Every spring, people across the world break out the mops, brooms and dusters to give their home the deep cleaning it needs after the long winter. In fact, did you know people have been spring cleaning their homes for centuries? The warmer weather and longer days allowed people to open windows and doors after their homes had been tightly closed for so long, letting out all the stuffy air and thoroughly cleaning every surface.

Along with a meticulous cleaning that includes tasks like scrubbing floors, washing walls and baseboards, laundering bedding and more, another top spring cleaning task today is to get organized. This usually means going through storage spaces like closets, attics and basements and getting rid of some of the clutter taking up precious space in your home.

3 Ways Clutter Causes Stress

Home organization is a very important chore to tackle, especially because clutter actually can have a detrimental effect on your health in the following ways:

1. Overwhelms your mind. When you have a bunch of clutter lying around, it starts to over-stimulate your brain, making it difficult to focus. There’s simply too much to look at and process, which can stress you out, inhibiting your ability to problem-solve and think creatively.
2. Unsettles your emotions. When you feel like there’s far too much to do and you don’t even know where to begin in your home organization projects, you can get restless and anxious. You’ll end up feeling mentally drained, tired and overwhelmed.
3. Limits social activities. Maintaining relationships is key to overall wellness as you age and participating in social activities plays a large role in how close you feel to others. When you’re embarrassed by the clutter in your home, you may not allow friends and family over, which can easily lead to isolation and depression.

Organize Your Home with these Spring Cleaning Tips

Whether it’s your goal to downsize your home in the near future or you’d just like a neat, tidy space to reside in, getting organized by reducing some of the clutter in your life is key to reducing stress and increasing happiness. Use these spring cleaning tips to meet your home organization goals this year:

• Start small. As you start the decluttering process, take it one step at a time and tackle small areas first. For example, go through the junk drawer in the kitchen or the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Once you start sorting through items and getting spaces organized, you’ll be proud of your progress and more motivated to continue.
• Make decisions quickly. Don’t hesitate to make decisions about your belongings. For instance, if there are clothes you no longer wear or don’t fit, put them in a pile to donate. Broken items should get thrown away. If there are some things you simply aren’t ready to part with yet, make sure you have a plan for it, whether you put it neatly back in storage or designate them to family members in the future.
• Finish one project before starting the next. Try not to get distracted while you’re spring cleaning. If you’re going through your coat closet, for example, set items into piles to put away, donate, toss, or sell instead of walking the item elsewhere as you go. This way, you’ll stay focused on the task at hand and will see it through until it’s finished.
• Ask for help. If you feel overwhelmed by all the spring cleaning tasks on your list this year, there’s no shame in reaching out to others for some help. Make the process go more efficiently by assigning everyone an area of your home to spread out the chores.
• Keep it up. Once you have a neat, organized and clutter-free home, make sure to keep it that way for the entire year. Make sure everything is put back in its proper place on a daily basis. You’ll find it much easier to keep your home in good shape by spending just a few minutes every day on organizational tasks.

Enjoy Stress-Free Living at Silver Maples of Chelsea

Enjoy a clutter-and stress-free life at Silver Maples of Chelsea, where we offer both an engaging lifestyle and comfortable senior living housing options.  If you’re just starting to explore options, we encourage you to get to know us from afar by visiting our website; there you can access floor plans, pricing and video tours. Contact us when you’re ready to learn more about our award-winning community and the wide range of housing options we offer older adults in all stages of life.