This post is from our regular contributor, Erin.
When’s the last time you went through your house to declutter items you haven’t used? Or the last time you threw away things that haven’t seen the light of day since you moved in?
There’s a lot of value to be had in spring cleaning and decluttering.
I came to this realization last year, as our move happened to coincide with spring cleaning madness.
I had been carrying around so much junk since moving out of my parents house. It was ridiculous, and there was no reason for it.
Even though I threw away a bunch of stuff, there was more I could have gotten rid of. And we probably could have used a smaller moving truck, too (which would have been cheaper!).
If you’re not convinced of the value in spring cleaning and decluttering, then read on for some ideas that might make it more appealing.
Decluttering Gives You More Space
At least, hopefully it does! If you have a garage, attic, or guest room packed to the ceiling full of stuff you haven’t touched in years, it’s time to get rid of it.
All of these spaces can be used for other things.
For example, my parents’ old garage was a maze of things that needed to be navigated with care. None of us liked going out there – it was that…annoying.
All of that stuff sat there the entire time we lived in that house. And for what?! Only for them to get rid of half of it when they moved.
I think they learned their lesson. They purchased a house with a double garage specifically so my dad could have his woodworking shop, and so my mom could park her car in there. So far, they’ve kept it relatively clutter-free (my dad’s workshop is a bit messy).
I’m not even going to get started on the condition of their closets and the attic. We had more than enough storage space, and they managed to take up all of it.
Don’t be like that. Treat storage space as a luxury and cut down on all the things you’ve kept over the years.
You’ll feel much lighter afterward, and you’ll be appreciative of the space that’s now available to you. Plus, if you were previously thinking you needed more space, you won’t have an excuse to purchase more. ;)
Decluttering Helps You Let Go of the Past
If you haven’t guessed by now, my parents have a tendency to keep a lot of things from the past. I unfortunately inherited this tendency.
After we moved, I did two rounds of decluttering. Once when I was unpacking (packing/moving is really useful for decluttering), and once a few months ago after I was inspired by some fellow bloggers moving toward minimalism.
I was amazed by how much stuff I had held onto. I kid you not – I have old report cards dating back to elementary school. Yeah, I have no clue why either. I could blame my mom, as she saved every little thing I got from school over the years, but it was ultimately my fault for taking it all.
There is also a box of “stuff” that has traveled with us from one apartment to the next. Laziness is not an acceptable excuse.
While some things can be cute to look back on, nostalgia isn’t worth the price. Seriously. We need to learn to let certain things go.
If photo albums and other knick knacks at least provide you with memories of good times, that’s great! In my case, my grades from elementary school no longer hold any weight, so it’s time to say good bye to that folder!
I think this reason holds additional weight if you’ve recently experienced a life-changing event, such as a break-up. Sometimes we don’t realize what we’re holding onto until we go our separate ways. Getting rid of all that stuff can help you move on.
Spring Cleaning Can Give Your Home a New Look
Seriously. If you’ve let life get in the way of regular cleaning, your home may be in desperate need of some dusting, windex, and mopping.
If there are cobwebs forming in any corners of your home, spring cleaning is way past due.
Take care of your home, even if you’re a renter. Living in an unkempt home isn’t fun for anyone, and you’ll probably enjoy your space more once you spruce it up.
Take care of any maintenance that needs to be done, and give your home a cheap little facelift by cleaning surfaces and hard-to-reach areas.
When my parents moved, we had to go through an extensive cleaning process in order to show the house.
I can’t begin to tell you what we found, or what we cleaned off of things. Just cleaning the kitchen appliances alone made the kitchen seem brighter and more inviting.
What’s better than feeling good about the space you live in? Plus, after you clean, you can open the windows, let the nice spring breeze roll in, and enjoy the results of your efforts until you realize your allergies hate you for it.
Spring Cleaning Means Getting Organized
I have to admit, I’m a little bit of an organizational freak when it comes to a few things in life. I love having my closet color coded, and as a kid, I actually enjoyed cleaning up my toys and putting them into labeled bins.
I have to recommend taking advantage of cleaning and getting organized in the process.
If you have paperwork strewn throughout your home, get it into one big pile and sort through it. Is there anything you can get rid of? Anything that needs to be filed away?
What about toys, gadgets, clothing, shoes, or any collections you have?
Use this chance to get an organizational system in place for anything that’s out of control in your home. This will make things easier to find, which means less stress. It also means you know what items you already have in your home, so you don’t go out and buy another.
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Overall, if you’ve been feeling on the fence about your living space, spring cleaning and decluttering can really help make a difference. Many people get ready to throw in the towel on their homes because there’s not enough space, or because everything seems old and dirty. Do what you can to make your space more beautiful before you consider the costly expense of moving!
Do you enjoy spring cleaning and decluttering, or do you hate the process? Do you hire someone to do a deep clean of your house so you don’t have to start from scratch?
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I’ve noticed some great benefits to decluttering. In addition to selling or giving away items to those who can use them, we can find the things we need more easily with less stuff to sort through. And it makes us think twice before buying something, since we’ll have to keep track of it, store it, maintain it, and perhaps one day declutter it, too.
There is something amazingly freeing about decluttering – it’s almost like creating a vacation for the mind, IMHO. We’ve learned to be constantly on the lookout for clutter around here and then getting rid of it. Cluttered rooms are no fun!
I love spring cleaning and decluttering! For some reason it just makes me feel really calm and peaceful.
If you declutter, you also don’t need to buy organizers to keep your stuff in check. Those suckers can be pricey!
Pretend to Be Poor Glad you’ve found decluttering to be helpful! After packing everything and moving, I can definitely say the process made me think twice about making material purchases. I don’t want more packing to do in the future. =)
Laurie TheFrugalFarmer I like that phrase, Laurie. I don’t even like cleaning, but after decluttering, I feel pretty darn accomplished and “lighter.”
Beachbudget I normally don’t like cleaning at all, though I didn’t mind helping my mom out when I was younger. I was in charge of the windex and dusting. ;)
AbigailP Seriously! Besides that, even if things are “organized” in organizers, even that can look cluttered. My grandma has bins and bins of things in her closet and I can’t deal with that.
Spring cleaning is great. It helps me clear out a lot of unwanted things. I donate some of the items and sell the others.
Jason @ The Butler Journal Focusing on donating items can be really helpful for me. I tend to be guilty of “what if I need it…” thinking, but knowing someone else out there actually needs the things I have makes them easier to give up.
There’s something about getting rid of clutter that just FEELS good! Plus, you can sell some of your clutter and make a few extra bucks!
SimplySave Yep, you might as well make the most of it!
I’m one to not enjoy the process until I start doing it, then after it’s all done or during the process you start to feel a sense of as you say letting go of the past and feeling like there’s more space!
It’s probably something I look to do once a year and put on some music and get the job done :)
Enjoy your spring clean!
I must say, I do enjoy organizing and de-cluttering. It’s just so satisfying! I want to focus on our basement this spring. It’s organized, but I think (ok I KNOW) we have stuff we can sell/give away. I just need to start sorting! Thanks for the motivation!
De-cluttering gives me a sense of satisfaction that can only compare to seeing a really good budget spreadsheet.
mycareercrusade I totally hear you on that. Music is necessary when cleaning! I need all the motivation I can get when starting the process, too.
Mrs. Frugalwoods Awesome, I wish you luck with that! Decluttering is definitely satisfying once all is said and done. Though I think I’d rather cut down on the things I own permanently and not have to go through it so often. ;)
Anum Haha! I love it, Anum (as a fellow lover of budget spreadsheets).
I really don’t like the process of decluttering, but I love the results! I also end up finding things I didn’t remember I had, so it’s almost like shopping for free. We started decluttering a little bit at a time in December, but it seems to have fallen to the wayside. Spring is the perfect time to get back to it.
Gary @ Super Saving Tips I like the part about shopping for free. It is fun when you rediscover things you forgot you had that you can actually use!
I love a good spring clean, but for me it’s mostly about the mental clutter that gets removed and seems to free my mind. And it’s not just the physical cleaning too – I just wrote about ridding yourself of bad investments, which is very similar to doing a spring clean of your portfolio! The mental clarity is definitely the best part for me, whether it’s cleaning out my portfolio or my home!
Jason@Islands of Investing I think we should try to incorporate the concept of spring cleaning toward everything we can as well. It’s great to spring clean your accounts, portfolio, and material items! I always look forward to having a “fresh” start to things.
It’s amazing how emotionally rewarding decluttering can be. I go on binges and am ALWAYS so happy with the result, but never seem to get around to it. Nice work with your own. I find moving can go one of two ways… you can make a lot of headway, or you can get overwhelmed at some point and just end up moving everything. Getting rid of things on both ends is a great plan.