I’m doing a mini Spring Cleaning series over the next few weeks. I’ll try to tie it into sewing somewhere along the way.. but looks like not today. :p
Like many (most) people, Spring is a great motivator to do some deep cleaning and decluttering. I try to declutter on a regular basis but this time of year is always the best at motivating me. The snow is starting to melt (well, it was but we got another 3 inches or so over the weekend!) the flowers will soon be blooming and it makes me want to get rid of some of my old junk. I find that when the house is relatively clean (it is not spotless by far!) I am able to focus better. When the place is cluttered, my brain feels cluttered, ha. So, decluttering is the most important step for me when it comes to cleaning.
What better way to start decluttering the house then to take part in the 40 Bags in 40 Days challenge. This challenge runs every year coinciding with Lent, but you don’t need to celebrate Lent to take part. Last year I got rid of 23 bags (I think) during the challenge (of donated items) but then in the Fall I got rid of another 20 bags and boxes of baby clothes. This year I haven’t been keeping up with it as much, but two weeks before the challenge started I had donated 8 boxes/bags worth of household items and (more) baby clothes to a local charity and I also sold off a baby playard /play pen. I currently have another two boxes going that are being filled with random things. There is a Facebook group you can join for inspiration (link on the post above).
Also helping with my decluttering goals are my stash busting challenges. I haven’t purchased any new fabric since the end of December. It’s probably the longest I’ve gone ever since I (re)started sewing! I’ll update on my stash busting progress at the end of the month.
I started reading this book: (*affiliate link)
It’s pretty good! I haven’t read too far yet but basically the author, Marie Kondo, who is a cleaning consultant, describes how to simplify and organize your home in such a way you won’t need to do it ever again. Her method is called the KonMari Method and she helps you determine which items you own that ‘spark joy’ and you only keep those items, so that your home is filled only with the things you love.
Another great decluttering resource is Peter Walsh‘s blog posts. I used to love watching his show on TLC, Clean Sweep. He also was a contributor on Oprah, and you can find many of his organizing and decluttering tips on the Oprah website.
That’s it for today! I’ll have some more Spring Cleaning topics next week.
~Ula
