Spring Cleaning: 5 Tips to Organize Your Home

5 Tips to Follow to Get Organized + Favorite Storage Stops

I’ll be honest. Spring cleaning isn’t my favorite. There’s something so wonderful about getting organized as the seasons change, but it can be really daunting. I’m sharing a few tips today to getting over the hump and getting your spring cleaning on.

1. Evaluate and Prioritize.

Go on a walkthrough of your home twice. Carefully take down any trouble areas. Do you have a place to drop off things that are going out the door, like platters your friends down the street forgot to take home? What does your pantry look like? Can you find everything in your fridge easily, or could it be a bit more user-friendly?

Once you have your list, take a few minutes to sit down and prioritize. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all of the projects that might be on there. Take this time to rank those projects by what needs to happen first and what can maybe wait a few days or weeks.

2. De-clutter.

Time to edit! The changing of the seasons is a perfect opportunity to go through your closets. Make three piles: keep, donate, and toss. Play by the 2-3 years rule. If you haven’t worn it in 2-3 years (or seasons), it’s probably time to let it go. Pack it in a Tupperware if it’s an item of value (sentimental or monetary) that needs to move out of your closet, but not out the door.

Rinse and repeat for the fridge, pantry, bar, etc. Those half-open bottles of wine that were forgotten in the holiday party rush definitely need to be tossed at this point.

3. Divide and Conquer.

Tackle each project piece by piece, just as if you were breaking down a project at work or a daily to do list. Take each priority item and break them down into smaller tasks. It will be much more satisfying, and will help you keep up the momentum, if you’re able to cross off more items. It will also help make spring cleaning feel much more manageable.

4. Be practical.

I talked about the need to be practical with my countertop space in my Save vs. Splurge post earlier this week. The same is true when it comes to spring cleaning and staying organized. The key to being organized and staying organized is that it has to work for you and actually make your life easier. Make it work for real life.

A great tip from my mother is to put together baskets of cleaning supplies for each of your bathrooms. I house everything in plastic bins so they’re easy to clean (like these). They also look a bit more presentable even though they’re hidden away under the sink. I can’t tell y’all how helpful this is though. You immediately have everything that you need without having to remember where you put something in another room. It makes everyday cleaning or upkeep in between the housekeeper’s visits a breeze.

We have narrow pantries in our townhouse, so I’ve had to get a little creative when it comes to staying organized there. I picked up several of these clear plastic shoeboxes from The Container Store to store my shoes and a few extra to store baking items. They’re stackable and clear so that you can see the items you need through it. And did I mention they’re under $2.00?

5. Revise, revise, revise.

Keep an open mind after your spring cleaning. If something ends up not working out for your daily life, just change it up. Make little edits here and there to help life’s daily tasks keep moving. Trust me, you’ll always be able to find a place for those rattan baskets you stocked up on. Don’t be afraid to start a project over again. The main thing is: it has to work for you.

A few of my favorite storage stops

Favorite Storage Stops: Closets

I love Target and The Container Store for storage bins, baskets, and other containers. I basically bought out Target’s holiday storage solutions this past Christmas to house all of our decor, wrapping items, and ornaments. I used The Container Store’s Water Hyacinth Storage Bins shown in this post to help organize our linen closet. I really like these copper rattan baskets, too. They also come in this gorgeous black/grey here.

Favorite Storage Stops: Full Baths

I’ve had both of these iron folding storage systems from Container Store and have been so happy with them. We have the narrow one in our master bath now. They are great solutions to add more storage without adding extra clutter to a room. We also have a few baskets and trays from the Crate and Barrel Sedona Grey collection. Towels are a mix of Auberge and Milagro by Matouk. I also love the fluffiness of Pottery Barn towels.