Freshen Up Your Home For Spring!

 

Hey Sugar Pies! It’s that time of year where we get to open up the windows and let the fresh air in! It’s also the perfect time to get started on our Spring Cleaning! For me, it’s all about getting rid of clutter and doing some deeper cleaning than I usually do. I clean room by room. That way my whole house isn’t a disaster all at once. When I finish the first room it gives me great satisfaction and motivation to keep going because for me it’s so invigorating to see my rooms becoming clean, tidy and less cluttered.

A cluttered home creates a nagging to-list in our mind. Everywhere we look we see stuff piled, magazines, papers, laundry, dishes, clothes. It actually drains our energy and peace. There’s actually a link to depression and anxiety for disorganization. But when we make the decision to actually start to purge all that extra stuff and clean our home until it sparkles, it gives us such an irresistible and refreshing feeling! It feels so good!

Less mess = less stress!

Imagine how less complicated our lives would be if everything was in its place, and you could find the things you need when you need them. In this post, I’m going to be sharing a few tips and inspiration.

For your reading pleasure turn on my Farmhouse Radio for some vintage tunes to get you in a chipper mood! Clicking that link will open up a new tab and take you to YouTube. Then just click on the Sugar Pie Farmhouse tab and come on back here!

Before you begin, take an assessment of your rooms, closets, pantry and storage cupboards. Could you use some containers to hold your things to keep them better organized? I find that by purchasing a few organizing cubbies it really inspires me to get started! T.J. Maxx, Walmart, Target are just a few places to find affordable goods to corral your things to make them neat and tidy and easy to find when you’re looking for them. I’ve found some wonderful see-through containers pictured above that I’ve purchased and listed in my Farmhouse Country Store. I love having the clear containers in my fridge which keeps everything tidy. Like Grandma says “A place for everything and everything in its place!”.

Here are a few Spring Cleaning tips to get you started!

1. Pick one room to start in.
2. Have three boxes or bags ready;  Give away, Throw away, Put away somewhere else. 
3. Start with one drawer or cupboard at a time.
4. Take everything out, wipe the surface, clean drawer fronts, doors and knobs then put back only those things you want to keep.
5. I like to start at one end of a room, working clockwise and go around the room from there, from the top down vacuuming or wiping every surface. I like to use a natural cleaner without harmful chemicals (I just ordered Thieves Household Cleaner from Young Living. I’ve heard great things about it so I’m anxious to try it out! Let me know if you’ve tried it!)
6. Put together a cleaning tote with the essentials; spray cleaners, paper towels, a roll of kitchen garbage bags, cotton rags, duster, Magic Eraser, a putty knife for chipping off dried on food etc.,

As you’re cleaning keep a lookout for stained, frayed or torn bath and dish towels. Toss them or repurpose as rags if need be. The same goes for small area rugs that have seen better days. These days there are several choices to replace them at an affordable price. For a small price replacing a few items makes such a difference in the overall feel of your home. My goal is to bring beauty to every area of my home. I also love using cute and farmy containers in my laundry room and other areas in my house. I have a vintage white enamel milk bucket that holds my homemade laundry soap along with an old wood-handled scoop to transfer the laundry powder into my washing machine. It just makes what could be considered a mundane task just a little more pleasant! Such a simple thing brings me great delight! I’m considering getting that Industrial rolling laundry basket, pictured above since my laundry room is on the other side of the house. I like the idea of rolling my laundry back and forth!

Before long your home will be smelling sweet and looking fresh! There’s just something about a well organized and clean home that gives you a sense of relief and peace. Seriously, when I clean out a closet or my pantry I go back in there several times a day just to look at it again and again. It makes me giddy with joy! I guess it doesn’t take much to make me happy! Lol!

Sandra Felton, Home Organization expert says it does wonders for you when you finish cleaning a room to spray some delicious smelling room freshener as a reward for a job well done. I guess it’s sort of like putting a cherry on top of a clean and tidy room! I like that!!

Once everything is neat, clean and tidy I like to find a few new seasonal things like cute pillows to freshen up the look in my rooms and on my sofa. A little bit of farmy goodness goes a long way to making your house feel happy and homey!

I just heard about this book and I’m excited to read it! Declutter Your Way to Success by Terri Savelle Foy. Here’s the description of her book; “If you feel stuck or overwhelmed with the clutter around you, there is hope! With her passion for goals, success stories, and her practical teaching, Terri Savelle Foy shows you how to organize your life. In Declutter Your Way to Success, you will discover the practical and spiritual effects of clutter and what to do about it, including: •The connection between organization and success •How clutter affects more than your home •How to overcome procrastination •The seven habits of excellence Experience the peace and promotion that comes from a clutter-free home, mind, and life.” Sounds like a good read to me!

Well, Sugar Pie! Are you ready to join me in getting our homes in order? Scrubbing and cleaning until our home sparkles? We’re just a little elbow grease away from a clean and cozy home! This was last years photo of my pantry…but uhhhh…it doesn’t look that tidy right now, unfortunately! Lol! But it will look like that very soon! And when it does I know I’ll breathe a deep Ahhhhhhh!

Lastly, I want to give you this sweet, farmy printable that I made to inspire you as you begin your Spring Cleaning! (Just right-click the image, click “Save image as”, save it to your computer then print it out).

You can:

• Frame it
• Clip it to a clipboard
• Stick it on your refrigerator
• Put it on the front of a binder
• Tape it inside your kitchen cupboard
• Send it to a friend!

Keeping our home clean and organized blesses our family and it blesses us! It brings contentment, comfort, and joy.

I hope this encourages you, dear sisters! I’m so proud of you for taking good care of your homes and families! Keep doing the good and honorable work of being Keepers of home (Titus 2:5), for in doing so you will reap a bountiful harvest as the Word of God tells us!

Be sure to visit my

Farmhouse Country Store

for more inspiration!

Here are a few more posts filled with encouragement for sweet, adorable you!

Old Fashioned Goodness Mayberry Style

Spring Fresh Farmhouse Goodness

When God Thinks of You His Heart is Delighted

Call Me Old Fashioned

Have you started your Spring Cleaning?

Do you have any tips to share?

Be sure to say hello!! I love hearing from y’all!

Bless your family…make home sweet!

Aunt Ruthie

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