Spring Cleaning......A Little Late For That!

Everyone dreams of having the perfect house, all clean and organized!

When we are all out blog hopping we all see just that..

what appear to be "perfect" houses!

I bet most are not and most have been cleaned for photo purposes.

I know my house isn't sparkling clean all the time..I bet yours isn't either!

I recently just realized how much junk stuff I seem to have accumulated

over the years! I decided that I REALLY need to de-clutter and say good bye to some of it!

I feel overwhelmed by clutter and being unorganized..it cause stress in my life,

that is really unnecessary! I decided to socur the internet for some ideas and help.

I compiled some information I stole I mean borrowed for some of the sites I found!

A clean home is a happy home..Right??!!

Create a vision

Know what you want your house to look like, GET STARTED!

Get some boxes:

Get some boxes to clear ALL surfaces, so you can wipe them down and get them clean.

Put Away- all items to keep and re display, you don't need to know where you will put this stuff right away.

Give Away- donations take to your car immediately, so you resist the urge to keep them.

Throw away- line this box with a trash bag when full remove and toss

A place to start:

Start with your bedroom first, that will allow you to get the rest and

 relaxation you need to complete the rest of the house.

When your trying to rest for the next day of decluttering,

do you want to be trying to sleep in a room filled with clutter?

(Loved this idea)

Tackle one room at a time

Make clean-up fun: Play music and dance whatever gets you in the mood

Follow the "in-out rule: Every time you buy something, one thing has to go

Ask yourself if you really need something. If you hesitate, you don't.

You should own nothing that is not useful, beautiful, or loved.

Keep only the objects you'll use (a vase, a pretty bowl) or that are uniquely meaningful

(a handmade gift or travel memento).

Don't just accumulate "stuff." It's better to leave a space empty,

 until you've found exactly the right piece to fill it.

Streamline. If you haven't used it in a year, get rid of it.

Seasonal items

Every year, reassess whether you need to keep certain items.

If you didn't use that glow-in-the-dark skeleton for Halloween this year, will you use it next year?

Clothes

"Ask yourself, 'Do I ever wear that?' Go through and anything that you haven't worn in 12 months, no longer fits, out of fashion, that you don't love, use as an opportunity to get rid of it. If it is something like a dress that you only wear on special occasions, that is different.
You do not need 5 occasional dresses or suits. One or two is fine.

Keep all horizontal surfaces clear:

Keep tables, counters, dressers all clear of stuff. Except of course the necessities

Junk Mail

Minimize junk mail. Treat junk mail like the intruder it is. Get rid of it immediately

Maintain a good filing system, Create a paperwork zone.

Do not let paperwork anywhere else but in that zone, bring all papers, bills and mail directly to that zone when you get it.

Kitchen:

Go through all cabinets and pantry and refrigerator and throw way all expired foods and items.

Identify useful utensils with the cardboard box test.

If you want to see what utensils you're really using, use the cardboard box test. "Take all the utensils out of your drawers, put them in a cardboard box," he says. "For the next month, whenever you use one of these utensils, put it back in the drawer. If after four weeks it's still in the box, you don't need it."
(Loved this one too)

Establish four main kitchen zones.

All you need are four main areas: the preparation area, the cooking center,
 the eating area and the cleanup area. Keep only the items you need in those zones

Place all items in groupings: Dishes, Tupperware, utensils, wraps, cleaners, spices. You can do the same with food, baking, canned goods, boxed dry goods, bagged dry goods etc. You could even break them down even more such as cans of soups, veggies and side dishes and pastas etc..

Bathrooms

Purge all unused products, gels, shampoos, makeup etc

Check medicine cabinet, toss expired medications.

Use a basket system to organize every ones things, each family member has a basket.

Organize linen closets with baskets or containers.

Remember it took years to get all this clutter it will take a while to rid of it as well!

Do not get overwhelmed take your time and tackle one thing at a time.

I will post more as ideas as I am decluttering my house!
~Janice