Did you know that spring cleaning begins with winter storage? I know. It’s probably too early for you to start thinking about spring cleaning, and too late to think about winter storage. However, it’s always a great time to think about making your life easier. How you store and organize things this season will make life easier the next season, and that includes spring cleaning.

  1. Clear To Clean

According to the American Cleaning Institute, getting rid of clutter would eliminate 40 percent of housework in the average home! Now decluttering is only a part of organizing, but it’s a big part, and cleaning is only a part of housework, but it’s a big part. So, let’s start by looking at some obvious examples of how decluttering makes cleaning easier.

  • You can’t clean a cluttered floor.
  • You can’t clean a cluttered surface, your number one organizing tool.
  • You can’t clean the windows if you can’t access them.
  • The more clutter you have, the more dust gets trapped.

  1. Circulate Fresh Air

For a great spring clean, you’ll want to open the windows. This lets fresh spring air in to circulate throughout your home, and clears out the musty winter air. Circulation is something that can happen in all seasons in a well-organized home. That’s the focus of my book The Circulation Solution.

To keep your floors, surfaces, and window access clear, the stuff in your home needs a plan for movement in a series of manageable, reliable stages. The most critical areas to keep clear are the work surfaces because they represent the arenas for processing. A launchpad by your door is also essential, so you keep things moving out.

  1. Don’t Use The Floor To Store

When putting seasonal items away, you can store them in a basement, attic or crawlspace. This includes storing outdoor cushions away for the winter and holiday supplies away for the summer. In either case, you’ll make your life easier if you don’t use the floor to store. Wherever possible look to shelving and hanging solutions. When the floor is clear, you not only make it easier to clean, but you give yourself easy access to items in storage.

  1. Showroom Vs. Stockroom

One important concept I talk about in my book that is relevant to seasonal storage is Showroom vs. Stockroom. Getting organized isn’t just about purging what you don’t need. It’s also about prioritizing what you are keeping. In short, you have to deprioritize items in your stockroom spaces (garage, attic, basement) to free up space in your living areas (showroom areas). This includes seasonal storage.

You can fit more into stockroom spaces, but they must never be used for hiding things. Visible, accessible stockroom spaces will make it easier to trust that you can store things more remotely. As a result, you can keep less in the showroom spaces and free-up floors and surfaces. This makes it easier to clean. See the connection?

  1. Out With Dust, Out With Stuff

Spring cleaning is a great time for spring clearing and for donating clothes you didn’t use all season. Circulate the old out so you can circulate the new in. Paper files that you have held onto just in case for a few years can circulate out after April 15, after taxes are settled. Refreshing your home for the spring is a great feeling, but it can be a lot of work. Circulating items in and out of well-organized storage systems will make this season and all seasons easier.

So that’s it for Spring Cleaning, I’d love to hear your thoughts and questions below!