Clearing Out the Clutter: Although spring cleaning can be overwhelming, breaking it down into sections of the house makes it more achievable

It’s that time of the year again: itchy eyes, runny noses and the famous phrase my mom uses as an excuse to deep clean every corner and dust off each aimless knick-knack she’s accumulated — spring cleaning. There’s no better way to welcome the warm weather than settling into a newly-cleaned and refreshed space with no winter coats or thermal socks in sight.

The sunny spring weather is a motivator to finally get organized before the chaos of summer unfolds. In my eyes, the phrase “spring cleaning” should be called “spring decluttering.” It’s not the cleaning that makes your space feel like you just experienced a luxury cleaning service. It’s the minimizing your collection of fuzzy socks that prevents you from having a mental breakdown every time you dare to open your sock drawer.

Getting my daily TikTok fix while walking to marketing class, I came upon a video of a girl participating in the “30 Day Declutter Challenge.” She threw away 30 items on the first day, 29 on the second, 28 on the third and so on until she got to zero. While taking her audience through each day, she talked about how motivation can be hard to find sometimes, but setting the goal of a specific amount of items to get rid of helped her keep going.

Feeling inspired by the video, but wanting to add my own twist, I selected three locations in my house that needed the most TLC — my closet, desk and bathroom. I planned to remove at least 10 things from each spot. 

Queuing up season six episode 20 of “The Vampire Diaries,” I started the process with my not-so-tidy closet, sorting through the treacherous piles of clothes that covered the hardwood floor.

The strategy I used to get rid of pieces in my wardrobe — which I also learned from TikTok — is to look at the item and ask yourself if you’ll reach for it tomorrow. If not, put it in the donation pile and move on.

I’ve accumulated one too many graphic t-shirts that will never see the light of day again, so reaching my 10 item goal was simple. I ended with over 20 clothes and trinkets in my donation pile. 

The harsh reality of my closet is that I rarely wear at least half of the clothes hanging on the racks. I sifted through each section of summer and winter pieces and pulled out anything that I mentally noted I would never reach for in the future — including my iconic sequined Justice skirt and leggings combo I rocked every day of fourth grade.. 

The cleaning and decluttering process was even therapeutic in a way. The more I got rid of unwanted items, the more motivation I got to wipe off shelves, sweep the floor and hang up miscellaneous clothes. Walking into my room after an exhausting day of APUSH and English tests, I noticed it was easier to relax with a tidy space to come home to. 

The next task was to tackle my desk. It appears orderly on the outside, but when diving in, I discovered many loose papers and colored pencils shoved in random drawers. In the decluttering process, I found my dusty hot pink DSI, four iPhone cases, my turquoise iPod Touch and three books I didn’t even realize I owned. 

Though it was hard parting ways with my DSI, I knew it could find a home other than the bottom of my desk drawer. As the donation pile began to grow, I felt like I was getting somewhere with the whole spring cleaning session.

My hardest challenge came last: the nightmare of my bathroom. This is where the mass accumulation of miniature hotel products and 37 nail polishes is thrown into a bottomless pit that never seems to stay organized.

With my “productive” Spotify playlist playing in the background, I took a look under my sink where overflowing containers had once separated cotton swabs, serums, lotions, toothpaste, hair ties and face wash.

It took me an hour to fully go through the decluttering process. I collected well over 10 items to throw away and donate. Though easier than I expected, I’ll admit it was hard at times to finish the strenuous task. I had to take breaks and find motivation, such as an episode of “Friends” or a mystery podcast, to keep going. 

However, the exhaustion was forgotten when a wave of accomplishment washed over me as I finished my final steps, wiping down my counter and sink.

The process of getting rid of non-essential items made getting ready in the morning a smoother process without having to scamble to find my misplaced hair ties. It makes sense: the less you own, the faster and easier it is to keep things organized.

Pulling up to Savers carrying the hefty, about-to-burst trash bag full of donations, I felt a weight lift from my shoulders, literally. I will definitely be back next year, hopefully with a little less weight in the trash bag.