Spring cleaning ideas to declutter your mind & home

No cleaning sprays required

The spring equinox recently occurred in the northern hemisphere, which means we can now all officially agree that winter is over. Here on Vancouver Island, it really feels like the calendar is right. The trees are coming back to life, the flowers are blooming, and the temperatures seem to be firmly sticking in the double digits (yayyyy).

I absolutely love spring. Anyone that knows me will affirm I’m 100% a warm weather girl, so the rising temperatures and longer days are bringing me life. Plus, I’m a sucker for all the fresh blooms. Cherry blossom season is the most magical time of the year, and you can’t change my mind.

Then there’s the overall feeling of renewal and optimism. In January we plant the seeds for how we want our year to go, but when the days stop being so damn cold and miserable is when we really feel the energy to put all those dreams and goals into action.

For many of us, some of those include a domestic refresh. Yup, I’m talking about spring cleaning. But not the scrubbing your house down from ceiling to floor type of spring clean — the decluttering kind of spring clean. After all, it’s the perfect time of year to sort through all of your belongings when the temperature is hovering between “so freezing all I want to do is wrap up with a blanket and a hot chocolate on the couch” and “so warm I just want to lounge in the sun all day”. You have just enough energy to sort, but you’re also not too tempted to quit because of external factors.

That’s why for today, I’d like to share a list of things you can — and probably should — put in your donate or toss piles. This isn’t designed to be a guide as much as it is a gentle reminder and confirmation that it is ok to let go of the items you’ve been hesitant about. I think deep down we all know how to declutter, we just let sentimentality or anxiety get the best of us. The ‘what ifs’ start overtaking our minds, and so we hold on to things we don’t need to.

I know it’s hard to part ways with things that have some form of sentimental value or you think you might use in the future, but trust me when I say you’ll be so relieved once they’re no longer taking up unnecessary space in your home or your mind. I’ll be your brutally honest yet helpful friend starting now.

Old cards from people you’re not really close to anymore

Listen, I’m a bit of a softie myself. I’ve hauled cards from loved ones halfway across the world and back again. But those goodbye cards from old workplaces filled with generic good luck messages from co-workers you haven’t spoken to since? Let’s be real, they can go.

Pro tip: If you’re feeling really sentimental and don’t want to permanently lose a kind message, take a photo of the card. I know it’s not quite the same, but it lets you keep the messages without physically keeping them.

Random ass documents

Ah, bureaucracy. The one thing you can’t escape in adult life. I’m also guilty of hanging on to documents just in case — I’ve dealt with enough visa applications to know that governments can demand records of almost anything from your past.

There are definitely some docs that are worth holding onto (anything related to your identity, for example), but things like confirmation letters can probably go. I think.

Miscellaneous packaging

I slightly resent branding designers for being so damn good at their jobs. I’ve held onto packaging materials simply because they’re pretty and I think I might be able to repurpose them somehow, or because I think I might end up reselling the product at some point. But most of the time, the packaging just ends up collecting dust in some random cupboard or drawer. Branding designers, can you do us all a favour and make boring packages that we won’t hesitate to discard?

Old electronics

The bane of my existence, at least when it comes to decluttering. I wish cities made it easier to discard them — maybe have a quarterly or annual electronics pick-up day where they get collected with regular garbage and recycling? I should reach out to my local MP.

I know it’s bad to simply toss electronics because battery juice can leak into the ground and cause damage, so I’ve held on to old batteries, phones, and laptops until I could find easily accessible electronics recycling stations. I don’t drive, and these places are always in the most far-flung industrial estates that are really hard to get to if you don’t have a car. Sometimes I have caved and just tossed my old electronics into the trash because of time crunches (AKA strict move-out dates), but if you can get to a proper electronics recycling/disposal place, make a little day trip of it I guess.

Gifts you secretly never really liked

Unless you’re blessed to come from a family/friend group of exceptional gift givers, chances are you’ve received a gift you didn’t really like. You held onto it out of obligation, but it’s probably never seen the light of day. If it’s been a few years, I’d say it’s safe to give it a better home where it will really be loved. You’ll feel terribly guilty at first, but then you’ll be hit with a wave of relief. Yes, even if your mom gave it to you. And especially yes if it was a Secret Santa gift from a random co-worker.

PS: These are the types of things I’d encourage you to donate rather than just toss. As they say, one person’s trash is another’s treasure.

Clothes/accessories you really don’t think you’ll wear again

Tbh, I don’t agree with the supposed golden rule of wardrobe decluttering: if you haven’t worn it in six months/a year, chances are you won’t wear it again. It feels a bit too black and white for me. Sometimes we go through phases where we’re not really into something one year, then the next we’re obsessed with it. I also think that rule doesn’t take special occasions/formal events into account; I don’t attend a lot of them myself, so I have some pieces that I only get the chance to wear once a year or once every other year. They’re still beneficial to have when those events do arise.

The pieces that actually can go are the ones you really don’t see yourself wearing in the future. Maybe they were impulse purchases, they’re the wrong size, or they ended up being an uncomfortable fit/fabric. If it doesn’t tug at your heartstrings or make you feel good, that’s when it’s time to say goodbye.

Niche gadgets you never really ended up using

That cutesy avocado slicer you only used a few times before you realized it’s not much handier than a regular knife? The back massager that you used for one self-care Sunday and has been sitting in a drawer ever since?

Yes, those are real examples of things I eventually parted ways with. Sometimes we buy things that seem cool, but don’t end up being useful. They’re prime candidates for a spring decluttering. Depending on the quality and value of the item, you may even be able to score a bit of cash by reselling it on Marketplace or a similar platform. Otherwise, these are items that should be donated rather than tossed.

Items you’ve never gotten around to repairing — and probably never will

Let’s face it. Some of us are more crafty and handy than others. My high school sewing classes taught me basic mending skills, so I can do things like stitch up little holes and re-sew buttons onto clothes. Aside from that, I’m really not much of a DIY person … and that’s ok.

I currently have a black satin scrunchie with a totally worn out elastic sitting in a trinket bowl that I’ve been meaning to repair for over a year, but if I’m honest, it goes beyond my skillset and I should probably part ways with it. Maybe join me if you can think of similar items in your home?

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Thanks for reading! I hope you’ve found this post encouraging. Oh, and let me know if I’ve missed anything in the comments 🤭

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