This is a sponsored guest post from Evelyn Long of Renovated Magazine. Interested in having your post appear on Imagine it Done's blog? Apply here.
Melting snow, chirping birds, blooming flowers, rising temperatures and migrating geese can only mean one thing — it’s time for spring cleaning. But why stop at wiping down baseboards and shampooing your upholstery?
Spring clean well with these 10 organization tips.
1. Arrange Your Garden Tools
A well-kept outdoor space enhances your home’s curb appeal and creates a welcoming environment. In the United States, around 95.8 million households tended to a lawn or garden in 2020. If you’re a horticulture hobbyist, you should toss your expired seed packets, dump old dirt and rearrange your gardening tools. A pegboard or magnetic hangers can help.
2. Put Away Your Winter Decor
There’s no shame in keeping holiday decor up past January, but as warm weather approaches, it’s time to move on. Take time to remove any winter decor that lingers inside and outside of your home. While gutters are a popular spot for holiday lights, removal can be time-consuming. It’s better to start before the temperature hits triple digits. Your gutters are likely full of debris, so you need to go up there to clear them out anyway. Getting the ladder out is no fun, but you’ll thank yourself the first time it rains.
3. Set up a Wet-Weather Station
Your mudroom is about to live up to its name — those spring showers don’t mess around. You’ll need a rubber shoe mat, coat hooks and an umbrella stand. If you have young kids, a hamper is excellent for holding muddy clothes. On top of stopping your family from tracking mud and rainwater through your house, these additions organize your entryway.
4. Swap out Your Coffee Table Books
You’d be surprised how much of a difference tiny changes can make. Swap out your coffee table books, coasters and candles for spring-themed versions. Use a rolling end table to maximize your space if your coffee table doesn’t have a lift top or drawers.
5. Declutter Your Desk Drawers
You probably own more items than you think. The average household in the U.S. has roughly 300,000 possessions, believe it or not. Decluttering can help you stay organized and free up space. Your home office is an excellent place to start. Shred old documents, remove outdated sticky notes and toss dry pens.
A desk organizer is a convenient solution to messy, overcrowded drawers. If you need to categorize documents, use color-coded binder clips or a hanging magazine rack with labels. You can even get a clamp-on cupholder or headphone holder.
6. Restock Your Medicine Cabinet
While cold and flu season is ending, your medicine cabinet should still stay stocked. Toss expired medications and replace them with sunscreen, aloe vera gel, allergy meds, calamine lotion and bug spray. Depending on where you live, you may also want tweezers to pull off ticks and ear drops to treat swimmer’s ear.
7. Get Your Pantry Spring-Ready
Transitioning from winter means trading root vegetables and soup ingredients for dried berries, salad fixings and fresh herbs. Prepare your pantry for spring by reorganizing. Use clear plastic containers, mesh baskets, airtight glass jars or an over-the-door hanging spice rack.
8. Change Your Comforter and Sheets
As you head into the warmer months, thick comforters, fleece-lined sheets and cotton blankets will become unbearably hot at night. Swap them out for something lighter. Don’t ball up your winter bedding and shove it into a closet. Instead, use jumbo vacuum-sealed bags or an under-bed storage box.
9. Label Your Laundry Containers
The average U.S. household runs over 280 laundry cycles yearly. While that averages out to roughly 5.5 loads of laundry per week, you’ll probably do more in spring if you struggle with seasonal allergies. Since you’ll be in your laundry room so much, you should keep things organized.
You can pour laundry detergent, dryer sheets and scent beads into separate glass containers. Jumbo Mason jars are ideal because they have screw-on lids to keep things airtight. If you don’t already have color-coded hampers to identify what’s dirty and clean, consider getting some.
10. Store Your Winter Clothes
It’s time to replace your winter coats with warm-weather clothes. As with bedding, you can place off-season clothing in vacuum-sealed bags or an under-bed storage box. Alternatively, you can fold them and put them in your bottom dresser drawers. Don’t shove them in the garage or attic, where they may get damaged by pests or high humidity.
Welcome Spring With These Organization Tips
Why stop with spring cleaning? This season is all about new beginnings, so embrace the change. From decluttering your living space to creating functional storage solutions, these tips will help you welcome spring with a clean, organized and inviting home.
Evelyn Long is a recognized expert in organization and decluttering, dedicated to helping individuals create clutter-free homes and minds. She contributes her insights to publications such as the National Association of Realtors and Tidied by K, while also serving as the Editor-in-Chief of Renovated Magazine. Through her work, Evelyn inspires readers to embrace simplicity and efficiency in their everyday lives.