Spring Housecleaning

The value of this spring ritual may be greater than you know.

The days are getting longer and the returning warmth of the sun tells us that spring is here. Winter’s slumber is behind us and we may be opening our eyes to see that we are

Surrounded by – clutter. Whether it has accumulated over a couple of months or many years, the effects of clutter can have major impacts on our lives and that of our families.

It can affect everything from your mood to your child’s ability to concentrate on homework.

The situation can start innocently enough. Piles of mail thrown on a desk day after day start to pile up. Suddenly the desk is unusable. Baby toys that have long been outgrown find there way to the basement.

Suddenly, the basement is so filled with junk no one wants to go down there anymore. Bags and boxes full of items intended for other places frequently wind up in garages. Suddenly there is so much clutter that the car, can no longer park in its intended spot. Starting to see a trend? Clutter can render your environment ineffective, even uncomfortable.

As a professional interior designer I am amazed how many times I am called to someone’s home because it just “is not working” and they can’t figure out why. They think that re-decorating is the fix but the real culprit is the clutter that is clogging the homes energy and casting a dull luster on everything.

Taming the clutter in our lives can be a daunting task. Many homeowners have no idea where to start and seeing the magnitude of the job can discourage them before they begin. The best suggestion is to start small, with a drawer or closet and expand from there. Even the smallest of possessions must be edited and only those things that you use and really love should stay. A good rule of thumb when looking at smaller items, like clothing and toys is, if you haven’t used it in the past year, it’s time to go. Larger items like china and furniture that you do not intend to use in the next 6 months to a year should go back out into the universe. Put a time limit on each area you are working on. 5 minutes per drawer and 1 hour per closet keeps you moving and focused. Without a time limit one can get distracted and easily fall away from the task at hand.

If you’re having trouble letting go of possessions or keeping focused and motivated, consider hiring a professional organizer. They are able to look at your home and clutter with an impartial eye. It is their job to keep the homeowner on task when removing clutter and implementing easy to use routines to insure that the mountains do not reappear.

Consider that many of the items you remove from your home can be donated and make a difference in someone else’s life. Larger or more valuable items can make their way to consignment shops and you can reap financial gain from their resale.

The fact is, a beautiful, clutter free home does not just happen. It requires a little hard work but once you establish maintenance routines it’s a piece of cake.

Kimberly A. Eastburn - Designer

Copyright 2007 Kimberly A. Eastburn

Baltimore's Top Designers

Kimberly A. Eastburn Interiors

www.kaeinteriors.com

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Back 29.03.2009.