A few days ago, no doubt spurred on by the (possibly temporary - this being Canada after all!) of slightly above freezing temperatures - I began my spring cleaning for this year. I'd been fortunate, our big cross country move in early 2012, which involved some serious purging of household possessions, thorough organizing once we were in our our new digs, and a clean house to begin with, meant that for the most part, I was spared this hefty job for a while.
Three years to be exact - especially since our yard sale last year really helped with things on the organizing front for 2014. I, humbly, keep a very clean and tidy house no matter the time of the year (an unkempt house - or really any setting actually - genuinely fills me with anxiety and doesn't allow my mind the degree of peace and calm that a well ordered home would), so my spring cleaning is not usually a massive affair, but it is still work for sure.
I learned many years ago not to try and and do it all in one mad rush. That massacres my health and often leaves me unable to get out and enjoy the start of spring (which I definitely want to do). Instead I draw up a list of chores and projects and gradually work my way through them over the course of a few weeks (or however long it takes to get the job done).
While beginning this year's list last week, I was struck by how different some of the tasks on it were from those our foremothers knew. Of course there were the age old things like washing the windows, pruning the rose bushes for the new season, scrubbing the walls and the like, but - in part because I tend to use the term spring cleaning rather liberally to encompass all the organizing tasks I want to get done at home - it also had things like "Scan all store points/member ship cards to Stoard on my iPhone" (Tony introduced me to this app and I absolutely love it – my wallet is so streamlined now), "Create a list to save coupon codes from online sellers" (those save 10, 15, 20%, etc discounts that many sellers offer when you purchase online; this is something I've been meaning to do for years, but it kept slipping my mind until this month), "Upload latest photos from my phone to my computer" (I need to do more often; it has been several months since my last cell phone photo upload), and "Scan all 2014 business paperwork to send to my accountant in order to file taxes".
{Spring cleaning today is a fabulous mix of old and new - much, come to think of it, like vintage blogging itself. We carry forward some decades and even centuries old traditions and marry them with the world that we inhabit today. No matter how modern or old school your approach to cleaning is, there's no better time than spring to roll up your sleeves and restore order to your dwelling after a long winter of indoor hibernation. Image source.}
Times may change, the tasks we need to do may differ, and for more traditional cleaning and organizing, the tools and products (Green Works! Swiffer! Mr. Clean Magic Eraser!) may vary, but the fact remains that late winter/early spring is still a truly fantastic and practical time of the year to set your home, computer, cell phone, car, office, you name it, in order again.
On top of the usual elbow grease tasks and more digitally minded ones of the sort mentioned above, I'll also be tidying up my matchbox sized closest (which is nearly impossible to find anything in if it becomes cluttered), organizing some crafting supplies I've purchased in the last few months, culling old paperwork to shred and recycle those things that are truly no longer needed, rejigging my (very full) bookshelves once again to accommodate about 15 new books I picked up this winter, and checking to see which categories of greetings cards (birthday, anniversary, get well, holidays, etc) I'm currently low on (and then making + buying as needed).
I'm lucky in the sense that in so much as my health can handle it, I love organizing and honestly rarely mind most types of cleaning either. This helps make the task of spring cleaning far more enjoyable for sure, but even if it wasn't my favourite thing, I'm sure I'd still throw myself into with the same kind of gusto. The feeling you get when you know that every last hanger, towel, and photo album is in place and that there isn't a smudge or spec of dirt to be found on any mirror, window, or drinking glass is unparallel in my books.
So before the gloriously sunny weather finally returns and the last thing anyone wants to do is be inside more than they have to, why not join me in taking a 21st century spin on the classic tradition of spring cleaning your home, your phone, your computer - anything you fancy. You'll find the serenity and sense of order that it brings to your life is worth its weight in gold or Bitcoins, depending on how modern you want to get! :)
