5 Spaces That Are Forgotten During Spring Cleaning
By: Sarah Dailey
Spring calls for cleaning and decluttering. Common areas include your closet, makeup/skin care, and jewelry- but there are five areas that often get overlooked. These spaces, although not often remembered, need to be cleaned out just as frequently. Decluttering all aspects of your life can help improve focus, motivation, and overall mental health.
1) Digital
We spend so much time on our phones and computers, but they are often forgotten about when it comes to decluttering. Although the storage isn’t visibly overflowing, working on a cluttered computer or phone can be frustrating. Go through and delete any unneeded emails, photos, and documents. Going through your file trees to see what could be better organized can also really help! Have a bunch of tax documents hanging out in different spots? Photos from multiple family vacations? Consolidate them into more workable file structures and you'll find it's easier to pull things out when you need them.
2) Kitchen cabinets
Let’s be real, we all have that kitchen utensil or appliance we got because we thought it’d come in handy, or that Tupperware that has been missing its lid since last New Year's. Clearing out any unused utensils, old Tupperware, and mismatched dishes can fix up a space you probably didn’t realize needed to be. Consider purging some of your clunky dishes that don't interlock and donate them -- it gives you an excuse to go buy a new matching dish set!
3) Bedding/Blankets
No matter how many blankets I have, I always think I need more. Realistically, we don’t need every fuzzy blanket from Target. Along with this, any extra bedding that is old or scratchy can go too. (P.S. these items can be donated - and are greatly appreciated - at any vets or animal shelters!) Plus, if you live in a cold state that gets a lot of snow, my parents always recommended me putting a thick blanket in the trunk of my car, just in case I got stuck for an extended period of time.
4) Entertainment
In the digital age we live in now, why are we still holding onto CDs, DVDs, etc? Of course, keeping some for sentimental purposes isn’t a crime, but all those movies that have been watched once (and can probably be found on Netflix) can go. Getting a dedicated shelf that is just-the-right-size for certain disc cases can also help organize the ones that you just can't part with.
5) Papers/Documents
If you’re anything like me, you probably have a huge Tupperware container in the back of a closet somewhere filled with old schoolwork and random papers. I’ve found that I can narrow these containers down to about a stack of five, and if I'm being real honest, I'll probably never look through most of these stacks of paperwork again. If you really want to get fancy and super organized, you can scan them into your computer as a PDF and store them (in that newly organized file tree from above!).
What are your spring cleaning sore spots? I'd love to hear about them below!