Spring is in the Air! It’s Time to Clean and Organize to Lift Your Spirits

Spring puts a bounce in our step. With warmer days on the horizon and more sunny hours to work with, it is time to start clearing away winter and getting our houses ready for spring and summer.

Let’s shed the winter blahs, let’s put away the snow boots, hats, mittens and scarves. It’s almost time for flip flops, t-shirts and shorts!

I spent a good portion of this past weekend cleaning out closets, deep cleaning bedrooms and letting more light in. When I was done, I felt like I lost 10 pounds! Not because of the exertion but because I removed things from our space that no longer serve our family.

It is such a great feeling when closets and dresser drawers are clean and organized with clothes for the upcoming season that actually fit. No longer do we have to dig through piles of clothes we never wear to find what we want. The giant bags filled with items we don’t want or need will be sold, donated or thrown out.

After I was done I felt so great I said to myself I’m never going to let clutter get in my way again! (hahaha!)

Even though I despise clutter, it creeps up on me and according to these fascinating stats, I am not alone:

• 80 percent of what we own we never use.   National Association of Professional Organizers
  
• The average American spends 55 minutes a day (12 days a year) looking for things they own but can’t find.  Newsweek
  
• Getting rid of clutter would eliminate 40% of the housework in the average home. National Soap & Detergent Association
  
• 80% of the papers we file, we never refer to again. The Small Business Administration
  
• We wear 20% of the clothes we own 80% of the time. The rest hangs there, just in case. National Association of Professional Organizers
  
• 25% of homeowners polled with two-car garages, fill it with so much stuff, they can’t park even 1 car inside and 32% fit 1, but not 2 cars inside. U.S. Department of Energy
  
• Multi-tasking decreases productivity by 20-40% more than those who focus on one project at a time.  The time lost switching among tasks increases the complexity of those tasks. University of Michigan
• 31% of customers surveyed reported they were more satisfied after cleaning out their closets than they were after sex. IKEA 
  

So what’s a person to do? We tell ourselves we are too busy, we just don’t have enough time to continually clean and keep things organized. Or, it’s just too overwhelming or I might need that.

When we hear ourselves making these excuses we need to ask ourselves if they are really true. Is it absolutely true?

If it is true that you really are too busy or it just seems too overwhelming, then consider hiring a service to help. Cleaning, organizing and junk removal services are everywhere.

Clearing the clutter, cleaning the dust, and letting the light shine in truly transformed and lifted my spirits. I felt energized and rejuvenated. My house smelled clean and fresh. Now I just need the weather to really warm up so I can open the windows.

Oh, and there is still the matter of the rest of the house. No one said this was a quick and painless process!

If you have any tips to share to help stay organized and clutter free, please do!! Or if you want to feel like you've lost 10 lbs without dieting then hop to it!