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Top 10 spring-cleaning tasks

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It makes sense that we choose spring to declutter and deep clean our homes. Sunshine and warmer temperatures encourage us to open up the windows and doors and let the fresh air in, while ushering out anything that no longer serves us, including cobwebs, furniture that doesn’t fit and stuff we no longer use.

Getting started can be intimidating, so here’s a look at 10 spring-cleaning tasks that’ll have your home feeling good as new.

Closets

People lose an average of 10 minutes a day choosing what they’re going to wear because of disorganized closets, says organizational whiz Jane Stoller, otherwise known as Organized Jane . Spring cleaning should start here, Stoller says. Be ruthless about what you wear and what clothes fit your lifestyle, and donate or sell those that don’t.

Books

Instead of a choosing a room in your home to sort out, chose a category instead, like books . There are a lot of book fairs going on at this time of the year that welcome donations. For those you want to keep, now is a good time to sort and organize them.

Garage

Our garages often become what our basements or attics used to be: places we shove stuff we don’t want to deal with. Now is the time to get rid of anything you’re not using (donate, sell or throw out) and for items you wish to keep there are some great shelving solutions for garages out there, the key being keep your garage floor empty.

Office

Home offices are are often neglected areas of the home, quickly overrun with old bills, papers and stationery odds and ends. Now is the time to tackle this room. Start with surfaces. Completely clear away anything on your desk or book shelves (apart from your newly organized books) and then go through all your files, folders and drawers, clearing out anything you don’t need to keep.

Kitchen

How many times have you gone to reach for a coffee cup and felt annoyed by where they are? Now is the time to reorganize your kitchen and move things to better suit your daily habits. While you’re at it, wipe out the inside of your cupboards and drawers. Get rid of anything you don’t love, including that cutlery set you inherited that takes up precious room. Chuck out anything in the fridge you can’t see yourself using within the month (and the freezer too) and commit to wiping out the fridge and defrosting the freeze. Take the time to label jars and containers. That will save you plenty of time during the rest of the year.

Storage

If you’re lucky enough to have a storage shed, no matter how small, now is the time to clear it out. An empty storage shed means you’ll have somewhere to put that bike, sporting equipment, car seat or lawn mower.

Bathrooms

Go through all your lotions, potions and medications and get rid of anything that’s out of date or you don’t use. Organize your drawers and cupboards so that the products you use frequently are front and centre and if you want to be really organized, pack an overnight toiletry bag in anticipation of summer getaways.

Dust

Once the house is decluttered and organized, you can tackle cleaning tasks that you never get around to. Start with dusting the tops of closets, door frames, baseboards, that space between the book case and the wall, and anywhere spiders feel at home (such as under lampshades).

Wash windows

There are some great products on the market now that make cleaning windows so much easier (and less toxic) and now is the time to book that window washer for your hard to reach exterior windows.

Systematic

Label three bins: Donate, Sell and Repurpose, and put these in your laundry room or garage to encourage your household to maintain spring-cleaning habits year round, says Organized Jane .

Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2019

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