It's Time to Spring Clean

It’s time to Spring Clean

March is just a few days shy of being done and we will be well into Spring time.  It’s officially spring but at first it didn’t feel like it.  With the cold days still around it was still feeling like Winter.  Alas, it was very nice to begin to see some very sunny days, a clear sign warmer weather is on it’s way.

And now begins the time when we start to look at our surroundings and know it also means it is time to Spring clean.  In with the new and out with the old.  For some of us, this means cleaning up the yard, getting the remainder of the unraked leaves gone, and preparing the gardens for a new Spring glory.

Don’t you just love getting out in the garden to uncover what has been dormant all winter and now it is developing into a tiny new plant to make a lovely appearance later in the season.  I don’t have a garden now, but had a huge one at my kids house.  Now, it’s technically not mine anymore as my ex’s new live in girlfriend will claim it.  She will have lots of weeds to tend to which I won’t miss.  I will miss my Magnolia trees and my Mom’s lilac trees I grew from the shuts from her big lilac tree. 

But someday, I will get a new place where I can have a garden and I can start fresh without all the extra weeds I accidentally planted in the old garden.  I don’t envy her that, but she will also have a lovely garden that I tended to for years.  Her little girl will also enjoy it.  The only thing I am going to ask my kids to do is to later on cut some of the mint from the garden so I can dry some.

Also with outdoor springtime work comes the trimming of overgrown trees and bushes.  You know the ones that venture towards the sidewalk and cause people to have to walk around them.

That’s the outdoor stuff.  The indoor cleaning is never ending.  There’s the clutter one has to clean up and discard.  This can either be easy or an ordeal.  But you do have to start somewhere.  Pick a room to start with and slowly tackle the different sections. 

Like with clothing, spend a few hours trying on your things.  Whatever doesn’t fit or you haven’t touched in a very long time should probably go into the pile to leave the premises.  It’s easy to hang onto outfits though when you think you may wear it sometime.  But if it’s just being unused toss it.

Look around your house for anything that doesn’t get used, doesn’t serve a purpose and just add it to the pile.  Think though before you get rid of something just in case it can get used at some point, it may be a good idea to hold onto certain things. 

Certain items have sentimental value, you know the tea cups that were passed down from generations and some knick knacks, things that were given to you by special people.

Those things you may not be able to replenish should you get rid of things.

Although nowadays there is Ebay where you can find just about anything under the sun.  And thinking of Ebay and Goodwill, those are two good places to get rid of your unwanted items.  If you just want to get rid of things quickly and don’t care if you don’t get any money for things, Goodwill is an excellent place to bring things.  I have done this many times.

Also, if you want to make some money on your discarded stuff, selling it on Ebay or having a yardsale is a very good option.

No matter what, you will feel very relieved when the house is free of some of the clutter that tends to build up over time.  Each year we buy, collect, find things to add to it.  And our needs change over the years.  What we loved years ago, may not officially be needed now.

We go through phases of what we are doing and some of it just gets left in a corner to take up unwanted space.

Like furniture for instance.  Haven’t we all at one time or another had a piece of furniture we would love to get rid of so we have space for something else?  Yes.  It’s easy to put things on the side of the road in the springtime and most always someone takes it away for you in a heartbeat. 

One person’s trash is another’s gold!  I can hardly wait for yard sale season to begin.  I’m contemplating getting rid of an old wicker chair which has seen better days and looking for someone to toss out some sort of bookshelf so I can put extra dishes on it and recipe books and use the top for photography needs.

Jennifer Jo Fay

Copyrighted March 27, 2013