Ah, spring cleaning.
Fresh blooms and crisp sunshine. Spring is the perfect time of year to declutter your storage space — whether in your home or in a storage unit. You can get the help of a moving and storage company in organizing and decluttering your home and storage for a well-organized and seamless move.
Or, perhaps you’re just looking to reorganize your storage for the sake of a fresh new space. Either way, spring cleaning makes for a tidy, spruced-up space and a revitalized mentality.
Let’s get to work!
Decluttering Your Home
The garage, attic or basement is usually a space cluttered with extra items you no longer need, or disorganized items. Space is needlessly taken up, and it’s difficult to locate particular items you need every once in a while.
Begin your spring cleaning by decluttering and organizing your home. Deep cleans are substantially easier when spaces like the garage, attic or basement are reorganized and cleansed from items you don’t need anymore.
Trust us — as a preliminary step before your deep clean, decluttering your home is worth it!
Considering moving this spring? For over 20 years, we’ve provided customized moving and storage solutions tailored to any budget. Our units come in a variety of sizes and are secured with top-tier security. Check out our About Us page to learn more.
Assemble the Supplies
For decluttering, we recommend the four category method: four plastic or cardboard boxes labelled discard, donate, keep and store. The descriptions below explain each box’s purpose.
Throw Away: This box should consist of items that are broken, no longer work and can’t be donated. Think broken electronics, expired food, overly tattered clothing or linens, old magazines and junk mail. Many of these items can be recycled, shredded or thrown in your curbside trash.
Donate/Consign: Consider which items you can donate. Clothing, linens, appliances, furniture, electronics, kitchenware and media that are still in good, working condition can go to a charity or sold to a consignment store.
Keep: It’s tempting to overfill the keep box. Do your best to only keep items you’re absolutely certain you will use in the near future. Everything else — purge. Typically, if it’s been over a year since you used an item – or you’ve forgotten about it completely – it may be worth donating or discarding it.
Store: Put items in the store box you don’t often use, but you’re not prepared to purge because you’ll use it again in the near future: seasonal clothing, holiday decorations, garage items and memorabilia.
Keeping a pen and paper nearby is also helpful. As you scour through your items and declutter, you may think of other decluttering projects you would like to eventually complete. Jot these ideas down and, once the spring clean is finished, you can tackle these side projects and cross them off as you go. Completing each small task will help fuel your momentum, as will the visual representation of the progress you’re making.
Purge Your Home of Needless Stuff
Once your boxes are assembled, go room-to-room and declutter, organize and clean your home. Take your time: with a project as taxing as spring cleaning your home, it isn’t unusual to get overwhelmed and wrestle with the urge to quit.
Tackle the job over the course of several days. Spring cleaning can be both physically and mentally draining. Tackling several projects each day prevents you from quitting due to exhaustion or boredom. Leave no nook or cranny decluttered: drawers, cupboards, closets and dressers — declutter and clean it all.
Make a Plan for All that Clutter
Once your extra items are divided into the appropriate boxes, deciding their fate is a much easier task than if they weren’t organized in boxes.
While most items in the discard box can be tossed in the recycling or trash, some bigger items, like furniture or appliances, may require a dumpster or local landfill. Hazardous waste, like batteries, paint and motor oil, may need to be discarded separately.
Items in the donation box, like electronics, appliances and clothes still in good condition, can be sold in a yard sale or online for some extra cash. Consider Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. Local donation centers are always looking for clothing and general household items.
As for the items in the store box, Air1 Moving and Storage provides custom storage solutions for Local, Long Distance and International movers. Our units are climate-controlled for special items you want to ensure will remain in good condition over time.
Decluttering Your Storage Unit
Relocating your box full of storage items to a facility will help make more space at home. Storage facilities are also helpful if you’re planning amidst a move and working with temporary limited space, or downsizing and need a second closet to store some items.
But while it’s tempting to stack up your boxes in the unit and consider it a job done, spring cleaning is about maintaining a tidy and clean storage space, too.
Maximize the space in the storage unit and ensure your belongings remain in mint condition over time by decluttering and cleaning your storage unit. Here’s how.
- Survey Your Belongings: Spring cleaning isn’t just about decluttering and cleaning. It’s also an opportunity to reopen your boxes and bags and check on your items: if they’re stored properly and if any damage is occurring. If damage has occurred, you can take action by storing it in a sturdier box or layering it with covers.
- Wipe Up Dust and Dirt: We recommend microfiber towels to wipe up dust and dirt that have settled onto your items over time. For the ground, a broom and dustpan is best. Us a vacuum for the walls and ceilings if necessary.
- Rotate Items: When items are situated in one position for an extended period of time, like tires, rugs, linens and clothing, they may develop creases or flat spots. Rotate or shift these items to help prevent them from losing their shape over time.
- Declutter the Unit: Over time, your thoughts and feelings towards stored items can change. Identify any items you no longer need and divide them up between a discard and donate box. Purging your storage unit creates more space for items that, down the road, you’ll want to add to the storage.
Moving Doesn’t Have to Be Exhausting – Call Air 1 Moving
We won’t deny spring cleaning is a ton of work. Taking advantage of these tips and cleaning well before leaving or moving will help make your move stress-free.
For information on how Air 1 Moving and Storage can help you with your long distance move, call us at (866) 552-2916. Our lines are open 24/7 to ensure you can speak with one of our professionals as soon as possible. You can also fill in our form, or email us at [email protected].
