As Mother Nature renews the Earth each spring, many people around the world do the same to their homes by taking part in the chore of spring cleaning.
You'd be amazed at how you can reenergize yourself with the simple act of cleaning out your garage, pantry, or closets.
To get started right, get organized first, making sure you have all of the tools you'll need.
Cleaners Before cleaning, gather all of the cleaning supplies you will need.
Also, since you'll be cleaning messes like dirt and grease, grab a protective suit to wear as you clean.
Tyvek suits and other recyclable options available will cover your body, protecting you and your clothing from exposure to grime and chemicals.
Many of these suits are reusable, allowing you to get many uses from one protective suit.
It is also useful to fill a bucket with other cleaning supplies like sponges, dust rags, trash bags, scrubbing brushes, protective gloves, and cleaning solutions like carpet cleaner, spot remover, disinfectant spray, and glass cleaner.
Organizational Bins Before starting, get an idea of your storage and organizational needs and then head out to your local store to purchase organizational bins in a number of sizes.
If your storage area has the potential for dampness or excessive dust, select watertight bins.
If your storage area is open and viewable, select bins that are more decorative.
Many low cost bins available will fit your unique needs.
Distinguishing The Trash From The Treasure Now you're ready to jump in and get dirty.
Put on your protective suit and rubber gloves and go to work, focusing in on one area at a time.
Clear out the clutter, moving it to a neutral area like a spare room or an outdoor patio.
As you clear each item, decide if it is trash or a treasure you need to keep.
Put the items you consider to be trash in a pile to sort through later.
When sorting this trash pile, you'll have three piles, a yard sale pile if you'd like to make some cash from your trash, a giveaway pile of items you can donate, and a trash pile for things that just need to be thrown out.
Once you have sorted through everything, placing items in a trash or treasure pile in your neutral area, your storage area should be completely empty.
Clean The Storage Area Before sorting through the treasure items in your neutral area, make sure your storage area is clean.
Now is a great time to dust, vacuum, paint, and wipe down all of your shelves.
Wearing a protective suit and gloves will keep your skin and clothes safe from the paint and cleaning solutions.
Sort And Replace Once your storage area is spotless, sort and organize your things in the neutral area.
Inspect each item you plan to keep, cleaning and sorting into like piles as you go.
Once you have everything in the appropriate pile, place your items in organizational containers.
Place a label on the outside of each container so you know what is inside without having to open it.
Organize all of your bins in your storage area, keeping most used items at a convenient height.
Once you're finished, it feels great to have an organized storage area in your home.
With a little time, a protective suit, storage bins, and some cleaning supplies, spring cleaning can actually become a yearly chore you enjoy.