SPRING HAS ARRIVED!
The days of heavy coats, snow boots, gloves and hats are finally behind us, and while winter is an awesome season with its snowy days, fireplaces lit with fires for a cozy day or night, and let’s not forget hot chocolate, I think it is safe to say we are glad a new season is upon us.
One of our favorite things here at Alcova Home is Spring Cleaning. This is our opportunity to reconnect with clients for their seasonal switch session.
Emily and I understand that not everyone is able to have us come and help them with their home organization needs.
In this blog we are sharing with you our top tips to help you with your spring cleaning project and to get you ready for warm weather, flip flops, sunscreen and a margarita or two :)
SPRING HOME ORGANIZATION
What Rooms To Organize For Spring
Foyer / Mudroom
Closets
Pantry
Garage
1. Let’s start with the FOYER/MUDROOM.
These are the spaces that welcome us back after a hard day of work, the first spaces our guests see when we welcome them into our home.
These places are the hardest to keep organized; they are the kitchen junk drawer of the house. After a long winter, your foyer/mudroom is full of winter coats, hats, gloves, snow boots and face masks.
Let’s get started! Below you will find step by step to get you started.
STORAGE. Where is your seasonal stuff being stored? Do you have an area for seasonal storage? Are you lucky enough to have extra closet space? If you do, you are blessed! But if you don’t let’s find a solution. A shelving system in the basement or attic are great options, and they don’t have to cost a fortune. Home Depot, Costco and Amazon offer affordable shelving systems. These shelving systems combined with clear plastic bins, and labels are a great solution for seasonal storage.
PURGE! Purge is your best friend when it comes to home organization. This is a great opportunity to discard or donate items that no longer will fit your kids next winter or have seen better days.
SORT, GROUP & CATEGORIZE. By sorting and storing items by group, will make it easier for you to find an item when needed.
LABEL! Make sure to label each bin. ( here is a tip. Label one side of the bin with one season and the other side with a different season. When placing the bin on the shelf make sure the correct season is showing.)
2. Organizing and decluttering your CLOSETS.
Once again this is your opportunity to purge and declutter your closets. If you have a closet big enough for all your seasonal clothing Congratulations we are jealous. If you don’t , switching your seasonal clothes and shoes is the solution to an organized, clutter free closet. The seasonal switch is a great time to declutter your clothing as well. Get rid of the items that you no longer wear or like.
3. Organizing and decluttering your PANTRY.
With winter behind us our meals and recipes also change. We now replace soups, stews and heavy meals with salads, grilled meats, and lighter meals. This is your chance to discard expired goods. The majority of us are guilty of having a pantry full of expired food, empty boxes, food we don't longer eat, spices or condiments we only used once for a special recipe and have not used or will ever use again.
4. Organizing your GARAGE.
Many of us have garages we can’t park our cars in because it is full of stuff. This is a place in the home that can be chaotic and act as a storage drop zone. The first step is to remove all items from the garage and create three categories; keep, donate, and throw out. A great solution in maximizing storage is to purchase shelving units and storage bins.
Put back items based on activity or season and label accordingly.