Quick Spring Declutter Ideas

We don’t know about you, but we think Spring is a lovely time of year. The blossom is coming out, the days are getting longer, and although there’s been a nip in the air, warmer days are on the horizon. And of course we’re all enjoying the gradual lifting of lockdown restrictions which is adding an extra frisson of excitement.

The change of the seasons is a great time for a bit of a declutter and a reorganisation at home. And of course it’s traditional in many cultures to do a “Spring clean” – freshening and cleaning the entire home to mark the transition from Winter. Decluttering can also be a great way to lift your mood and burn off a bit of energy – and let’s face it, lots of us could do with that after so many months of lockdown!

So here are a few ideas from us to get you started. We’ve deliberately chosen a few smaller projects that are not too overwhelming or time consuming but will go a long way towards helping you feel lighter and brighter and ready for Spring.

Smarten up your doorway – the entrance to your home is the first thing you see when you come home, and the first thing visitors see when they arrive. Now is a great time to have a bit of a tidy up around your front door or porch. Areas like this tend to gather dead leaves and cobwebs, so give it all a good sweep, don’t forget to give the paintwork a quick wipe down and polish your letterbox or door knocker. You could consider adding some finishing touches like a smart new doormat or a pot of colourful flowers.

Freshen up your living room – Spring is a great time to give everything a little facelift and you don’t need to spend a lot of money. Open the windows to let the fresh air and sunlight in and give everything a dust with some nice smelling polish, take all your sofa cushions off and vacuum underneath them, plump up the cushions – a good cushion thump is a great way to work off any frustrations! Remove any obvious clutter like out of date magazines or newspapers, put away board games and stash childrens toys out of sight (a big log basket or wicker hamper can be great for this). Add a vase of fresh flowers or even just some foliage from the garden if you have one. Scented candles make a nice finishing touch.

Tidy Up Your Garden shed – this is a nice little job for a sunny afternoon. It can be a good idea to get everything out on to the lawn and sort it into categories before putting it back – so all your barbeque stuff goes together, all your gardening things like twine and gloves, and so on. You can use baskets, plastic boxes or even just shopping bags to store everything neatly. It’s also a good idea to clean your garden tools like spades and forks, and give them a quick wipe down with a bit of WD40. Hanging tools in rows on hooks or even nails is a good way to keep them tidy. And it may not be very manly but we do love a bit of bunting in a shed!

Sort out Your Outside Space - now that we are allowed to meet up to six friends/family in our gardens, this is a great time to give your patio or outside space a little tidy. Put away (or take to the tip) things like broken garden furniture, broken garden pots, kids toys, etc. Check that any garden furniture you have is clean, (teak furniture might need a quick coat of oil), and locate any accessories that you like to use outside like garden cushions or throws as they might need a wash before you use them. Mow the lawn, add some colourful pots of bulbs, maybe a lantern or some fairy lights and you are all set for socialising!

If you don’t have a garden, think about bringing the outside in with some vases full of Spring foliage or maybe add some pots of fresh herbs or small bulbs to your window sills.

Declutter your wardrobe – Spring is a great time to do a little wardrobe refresh. Time to start thinking about packing away those big woolly jumpers – give them a wash and make sure they are thoroughly dry then pack them in laundry bags or plastic boxes for storage. Take the opportunity to set aside anything you no longer wear or like for donation or recycling.

Ordinarily we would suggest that anything you haven’t worn for a year or more could be considered a candidate for decluttering but the past 12 months have been strange ones. So many of us have been working at home and living in mostly casual clothes, that the usual rules have been suspended. Nonetheless it might be a good time to have a trying on session and work out what clothes you already have that can form the basis of your Spring/Summer wardbrobe. It is a good idea to do this before you go shopping for anything new!

We’re sure you’ll have lots more ideas to add to this list of decluttering projects. The important thing with decluttering is to remember that it’s a journey and not a destination – don’t try and do it all in one go.

We always suggest focusing on the areas that bug you the most – so whether it’s the ones we’ve mentioned, or others like the kids playroom or the loft, start there.

If that still seems overwhelming, try to break that down into smaller more manageable goals – one shelf, one cupboard, one box at a time. Make sure you take plenty of breaks to recharge your batteries and enjoy the results of all your hard work.

If you’re still struggling or you would like to turbo charge your decluttering, why not book a free call with us to find out how we can help?

We can work with you to identify your decluttering goals, and can declutter, sort and organise just about any space in your home including the outside areas.

As there are two of us, we can really power through and you will be amazed at how much can be done in just a short space of time.

To book a call with us just click here to go to our online booking system.

If you'd prefer to email us you can reach us at enquiries@newleaves.info

We look forward to hearing from you

Claire & Sue