Say the phrase “spring cleaning,” and you may be greeted with a shudder, a cringe—perhaps even a scowl. Chores rarely summon excitement in any of us. Instead, they often provoke feelings of immense dread (or at least, absolute tedium). But the truth of spring cleaning is that it’s usually more cathartic than it is taxing. It’s an invitation to rejuvenate your space—to take another step toward the fresh, vibrant home you’ve always dreamt of owning. (It’s also a ready-made excuse to stock up on those exceptionally cute home organization products you’ve been eyeing forever.)
Getting started is, of course, the first challenge of spring cleaning. Because things really do get worse before they get better. Once you pull that first thread, you’re inviting your world to unravel. Every bit of disarray—every box haphazardly shoved under a bed, every bauble mindlessly tossed into a drawer, every well-worn piece of clothing you’ve been holding onto for no good reason—will make itself known.
But persevering through this mess is the second—and much more significant—challenge. Because this time, you can’t toss something into an oft-overlooked crevice. Doing so runs counter to your mission. You’ll have to leave things out of place until you’ve designated a home for each and every one of them—even when you can’t stand to bear the mess any longer, and even when you can’t fathom the idea of reorganizing another drawer.
Catharsis isn’t easy to come by. And reaching the paradise that awaits you will demand some amount of motivation, determination, and persistence. So do whatever you can to cling to the stuff that’ll push you to move forward. Stare at the prettiest spring cleaning Instagrams you can find. Remind yourself of the myriad home organization products you want to buy—and reward yourself with them every time you genuinely need them. Spring cleaning may be more about the destination than the journey, but that doesn’t mean the journey can’t be fun.
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Your pantry may be filled to the brim with necessities, snacks, and other fun ingredients, but no mess of stuff is any match for a few thoughtfully chosen bins and baskets. This organizer has used sealed jars for dry goods, baskets for boxes of snacks, and bins for fruits, spices, bottled drinks, and other miscellaneous items.
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Bathroom cabinets are serious sources of clutter, but this Instagram proves you can just as easily turn your musts into crisp, clean decor. Glass jars can be an efficient way to store powdered detergent, cotton swabs, and other little necessities. And rolled-up white towels look good just about anywhere—in a nearby basket or lining one of your shelves.
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Running out of storage space for your plentiful craft supplies? Let the particularly pretty ones double as (organized) decor. Open storage items, like wire racks, bins, and shelves can leave your craft room feeling clean and atmospheric—without forcing you to buy another chest of drawers.
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There are very few space-efficient ways to properly store chef’s knives, and this option comes with the added bonus of being nice to look at.
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Low on bathroom storage? Mount a small shelf set over your toilet, and take advantage of the open storage space by filling it with jars, baskets, and your cutest toiletries.
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It’s hard to make cleaning supplies look good, but this Instagrammer managed it. The key? A ton of carefully labeled, thoughtfully organized plastic bins.
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Make your mud room work for you by filling it with organizer must-haves. Wire bins are great for shoes, hooks are perfect for coats, and woven baskets are excellent for keeping track of all those hats, scarves, and mittens your family uses during the calendar’s coldest months.
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Few of us make full use of the height of the cabinets under our sinks, which is nothing short of inefficient. These mini chests of drawers are a great solution to that problem, allowing us all to maximize the much-needed storage space in our bathrooms.
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No kitchen is complete without a drawer organizer that keeps each piece of flatware in its place. Start there, and then take your spring cleaning game to the next-level by making sure that all your flatware matches—and that all your dish towels match, too.
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This incredibly thoughtful decorator has repurposed the classic woven basket by turning it sideways—an ingenious move that became even more special when they used those sideways baskets to store washcloths and towels in an array of sizes. (Again, great opportunity to make sure all your necessities match.)
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Even if you’ve carefully folded every piece of laundry you own, it’s hard to keep everything in its place in large drawers. Thankfully, little baskets, like these, exist to help us keep our drawers even more organized than they already are.
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Use a bare kitchen wall to your advantage by hanging a couple wire bins meant to store fruit. The result will be one newly cute wall, and one (thankfully!) clean kitchen counter.
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When selecting bins, opt for something uniform and neutral. (Otherwise, your organization efforts may leave your home feeling more cluttered than it did before you cleaned.) These white bins are particularly effective, because they match the towels lining the shelves (as well as the shelves themselves).
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Don’t have space for a bar cart? Try a bar cabinet, instead. It acts as both open and closed storage, so you can leave your wares displayed (or hidden), as you see fit.
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If you want to take your pantry to new levels of organization, put every ingredient you own in some kind of matching jar, container, or bin. (And of course, tuck the prepackaged stuff away in baskets on the bottom shelf.)
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