Last updated on November 7th, 2023 at 11:02 pm
Learn how to organize your home Spring clean up to refresh your house and welcome in the warmer weather with your twinnies.
I live in the southeast, so the arrival of spring is marked by yellow and green pollen covering everything in sight. Queue allergies and longer days. Spring is here.
With the change of seasons, you may feel a bit overwhelmed. There are winter clothes and shoes everywhere, outdoor toys to pull out, and well…stuff everywhere.
Here are five tips for a Spring clean up to keep you organized all season long:
Pack Up Your Winter Things
Winter coats, boots, hats, and mittens? Say goodbye. If you know you’ll never use them again, sell them to a local consignment shop or donate them so you can get spring raincoats and boots to jump in muddy puddles. If you aren’t sure, put them in an airtight bin and store in the attic, basement, or under the bed during your spring clean-up program.
Those winter pajamas and sweaters? Make room for the next season. The less clutter in your closet, the more Marie Kondo you will feel. And let’s be honest. Our kids wear about the same three outfits each week, so keep it simple and feel the joy of temporarily clean closets.
You can put out bulk items with your typical bulk trash collection that many communities have several times a year for yard waste and that sort of thing. Just make sure you know what are acceptable items for a bulky item. Household hazardous waste and materials often need to be discarded separately. Pull a complete list from your town.
Put Together a To-Go Pack In Your Car
Have you ever wanted to get out of the house and have a spontaneous day at the park, but hate having to pack the layers required for spring? Just do it once and keep it in your car for the whole season. Pack up play toys, extra layers, pull-ups and more and keep them in your trunk. This will make it super easy to have a fun day outside.
Ideas include bubbles, chalk, balls, blankets, and prepackaged snacks. Why make a mess inside when you can roll in the grass instead?
Keep It Simple With Your Spring Clean Up
Sure you can buy toys for everything and keep every Happy Meal toy ever invented, but wouldn’t it be better if you just figured out the 5 things your kids like best and kept those out? Then, you can have creative projects like construction paper, finger paint, and crayons on standby for those creative moments when you’re brave enough to have your kids Picasso your house.
In preparation for moving, our family realized that our kids really just play with the same toys over and over, and while it was nice having an extra dozen toys tucked away, they only occasionally bothered with them. As hard as it was to part with some beloved toys they played with when they were younger, it was time to move on to real kid bikes and say goodbye to the little things in our Spring clean up.
Bins Are Your Best Friend
You know what I love? Ikea. Why? Storage galore. But seriously, when it comes to toys it pays to get creative. I have a bin for puzzles, a bin for games, and so on. If the bin is full that means no more toys or something has to go. Whatever your preference, find an ideal storage solution that works for you in your Spring clean up and stick with it. When you start accumulating more than you can store it’s a clear indicator to start selling things in the mom swap groups.
When in Doubt, Play Outside
You know all those studies about outdoor play? The ones you probably have bookmarked on your internet browser but don’t have time to read? Well, I’m not an expert but I think the general idea is that outdoor play is much more beneficial for a child’s development… and you know what else is great? Outdoor play = less Legos on your floor.
And the thing I love about outdoor toys: they are versatile. Anything can be set up into an obstacle course or be used as a new creative game. One year we set up a sprinkler and pretended that it was a car wash for their Little Tikes cars. Another year we put a slide in the inflatable pool. And my favorite? Letting them finger paint old Amazon boxes and then let them use the hose to wash away the paint. It will give you at least 20 minutes of peace and quiet.
In general, the best way to tackle your Spring cleanup and stay organized is to do more with less. The less toys to put away, the happier you will be. And I have found that turning every day household items into temporary toys goes a long way to fostering creativity and keeping you sane all spring long. Good luck, momma. You got this.
