“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” – William Morris
Spring is a great time to live up to this adage, and to go through your home to clear it of clutter and anything that doesn’t fit Mr. Morris’ bill. Especially during the colder months, it’s easy to let mail pile up, papers accumulate, and generally let all the stuff of life take over. It’s so much easier to live happy and healthy though if you simplify your home and distill it down to the essentials. Best of all, it doesn’t take much time or effort at all. Here are our top spring cleaning tips:
- If you’ve been inside a lot during winter, you might have had a chance to think about what works and doesn’t work with the layout of your home. Maybe there’s a table you’re always bumping into, or a rug you’re worried about tripping on. Now is the time to tackle these small nuisances and hazards and get really comfortable in your space. If you need help moving heavy items or rearranging things, ask friends, family, or a neighbor! Even small adjustments to your apartment can make a big difference.
- Organize your bathroom. It’s easy to let soaps, shampoos, lotions, medications, and more accumulate. Take control of the clutter starting with your medicine cabinet, where you might have expired prescriptions, over the counter medications, or cosmetics. If a medication is past its expiration date it may no longer be as effective and can’t be guaranteed it’s safe to take or use. Don’t toss your old pills, prescription ointments, or creams, however, and don’t flush them down the toilet! Several Huntsville suburbs have installed drug disposal stations, like the one at the Justin Sollohub Justice Center, and there are also specific Drug Take Back days organized by the police department to ensure proper disposal of medications. For all your other expired or unused toiletries, go ahead and throw them out instead of keeping them underfoot.
- It’s so easy to simply toss things in the closet and say you’ll deal with them later. If you find yourself unsure whether you’ll use something again or where to put it, often it winds up in the closet while you decide. Now is the time to make those calls for real and keep your closet available and easy to use. Pack away your winter things into garment bags or an under-bed storage container. It’s time to get out all your warm weather clothes and shoes, anyways! Store your most-used items at eye level, less-used items lower down, and least-used items up high— but be sure you can safely reach everything without worrying about a strain or a fall. If you find anything in your closet that doesn’t have an obvious purpose or home, remember William Morris’ advice and let it go.
- Unsubscribe, unsubscribe, unsubscribe! It’s so easy to let catalogues, newspapers, and magazines accumulate, and it seems like new ones show up all the time. All the extra periodicals can be a nuisance and clutter your home fast— they might even be a tripping hazard or get in the way to reaching things you really need around the house. Don’t just recycle all the back issues you’ve already read— make a list of which publications you actually read and enjoy and cancel the rest. It’ll take just a few phone calls or business reply envelopes and the rest of your year you’ll be free of all those papers.
- Tackle unfinished projects. Maybe you meant get photos printed from a recent trip you took, finish mending some clothes, or organize your email account. Make a list of all the loose ends you could tie up and try to check one or two off each week. Spring seems to put an extra spring in one’s step, and that could make it easier to finish up all those projects that seem to be nagging at the back of your mind. With them out of the way, you might have time to pick up a new hobby, go on an extra fun outing, or start a new book!