When you hear the words “spring cleaning,” do you immediately experience a vivid flashback of your mom dragging you into your room and forcing you to try on all of last summer’s clothes to see what fit? And then spending what felt like hours trying on clothing items that were no longer in style (bike shorts, skorts, oh my!), and begging your mom to buy you new clothes even if you really hadn’t outgrown last year’s?
You are not alone. Thankfully we’re past that awkward phase (hello, bike shorts - ew!), because spring cleaning as an adult is very different (hallelujah!).
As an adult, you have the luxury of pouring yourself a glass of wine while you spring clean, and relishing in the small things that can make it fun and, dare we say, enjoyable. There’s something about crisp, cool, spring air wafting through open windows, replacing the staleness that’s clung to your home through the cold and rain. There’s something about a new, freshly-lit, floral candle replacing the gingerbread or white fir. There’s something about using a new sponge, and looking at your closet with fresh eyes, and cleaning your door knobs. There’s something about cleaning your home because, well, it just feels good to metaphorically start anew. (Hashtag adulthood, yo).
In her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo explores the power of purging, and the sense of freedom that comes when you get rid of all the clutter. Her thoughts on purging can be summed up by this quotation from her book: “I recommend you dispose of anything that does not fall into one of three categories: currently in use, needed for a limited period of time, or must be kept indefinitely.”
Ahh, Marie, you are speaking my language.
So then, why are we hanging on to things that don’t really matter to us? This spring cleaning season, start fresh by keeping only what you need and love, and getting rid of everything else. Here are some ways to clean up different areas of your life and make it fun at the same time!
Your Closet
Even if you were traumatized every spring season when your mom forced you try on all your out-of-date clothes (seriously, bike shorts, what were we thinking?), you have to admit that it felt good to purge items that no longer fit. You can get the same feeling as a an adult. And–bonus!–you’re not being forced by mom to do it.
First step here is to rummage your closet and drawers. If you find items that you are “meh” or just plain don’t fit you, put them in a “give away” pile. Go through everything–your shoes, seasonal items, even your underwear–don’t leave any article of clothing untouched! And side note: Do everyone a favor, and just toss your old underwear. I mean, nobody wants your used undies no matter how little you wore them or what brand name they are.
Want to make it more fun? We suggest a spring cleaning drinking game! Pour yourself a glass of wine (we suggest rose to get you in the spring-y mood) and take a sip when any of these things happen:
Your Make-Up Bag
Next step here is to tackle your makeup bag. Most people don’t ever clean out their cosmetics or toiletries, let alone yearly. But much like food, makeup and brushes have expiration dates. And, um, they need some tender loving care (aka, cleaning). Take time to sort through these items and get rid of what you don’t need. It’s not only a good idea, but it’s good for your health too! Read on.
Your Car
You may have the best intentions when it comes to keeping your car clean, but it still (somehow) becomes a place where receipts and napkins and hair clips become friends, French fries go to shrivel up and die, and coins find some long-term lodging. Now is a great time to take a few minutes and clean out the junk in your trunk.
Your Home
Home is where the heart is. Unfortunately for a lot of people, home is also where their mess is. If you’re one of these people, a once-a-year clean-out is just what you need to separate the clutter from the treasures.
It can be way too overwhelming to try to clean your home out in one day, no matter how big or small your living space is. Living in that fourth-floor walk-up that’s only a couple of hundred square feet? It can feel as big as 2,000 square feet when it comes to cleaning and organizing it. Here's how to have fun with it!
Break your space up into smaller chunks of time and assign each room, or section of room, their chunk of time. Make it even more fun and assign each section a different type of wine (yassss way, rose!). When you start working on a new section of your space, open up a new bottle of wine to sip while you clean. It’s a great way to give yourself an incentive to clean every area of your house – and try new wine, of course!
Your Pantry
While obviously a part of your home, the pantry tends to be the space you look into all the time and yet never really "see." Take the time this spring to go through your pantry shelves and ditch the things you no longer need or use, and toss the food items that have expired.
Celebrate When You’re Done
If you’ve made it through everything, then it’s time to party! But don’t just throw any party, throw a Swap Party. Ask your friends to come and bring clothing or household items that they no longer want or need. (Make sure they know to bring newer stuff. You don’t need those pesky bike shorts popping up again!) You contribute items that you have collected from your spring cleaning adventures. Then you all swap items, giving away things you no longer want and getting some items you need or want in return. Anything left after the party can be donated to charity.
And seriously. A party isn’t really a party without great champagne! Don’t forget the bubbly. Surprise your friends with personalized mini-bottles of champagne with a personal wine label that reads “Swap Shop 2018” on the front. Each of your buds can toast to each other and to all of the great (and free!) new treasures you'll acquire.
Spring Cleaning doesn’t have to be a drag. Do it right - with wine! - and you can end up with a fresh start for your life and for your home.