Spring Cleaning Tips From U•STORE•IT

Everyone is spending so much more time at home because of COVID-19 and with spring just around the corner, you might be using the opportunity to thoroughly clean and organize your home. At U•STORE•IT, we know a clean and organized home can improve its livability and even put you in a better mood. Here are our top tips for spring cleaning.

1. Be Strategic With Spring Cleaning

The thought of cleaning your house top to bottom might seem daunting, so get yourself organized first. Clear any clutter out of the way and gather all of your cleaning supplies together so you have them at your fingertips as you clean. Use a caddy or basket to carry all of your supplies with you around your house. Also, make a list of all of the tasks you want to accomplish, this will keep you focused and allow you to delegate to family members. Another trick to keep in mind is that it’s more time-efficient to concentrate on one task at a time, and not think of your cleaning routine on a room-by-room basis. For example, vacuuming will probably be on your to-do list, so vacuum the whole house at the same time. If you have two washrooms, clean both on the same day in quick succession. Be strategic and you’ll get your spring cleaning done in no time!

2. Declutter & Organize

Before you can really do a deep clean, you have to declutter and organize your house. A great way to go about this is to go through closets, cupboards, and drawers and think objectively about the items stored there. Have they have been used within the last 3-6 months? If you can’t remember the last time you’ve worn a piece of clothing, played that board game, saw your child play with a toy, or have used a specific tool in the garage, it might be time to let it go or put it into storage. Donate anything useful and gently used to a thrift shop or to an organization that may need the items. In your closets, make use of organizers and hanger holders.

Organizing the Kitchen: Go through all of your cupboards and drawers one by one. You may have excess kitchen utensils, pots, and pans or containers without lids that can be dealt with during your spring clean. Take this time to reconsider where items live to maximize the space and make cooking more efficient. Take the time to reorganize your pantry better with clear containers, hooks, and alligator clips. For more tips on organizing your kitchen, check out this article.

Organizing the Bathroom: One of the most common complaints about bathrooms is that there is never enough counter space. Make more room by using drawer organizers, wall shelving or hanging caddies, and tall narrow cupboards to provide more storage and keep things tidy on a daily basis. For more tips on organizing your bathroom, check out this article.

Organizing the Living Room: It can be difficult to keep this room clean because it is where the entire family relaxes, watches TV, and reads. There may be books, movies, and toys and games galore in the living room. Utilizing nesting tables, coffee or end tables with drawers, vertical shelving, and towers, and even moving play spaces to children’s rooms (if possible) will help keep this common area more organized. For more tips on organizing your living room, check out this article.

Organizing Bedrooms: Your bedroom is where you sleep, so you don’t want it cluttered and disorganized. Organize your closet and dressers with containers and dividers. Use a bench at the foot of the bed that has storage space for blankets and bed linens. Make use of nightstands with drawers. All of these methods will help keep bedrooms tidy. For more tips on organizing bedrooms, check out this article.

The key takeaways:

1. Caddies and containers are your friends when you’re organizing a room.
2. Think vertical shelving to create more space.
3. Find a place for important items to live and put the item away in the same spot consistently.

3. Deep Cleaning

Now that the clutter is out of the way, it’s time to clean and sanitize. Common cleaning tasks such as sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming the floors will likely need to be done. If you have hardwood floors, take some time to polish them up with some specialized floor cleaner. Also, move furniture and make sure you vacuum underneath, move appliances (such as your stove, fridge, washer, and dryer) and clean in these areas that are covered but do collect dirt and grime over months. Think about adding tasks that are done infrequently to your list such as:

• Cleaning the walls.
• Cleaning carpets.
• Cleaning the stove.
• Cleaning windows.
• Organizing and cleaning out the garage.

All of that work will be worth it because it feels awesome to have an organized and clean home! After all of that decluttering, organization, and spring cleaning if you have items you need to put into self-storage, U•STORE•IT has residential units in various sizes to store your belongings. We wish everyone a clean and healthy spring. We have self-storage facilities located in North Edmonton, West Edmonton, South Edmonton, St. Albert, and Red Deer.