Follow this 5-step system for Spring cleaning your whole home without feeling overwhelmed by how much there is to declutter!

1. Pick a “box-filling” day:

Pick a “box-filling” day. This is a tip I got from one of Emily Ley’s amazing books that I have held onto for a long time. When we declutter our home, half of the overwhelm comes from trying to figure out where everything belongs. Instead, just grab a box from your recycling collection and go throughout your home. Take your time and add anything to the box that seems out of place, doesn’t bring you joy from a decorative perspective, or looks like it needs to be fixed or cleaned (like polishing silver, for example) before being put back. I would also add to the box anything you don’t like or don’t use. You don’t have to decide if you’re doing to donate it or not just yet, but this way you can think about it later.

2. Tackle the Closet

After your box-filling, I would suggest a deep cull-through of your closet. What do you want to keep? What do you want to donate? I’m pretty ruthless at times when it comes to donating, and I’d encourage you to be focused in this as well! We are naturally hardwired to be more attached to things when we consider giving them away, and we put a higher dollar amount value on them than they are actually worth. If you spent money on a sweater that you never wear, you have already “wasted” the money regardless of whether it sits in your closet for another year or gets donated and used by someone else. Making a big donate pile will likely put you at ease and declutter both your mind and environment!

3. Time to Deep Clean

Next, let’s do the actual Spring cleaning part. This can be on a separate day if you’re trying to break things up. Just put your box of things-that-were-out-of-place somewhere you’ll remember so you can come back to it later.

• I personally like to start with dusting so that I can allow everything to fall on the floor and clean it up later. Take a slightly damp washcloth and dust everything. Don’t skip corners! A thorough spring cleaning will mean you don’t have to do anything this intentional for awhile.  Remember things like baseboards, the tops if picture frames, underneath and behind display items on your shelves, and even lamp shades! For lamp shades specifically, I like to unscrew them and lightly tap them with my hand to allow the dust to shake onto the floor.
• Next, I like to do the bathrooms. I use Branch Basics to spray my mirrors, sinks, showers, tubs, and toilet seats. In a deep clean like this, I’ll even get the handles! I scrub the inside of the toilet bowl with a toilet bowl brush and a little bit of cleaner, and then I’m ready to move onto the floors of the house.
• After I’ve done all the spraying, wiping, dusting, and surface-related cleaning, I grab my vacuum! I get every carpet, under carpets, under furniture (yes, even moving the couch slightly to get beneath it!), and I’ll swap out the floor-vacuum attachment for the smaller nozzle that will help me vacuum corners and hard-to-reach places.
• After a good vacuum, I mop. I like to use this mop from Norwex that only uses water to clean the floors. You can use any mop you have, and if you want to add something other than water I recommend plain vinegar watered way down with water.
• After this step, walk through your house and make sure you didn’t miss anything!

4. Let’s Organize

Finally, let’s organize. Start by unloading our box of misplaced items and sorting them into a “put back” and “Donate” pile. After we have out “put back” pile, we will put items back where they belong throughout the house. Go throughout each room and ask yourself: “Does this bring me peace and joy or is this chaotic and cluttered?” You could even FaceTime a sister or friend to get someone else’s input.

5. Now you can cross “Spring Cleaning” off your list!

Take a deep breath! After this step, you’re all done and hopefully you can breath a nice sigh of relief until next Spring!

If you’re more of a visual-learner, check out my amazing friend Mack and her video walking you through step by step how she does her spring cleaning and seasonal decorating. She’s amazing!