Spring Cleaning

I would be lying if I told you that my spring break was all laziness, hanging out with friends, and waking up at the crack of noon. I have actually devoted this week to performing some major spring cleaning on my room! Before I had gotten back, my dad rearranged the furniture in my room and pulled out a bunch of bags of junk from underneath my bed. Luckily, I have finished going through these - most of it was indeed garbage. Now I am on to giving the rest of my room a refreshing clean. My room feels small enough without all of the clutter. My goal for this week is to get rid of so much and really open up the space a bit. Also, I need to make sure that I have logical places to put all of the stuff I have at school - moving back home in just 5 weeks!

I'm sure that if you haven't started yet, spring cleaning is just around the corner for you. Here are just a few of things that I have taken to doing to make my system just a little less disorganized and stressful:

1. Designate piles! This applies mostly for clothes. Make a pile for items that you plan on definitely keeping, a pile for things that are damaged - yet totally fixable! - that you would definitely like to wear again, a pile for items that you never wear and are ready to part with (give this to a community thrift store) and a last pile for items that are stained or ripped beyond repair that you can just throw away.

2. Commit somethings to storage. Especially for my situation this works. I am moving the remainder of my childhood stuff out to make room for my current possessions (books and movies) At the same time I do not really want to give them away so I am putting them in organized boxes and storing them in the attic. All of my childhood books - A Series of Unfortunate Events was a favorite - are being saved for my own children.

3. Be realistic!  Do you REALLY need this or that? If you have not touched something in a very long time and cannot think of anytime that you will need it again soon, toss it or give it away. Spring is all about starting fresh, so don't save anything that will simply remain clutter.

That being said, I am attacking a bulk of my room tonight - closet, bookcase and desk. Wish me luck!

<3 Ashley

Do you have any tips for major spring cleaning?