It's that time of year again to clean out the remnants of the long winter months. It is a satisfying experience for many, although others struggle. Here are some tips to get your home clean and organized, all year round. Make sure to make yourself a cleaning schedule. Don’t expect to finish all of your cleaning in one day, especially if cleaning is not a fun, natural process for you. Spread it across a week or so, dedicating each day to one or two rooms. 

Wardrobe

• Downsize your wardrobe. It may be daunting, but going through your clothes can be a fun experience. Having a friend with you is helpful, as they’ll lend a pair of fresh eyes and urge you to get rid of that itchy, tacky sweater. Go by category (underwear, tops, jeans, dresses, suits, winter jackets) and assess what it is that you really wear and love. There is no use in keeping old, worn out pieces that you haven’t worn in months or years. Be ruthless!

Washroom and Linen closet

• Sort through all of your shower and bath products and get rid of anything that is old or unused. Make sure not to keep your makeup in the washroom, as the humidity can make them get moldy.

• Seperate your cleaning products from your sheets/pillows/duvets/towels using baskets or trays of your choice. You should go through all of the things in your linen closet and get rid of what you no longer use.

Basement and Living room

• Have a look at your collection of books, movies, CDs and video games. What do you really love? Give away what you no longer love to your friends/family members or donate.

Kitchen

• Assign a cabinet or drawer for all of your cookbooks/recipe pages, which you can neatly organize using file dividers.

• Before arranging everything, declutter your appliances, food, ingredients and spices. You’ll be surprised at how many appliances you no longer use, and food that has long passed its expiration date.  

• Maximize your kitchen space by assessing your space and rearrange everything accordingly. Make organizing your fridge, pantry and cabinets a fun project with the help of our Pinterest.

Other

• Go through and organize all of your paperwork, separating them by clearly labeled folders.

• Go through every single one of your drawers one by one, getting rid of trash and unused trinkets. Give away old electronics to your local electronics disposal location.

• Try to downsize your collection of beauty products as much as possible. There’s no need to have ten, fifteen, twenty lipsticks or blushes of the same shade. Keep what you use on a daily basis, and throw out or give away remaining products.

• Clean out your car, wiping down surfaces and seats as well as getting rid of trash that’s piled up over the months. While you’re at it, why not sort through and organize the garage?

• If you want to go all out, declutter your phone and computer, sorting through and organizing photos, videos, applications and files, as well as unfollowing any accounts on social media that no longer inspire you.

Liven up your space

• Now that you’ve completed your home cleaning, feel free to liven up your environment with plants, pleasant scents and photos or artwork you’ve been meaning to put up. Your living environment should be one of relaxation, so take this opportunity to assure that you are only surrounded with things that you truly love and value.

In order to make your cleaning experience an effective and positive one, consider calling our professional designers at Simplespace here in Montreal. We make quality custom closets, shelving units and storage solutions that best fit your space, and will easily allow you to keep your things organized and all in one place, for good.