5 Spring-Cleaning Tips From a Home Organization Expert

Ah, spring, the perfect opportunity to let go of the things weighing you down and refresh and reorganize. But for many homeowners, purging the clutter can be tough.
To help you get started on the daunting task of spring-cleaning, I’ve put together some of my all-time favorite tips for getting rid of unnecessary and unwanted items and reorganizing your home so that it’s more manageable and efficient.

1. Declutter first, organize second

Your first step in spring-cleaning should be purging any items you no longer want. Only after that’s done should you tackle the actual organizing. There’s no need to organize things you aren’t planning on keeping.

2. Throw away any broken objects or items with missing pieces

Do you have things sitting around with missing pieces or objects you thought you would get around to fixing? Go ahead and dispose of these items, especially if they’ve been sitting around for more than two weeks.

3.  Ask yourself when you last used it

If you come across something you forgot you had or haven’t used in the last six months, it’s probably not adding a lot of value to your life, and you can likely get rid of it.

4. Let go of the cost

It can be easy to get caught up on how much money you spent on an item, even when you know it’s something you no longer need or want. Don’t consider cost when making your decision on what to keep. You’ve already spent the money on the item, and keeping something you’re not using won’t recover the money you spent.

5. Give everything a home

When thinking about where to put all the things you keep, it’s important that every single item has a home. If everything has its spot, it’s easier to put things away where they belong. The fewer barriers to keeping your house organized, the more likely it’ll stay tidy.

MK Lavallee is an Atlanta-area professional organizer and the CEO and founder of OrderUp Design. In 2021, she received the most votes in My Home Improvement’s Rising Stars of the Home Industry contest and was featured on the May/June cover. Lavallee has a background in social work with special training in understanding and treating hoarding disorder. For more information, visit www.orderupdesign.com.