Spring is here! The snow is gone, and you are probably now realizing that your home is experiencing some seasonal winter clutter issues. Now is the perfect time to tidy up in anticipation of better weather ahead! Here are four decluttering tips to help you this spring cleaning season.
1. Get Four Bins
Trash. Recycle. Donate. Relocate. Purchase four bins and label each with one of these four words. This is the first and best step to decluttering any space, whether it is your home, office, or garage. Use large-sized bins, and take them with you into every space you decide to declutter during your spring cleaning efforts. Look at every item critically deciding whether it should be kept, should go in the trash, should be recycled, could go to someone who needs it, or simply needs to be put back where it belongs. Force yourself to take these bins into every room with you. You will be surprised just how much decluttering you can do.
When you finish sorting, make sure you follow through and dispose of the items you have decided do not belong in your house. For larger items that are truly worthy of nothing but the garbage bin, an Eco Station is your best bet for proper and convenient disposal. For household items that would be useful to someone else, try a reuse centre, affiliated with the eco stations, so you can make one stop for your donations and garbage! Working appliances or other useful renovation materials can be donated to Habitat for Humanity’s Restore.
2. Break it Into Segments
The four-bin method is fantastic for going room to room and sorting through all your things. Keep from getting overwhelmed by breaking up the decluttering task into manageable segments. Commit to working until one or more bins are full. You will get the satisfaction of feeling like you’ve completed a task with every session. This task can be broken up into different smaller chunks, while still using the bins. You could commit yourself to finishing a room completely, or doing everything in 15 minute time chunks. The system that gives you a sense of satisfaction without making you feel defeated is the right one for you!
3. Look at Things Differently
Recognizing clutter can sometimes be a matter of a change in perspective. From one angle, a room may look clean and tidy, but if you move to another spot, you might just see where everything is getting stuffed away to create that illusion. When spring cleaning, don’t simply walk into a room and assess quickly whether you think it needs cleaning. Instead, look carefully, change your angles, walk the entire room, and find the out-of-place items that can go out of your home or back to their proper place. Being thorough will make your efforts last longer and be far more effective!
While doing a thorough investigation of every room, pay attention to the walls and window frames, especially in your basement. Doing this check can help you quickly identify areas where melting snow might be leaking into your house, and should be done every spring as part of your end of winter routine.
4. Don’t Be Scared of Purchases
Many people recommend that you organize BEFORE you buy new things. The idea is that new things are a reward that will encourage you to finish the task, and under this system you might buy fewer things you don’t actually need before you realize what you already have in your home to begin with. There is truth to this! But sometimes, buying new things first can be good motivation too. Purchasing something you love and then getting rid of the old stuff to make room for it is an excellent strategy for some people, and can make you less sentimental about things that really need to go.
Spring cleaning is an amazing time for decluttering and giving your home an extra bit of attention. Whatever strategy you choose, make sure you set goals and stick to them when cleaning. It will make for a much easier time and leave you with a cleaner, less cluttered home.
Spring Steam Cleaning Services
Now that your decluttering is finished and you are feeling good about your space again, consider steam cleaning as a finishing touch to really make sure your house is clean and ready for a new season! AmSteam offers several services that will really blow out the winter cobwebs and take you into the messy spring season with confidence that you are starting from the highest possible point.
Carpet Cleaning
Nothing beats the feeling of a freshly cleaned carpet underfoot in springtime. AmSteam’s trained professionals with their truck-mounted equipment will have those carpets free of winter grime in no time at all.
Upholstery Cleaning
Spring is a great time to start fresh with clean furniture! In Alberta, winter weather keeps us from spending as much time in the outdoors as we might like. Our furniture bears the brunt of this extra time inside. Our technicians can safely clean most fabrics with our basic steam cleaning service. We do also offer a specialized cleaning process for cotton, white, or fine fabrics that need some extra attention. We can clean couches, chairs, patio cushions, even car upholstery!
Mattress Cleaning
One item that is often overlooked when people thing about spring cleaning is the mattress. While using a good mattress cover and regularly washing your sheets are both excellent everyday strategies to keep dust mites and other contaminants at bay, there is another step you can take to ensure your mattress is dust mite free. AmSteam steam-cleans mattresses! When getting the annual steam-clean of your carpets, remove your bedding and get your mattress done at the same time. Take spring cleaning to the next level. Let AmSteam help you ensure that your bedroom is a dust mite free zone.
Pet Beds and Other Pet Accessories
Yes! We can steam clean your pet’s favourite bed, and their cat tree/scratching post upholstery too. If humans bring extra dirt and debris into the house over the course of a winter season, imagine how much is hiding in your pet’s bed! We can clean all your pet’s upholstered belongings at the same time we do your carpets.
Area Rug Cleaning
The purpose of an area rug at your front door is to provide front line protection against seasonal mud, slush, and other debris getting tracked into the rest of your house. Your rug has done its job for the season, so get it cleaned and ready for the next one! At AmSteam Carpet Cleaning, we offer a full concierge-style area rug cleaning service for our clients in Edmonton and surrounding areas. We will pick it up, clean it at our state of the art facility, and bring it back to you. A freshly cleaned rug will be able to hold more spring dirt, which is a worthwhile investment in the rest of your home and in your sanity!
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