Happy official first day of spring Calgary! With the sun shining and birds chirping, we finally welcome springtime to Alberta with open arms. The warm temperatures start to bring all Calgarians out of hibernation and back into the outdoors, ready to soak up as much sunshine as possible. The season brings about outdoors activities, gardening and, of course, spring cleaning! Now is the time to declutter, dust, organize and downsize your cozy winter hibernation space. We know cleaning may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but here are a few quick tips and tricks to freshen up your living space.
Start Small
Do simple things first to get the ball rolling. Start by putting away your wintery Christmas decorations – the sun is here to stay! Recycle all of those old flyers and newspapers that you keep saying you’re going to look at but never get around to. Perhaps you take your cans into the recycling depot and make a few bucks while also cleaning out your storage room – win-win! Time to throw those curtains, duvets, throw blankets and all other fabrics into the wash for a fresh start this spring. Once you start to see the transformation, you’ll want to keep going!
Declutter
Time to get rid of all those unnecessary knick-knacks, duplicate items, useless objects and old memorabilia. Whether you live with family, friends or you’re flying solo, there are a number of ways to make the decluttering process fun:
Find items around your home that you no longer need and sell them online, putting all of that money towards a dream vacation or maybe a new car!- Pick a category (ex. shirts) and find one shirt that you can sell. Set a time limit like one week and pool everyone’s shirt money into a bowl. Whosever shirt sells for the most money gets to choose the activity the group spends the money on. Flying solo? Treat yourself to something that you want to do, like a mani-pedi or the newest Village ice cream flavour.
- Make a list of general items in your home (ex. book, shirt, pair of shoes, etc.) and go pick one of each item to sell, donate or throw away.
Keep, Sell, Donate or Toss
This is a great philosophy to follow as you go through the items in your home and attempt to declutter. When you look at an item, think: When was the last time I used this? Will I use this in the future? Do I need to keep this item? Could someone else benefit more from this item? Think carefully about the item and if you decide to get rid of it, consider its value. If it’s in excellent condition and was worth a fair amount of money, try to sell it. If you can’t sell it or it’s gently used, donate it to a local charity to help those in need. If it’s broken, worn out, holey or no longer usable, toss it. No one else needs your old garbage!
Remember: If you haven’t used/worn the item in a year, you probably don’t need it. Don’t get overwhelmed when you start thinking of spring cleaning. Pick one room per day and start there. Perhaps you start in the garage, dusting off your lawn chairs and finding your gardening tools, or maybe you choose the front closet, packing away winter boots and parkas for the season. However you choose to manage your spring cleaning, start small and work through the house slowly. We bet you’ll find more to get rid of than you expect!
Happy spring cleaning Calgary!
