While it may not look like Spring outside, inside many people are starting to feel the familiar urge to de-clutter. Spring cleaning can be daunting, but professional organizer and founder of ‘Simply Helpful,’ Sherrie Le Masurier has a few tricks to keep us from getting overwhelmed.
“Spring is the perfect time to start lightening your load and one of the best ways to start is to get a bin or a bag and see the excess stuff that you can spot right away and start parting with those things,” she said.
She suggests taking it one room at a time and not tackling it all in one day or weekend, and when it comes to deciding what clothes to keep and what to toss?
“The best way to do it is to do the old fashion hanger trick. So take everything out of your closet and what you want to do is reverse your hangers at the beginning of the season. Anything that you do wear and you like and feel good in, put them back the regular way and at the end of the season you’ll know which items of clothing you wear and which you don’t,” she said.
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And it isn’t about just improving your home aesthetic. Le Masurier said once you’ve started to purge un-used items, it can also improve your mental well-being.
“Less to think about, less stress and it just simplifies your life overall,” she added.
La Masurier also has advice for making donations. She said to be mindful about where your items are going and to choose the location that will have the best and biggest local impact. She also suggested clothing swaps with friends or re-purposing clothing when you can.
“A purse, shorts – there are so many uses for things like old jeans,” she said.
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And a tip for not having to go through it all again next Spring?
“Be mindful when you’re shopping and if you do purchase something, get rid of two things in its place.”