2022 – The Year of Finding You
Have you ever had those moments where you feel like the camera crew for Hoarders will be knocking on your door at any moment? Okay, okay, maybe my house is not that bad. But as someone who always lived by the mantra, “A place for everything and everything in its place,” chaos gives me some serious anxiety. When I was a working mother of 1, keeping the house in order felt simple. Then we added some more little people to the brood, and the task wasn’t going to be so easy. My husband is an amazing man, and his salary allowed me the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom for eight wonderful years. So even though we now had four children, I was still able to stay on top of housework, spring cleaning, and any clutter that came from four tiny humans.
What Changed?
One thing that I have done a few times in the past and what helped me to kick start this cleaning spree was doing the 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge. It truly is as simple as it sounds. You toss or donate 40 bags of stuff out of your home in 40 days. That doesn’t mean you are restricted to just one bag a day. You may do several bags over the weekend and then take a few days off. I haven’t completed the challenge quite yet, but I have already felt a tremendous weight lifted off my shoulders thanks to this little challenge.
Finding A Routine That Works For Me
This may be the biggest “duh” moment of them all, but I have found that having a scheduled routine for cleaning helps me stay on task more than anything else. Now I’m not saying that the schedule needs to be super strict to where you are blocking off every Saturday morning from 7:00-8:00 am to clean out your refrigerator, but if that works for you, then great! I’m simply saying that I have found my life seems much more settled when I designate specific days for specific tasks. However, some other household chores will most likely need to be done daily… dishes and trash, I’m looking at you. In my experience, this helps to make sure the job gets done and I don’t feel too overwhelmed any day of the week.
Items that Helped Along the Way
I have to admit that another part of the battle is finding ways to keep the clutter at bay. I have found some pretty amazing storage options along the way. When this part of my journey started, I purchased 2 of these shelves for my daughter’s room from Sam’s Club. Amazon also offers this Better Homes & Gardens Cube Organizer if you want to have one delivered right to your front door.
For our smaller bathroom, I ordered one of these organizers to give a little extra space for items that need to be there, but don’t seem to have another home. And the other item that I have found that has made me super happy while I have been cleaning up a storm is this Mr Clean CLEAN FREAK All Purpose Cleaning Mist. You can also find it at some of your local retailers. It cleans messes you wouldn’t expect it to, and it has an amazing scent that isn’t chemically like so many other cleaners.
This is just the beginning of my cleaning and decluttering journey. I am sure we will circle back around to it in a few months. I am still learning things along the way, and that includes learning to let go of things that I don’t need, even if they “spark joy,” as Marie Kondo would tell me to ask myself.
Do you have any tips or tricks that help you with spring cleaning? Are there any cleaning products or storage devices that you absolutely swear by? Drop your thoughts and suggestions in the comments section down below.
