Four Tips from a KC Professional Organizer for Spring Cleaning and Tidying
Spring is the season of rebirth and the reawakening of nature, which makes it a perfect time for us to refresh our homes. By doing so, we can welcome in new activities in the spring. If your home is in order, your daily routines become much more streamlined, and you can enjoy your time outside the home a lot more without having to worry about your house.
Here’s four tips to kickstart your spring cleaning and organizing:
Start with the lowest hanging fruit: off season clothing. I recommend pulling together all of your winter wam weather clothing. Before you pack it up, make sure these are all items that you want to wear next year, and that you would look forward to wearing in the future. If you have holiday attire that you need to launder, make sure it is clean before packing it up.
Commonly overlooked items in my KC organizing client homes that tend to linger include: holiday decor that you didn't use last year, unfinished crafting projects that you will never return to, expired sunscreen that you can replace, outdated electronics (especially those mysterious cords that you never use), partially used toiletries that you don't actually like, expired food in your pantry, and burnt out candles.
I recommend following Marie Kondo's KonMari Method question: Does this item spark joy? If so, keep it. If an item is fully functional but no longer sparks joy for you, donate it so it can find a new life with someone else.
Lastly, to stay organized after decluttering, be sure to create storage systems that work for your brain. For example, keep all of your electronics together in one space so that you know exactly where to find them. I also recommend that clients be more mindful about their shopping habits; mindful consumption can help them reduce future clutter and maintain their home.
Your home doesn't always have to be perfect! Having these systems in place can help you put things back. I hope these four tips help you get started with your spring cleaning and organizing here in Kansas City.
Kim Shiu is a professional organizer and Kansas’s only Certified KonMari™ Consultant. Through her business, Tidy for Good, LLC, she helps busy people in the Kansas City area transition from overwhelmed to organized. Trained directly in the world-renowned methods of Marie Kondo, Kim provides the expert structure needed to create a home that truly "sparks joy." You can work with Kim by getting in touch here.