Minima’s guide to spring cleaning

One of RVA’s best professional organizers dishes on how you can make the most of your springtime cleanse.

March 27, 2014; 6:00 AM • by RVANews staff

Kristen Ziegler started Minima to help people pare down their possessions to the bare essentials. With spring here, she wrote these tips on making the most of your spring cleaning.

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Make a plan

Walk through your home or office and create a list of spaces in order of priority. Record your vision (feel) and the desired zones of activity (function) for each space. Refer back to the vision and zones when deciding what stays or goes. See an example here.

Start small

If you’re dreading a big project like the attic or garage, begin
with a junk drawer or other project that can be completed within a couple of hours. The success of the smaller project will give you the motivation to dive into the bigger ones.

Keep things light and fun

Open the windows, play your favorite music, have wine and chocolate (or other choice indulgences) on hand. Be sure to take breaks every hour and reward yourself for progress at the end of the day.

Stay focused on one project at a time

You won’t be able to organize your whole home in a day, so decide what area you feel like working on and stick to it. If you find paperwork while you’re organizing the kitchen, avoid the urge to dive into an immediate filing overhaul (add it to your to do list for later).

Sort like with like, then purge

When you’re cleaning out your closet, it will be much easier to decide which pair(s) of black pants to keep if you see that you have 10 that are similar. Grouping like items together helps you see redundancy and takes some of the stress out of the decision-making process.

Turn unwanted stuff into cash

Craigslist, eBay, or consignment can be a great way to make a few extra bucks while simultaneously clearing out your space. Check out Minima’s resale tips here. Donate the rest to your thrift store or charity of choice.

Kristen Ziegler can be reached via email or at 804.482.1554.

March 27, 2014 6:00 AM 0