Spring Cleaning Blitz

Worst feeling ever: walking into your home after a long day out only to find piles of who-knows-what on the counter, and stacks of clothes spread out on the bed because you just couldn't make up your mind about what oufit to wear before you went out, and a wafting odour that you can't quite place where exactly it's coming from.

I write this knowing that I'm the biggest hypocrite of the topic already. Because last night, I did throw the pile of clothes on the floor, rather than sorting them... and now I'm just not sure what's clean and what needs to get washed. And I don't think I did put that coffee cup directly into the dishwasher this morning... But, it is time for some spring cleaning. And, I do think people can change, and if you're going to change, I think it's best to do things one small step at a time. Sometimes, all it takes a reading a small reminder, like this one, to motivate you to make those small changes. Here are some helpful and quick ways to help make your life a bit quicker, cleaner, and easier:

1. Find an easily accessed drawer to turn into a recharging station. Feed device extension cords into the drawer, and voilà- you've found a home for your phone, iPod, and other devices (and they'll be charged and ready to go!)

2. Recycle glass baby food jars to hold spices, or even small amounts of paint for quick touch up.

3. Take that stack of instruction manuals and file them in a binder with clear plastic sheet protectors.

4. Keep the fridge clean and fresh- rotate your fruits and veggies by putting new ones underneath the old ones in your crisper.

5. Clip important articles and images from magazines, store them in a binder, and recycle the rest.

6. Mount a magnetic kitchen knife holder in your pantry or laundry room- use it to house scissors and commonly used tools.

7. The party's over and you're left with a pile of gift wrap and ribbon!- Recycle the ribbon by using it to wrap electrical and other cords and keep them in order.

8. Take command of bathroom clutter by organzing commonly used toilitries and perfume bottles by displaying them on a vintage tray- practical and appealing.

9. Store takeout menus in a small binder and keep it handy in a kitchen cupboard.

10. After you've painted and neared completion of your latest room renovation, attach a small paint chip and any other pertinent information to the underside of the room's lightswitch plate cover.