Organizing 101: Spring Cleaning
‘Tis the season to give your home the clean sweep and get on top of your home organizing.
1 Space to work
Move furnitureto centre of room. Quickly vacuum or sweep. Temporarily relocate loose objects from dresser tops, night tables and any other surfaces to another room.
2 Ceiling, lights
Clean ceiling with soft broom or extendable duster; wipe ceiling light fixtures — turned off and cooled down — with damp rag.
3 Walls
Repair cracks and touch up paint. If ambitious, sponge walls with mild cleaner like Murphy Oil Soap. At very least, use all-purpose cleaner or a little soap, water and elbow grease around light switches and doorknobs to erase visible fingerprints and marks.
4 Windows
Nothing says spring like sparkling-clean windows. For inside and out, use squeegee and sponge, rags for drips and ladder for second storeys and tall windows.
5 Bed
Vacuum or steam-clean mattress, then open windows to let everything air out. Flip mattress before making bed with fresh linens. Add under bed storage.
6 Closet
Switch summer/winter wardrobes and purge unwanted clothes. Instead of doing major closet reorganization, add quick fixes like shelf dividers, extra closet rod, shoe and sweater organizers, pretty baskets and quality hangers.
7 Drawers
Empty and damp-wipe. Consider lining with scented paper like Crabtree & Evelyn’s Lavender Drawer Liners. Organize socks and underwear with drawer organizers.
8 Wood furniture
Dust, then damp-wipe with gentle cleaner like Murphy Oil Soap. Apply polish if desired; use soft cloth and rub in direction of wood grain.
9 Jewellery
Check out jewellery organizers. Neatrix system has different-shape trays that stack and fit in dresser drawers. For everyday pieces, 80-pocket hanging organizer from Renaissance works well — everything is visible and stored separately to avoid tangles.
10 Floor
Steam-clean carpets if possible, or vacuum vigorously.
11 Tabletops
As you reintroduce tabletop objects, dust or damp-wipe thoroughly (don’t forget lampshades). Try creating new vignettes for finishing touch to newly refreshed room.
