Washing your home’s windows inside and out, cleaning under appliances and furniture, and giving your kitchen pantry a good scrubbing. These projects are likely part of your spring cleaning to-do list (and probably not your favorite tasks to tackle or even schedule).
At CMFTO, our top tip to prepare your home for a deep cleaning is to start with decluttering. This essential step will not only save you the trouble of organizing unwanted items post-cleaning, it will allow your favorite belongings to shine in your refreshed space. (Another payoff: decluttering makes room for new treasures!)
Decluttering Made Easy™ is our complete, step-by-step guide to dealing with any of your unwanted household items, from china and dishes to wine and furs. Our signature, streamlined process addresses every room in your home and even helps you decide what to keep, sell, gift, donate, or recycle.
Here, we highlight some areas where most of us regularly accumulate clutter.
Clothing & Closets
Clearing out your closets can be a challenging task. “Should I get rid of the dress I wore to my daughter’s wedding?” “Can I really part with that bespoke suit?” “But I used to live in those heels!” While it can be tempting to hang onto certain items for sentimental reasons, or out of fear of having nothing to wear, we find that paring down your closet actually leaves you with more wardrobe choices. After 25 years of providing white-glove editing, organizing, and staging services, it’s something our clients tell us again and again.
Additionally, you can feel good knowing that many of your pieces can be recycled or upcycled.
Basements
Basements are another area that can be daunting, as they often become a catch-all storage space. Before decluttering and organizing your basement, we recommend that you first consider how you want to use it — for example, as a storage space for sports equipment or out-of-season décor or furniture. From there, you can carve out specific areas to keep everything tidy and within reach.
We recently worked with a wonderful client who created plaster artist’s molds for doll heads, which she had stored in her basement. To prepare her for a move, we donated the molds, along with various art supplies, to the Waste Shed in Evanston, a nonprofit dedicated to giving new life to art, craft, and school supplies — a win-win!
A client’s collection of artist’s molds
A “Waste-Shed-In-A-Box,” an example of the nonprofit’s fun, sustainable craft kits
Bonus: Decluttering Makes Room For More Special Finds!
If you need additional motivation to begin the decluttering process, consider that clearing out your space creates a clean canvas for your treasures — and allows you to reimagine your space for a new season.
For spring, we have our eye on these delicate “birdsong” sculptures created by French artist Marie Christophe and sourced by interior stylist Lisa Fontanarosa — such a breath of fresh air!
Sculptures by Marie Christophe, courtesy of Lisa Fontanarosa
We hope this post has provided you with some inspiration to prepare for a good spring cleaning!
Whether you’re preparing for a move or just freshening up your home for a new season, decluttering is an essential step to ensure you’re not spending time cleaning or organizing unwanted items.
As always, the CMFTO team would be more than happy to assist you with any editing and organizing projects you may have. (Yes, we really do love organizing!)