasks are brilliant. And I tend to run into the exact same problem with my nightstand!
For me, another big part of spring cleaning is cleaning out my car!
Outburstsofanintrovert.com
Nice.