There are many ways to declutter and downsizing but you could always use quick spring cleaning tips. Here is a post to help you focus.
Ways to Declutter your Space – Spring Cleaning Tips

- Have the tools you need to get started: Print out these signs. Create areas so you can sort everything. Set up a staging area to donate, recycle, re-home and dispose in the trash.
- Decluttering for 15-20 minutes every day – you will be amazed how much you can do in small increments. Start here with these short videos on my Instagram or TikTok
- Don’t allow items in your house in the first place. When purchasing something, ask yourself “Do I really need this?”
- Use the “one in, one out” rule: If you bring something in, take something out. It’s that easy.
- Keep a bag in your closet to fill with clothing you plan on donating. Adding as you go is easier than tackling an entire closet. Maintenance is a skill to use for ways to declutter.
- Donating, recycling and repurposing are all a part of decluttering. Certain charities (Cerebral Palsy, Diabetes Society and St. Vincent de Paul) will come to your home to pick up items (check with each organization to see what they are currently doing).
- Drop off items that can be donated. Don’t just drop off junk – that goes in the trash.
- Avoid collecting ‘freebies’ (children’s toys in meals, goodie bags from conferences, free giveaways).
- Spend less at the Dollar Store. Many, many items are just things that will go into a landfill.
- Borrow books from the library or get audiobooks – they are now available in most branches.
- Be systematic in decluttering your space: start in one corner and work your way around the room. Don’t pinball all over the place – this creates confusion and you lose focus. Work on one room at a time.
- Don’t be afraid to get the kids involved. Make it a game. Who can put away their toys the fastest? Organizing and decluttering should be fun!
- Give yourself a time limit and a reward! People abandon projects because they are overwhelmed. Give yourself a block of time and then take a break. Reward yourself with a bit of exercise, some water or maybe a piece of chocolate.
- Don’t neglect the garage. A change of seasons means you need to put the shovels or snowblower away and take out the gardening tools and lawnmower.
- Give the car a good cleaning inside snd put. Rinse all the salt snd/or sand from your floor mats. Clean the inside of your windshield.
- Check your dryer vent inside and outside. Clear the lint as much as possible as it can be a fire hazard.
- Check the furnace, hot water tank and any other appliances. Make sure there is no dirt and dust. Check electrical plugs are safe.
- Clean your kitchen oven. Wipe down the toaster oven, mixer, coffee maker and kettle. Clean your fridge.
- Get someone to help you who will encourage and motivate you to keep going – not create conflict. Consider hiring a professional organizer who will help with a game plan, accountability and focused work. They can help you with the vision you have for your space. Having a ‘neutral’ party alongside you can take the stress and emotion out of the job.
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Margarita Ibbott is a travel and lifestyle blogger. She blogs about travel in Canada, the United States and Europe giving practical advice through restaurant, hotel and attraction reviews. She writes for DownshiftingPRO.com and other online media outlets.
What an inventive list. I like organizing but not cleaning, so these tips take a little of the edge off the frustration. Still, being vertically challenged makes it hard declutter and clean things high-up, like the top of the fridge or the ceiling fans. And I’m a big fan of avoiding “pinballing” and working methodically to organize and declutter; it makes it so much easier to transition to another task (when you must) if you’re working section-by-section.
Donation pickups are so useful for decluttering. Just pop your donation on the porch, and never worry about those items again! Thanks for this list, it’s got lots of great ideas.
This is a fun list with variety to choose from. Everybody can find something to hop on. Nice that you provided the printable “zone” signs. They really do help! I keep my “donate bin” in an extra cubby in my mudroom. It is easy to transfer the full bin from the cubby to my car this way. Maybe today I will clean out my fridge. That seems to get dirty/crowded so quickly!
Good tips, Margarita. I love the expression “pinballing”. I can just see someone going from one thing to another bouncing all over the place.