Spring Cleaning Tips

As the weather swings from wintery cold to pleasant and warm, I gave up on making plans and tackled some spring cleaning.

If I had time to make a list it would go like this:

• Sort kids toys
• Sort clothes
• Clean/de-clutter
• Paint
• Plant a Garden

Fortunately (but not by chance) the kids were on board with sorting out the toys. I have kept their stuff in their room and reminded them why they couldn’t find anything: "You have to pick up your toys!"

My tactic has always been dump everything in a huge pile and sort it all out. We have plenty of containers for everything. It felt great to get it all sorted! Now off to the thrift store with the toys they don’t play with. Sorting clothes is not nearly as fun, but highly necessary this time of year when layers are needed. When it is freezing in the morning but by the afternoon I am really wishing I had those clothes from the summer box!

De-cluttering the house was precipitated by the necessity to file taxes. School papers, bills, notes, receipts, they multiply when I am not looking. I am suspicious of individuals who enter the house with the mail and backpacks! De-cluttering also applies to digital files. Trust me I know it is a pain but if you have ever lost an image or file and had to wait for the computer to search the entire hard drive with no luck… Pictures really are best kept by month and then by event- trust me!

Having the carpet professionally cleaned or fixing up or putting in wood flooring will certainly lifting the winter gloom. Cleaning air filters is always recommended to help with allergies. I have found first hand that painting is totally worth the effort. For painting advice see the home improvement section or check out this article: Bring Color and Inspiration to Your Favorite Rooms. Just remember to pace yourself or be prepared for sore muscles and even less desire to tackle the next room.

Nothing cheers me up more than coming home from work to see an outdoor project completed. Our Real Estate section features articles like Make Spring Cleaning Easier Rent Tools. There was also an excellent article form local master gardener Marlys Bell about yard clean up.

Don’t forget May is a very busy event month, Calaveras has its Relay for Life event on April 24th, Tuolumne has it May 22nd. There is the MotherLode Round-up (video in our video section) the Calaveras County Fair, rummage sales and baby fairs… and a lot more! Despite the late snow, spring is giving way to summer and the farmer’s markets and concerts in the park will return.

I look forward to enjoying the busy summer months with a Spring Cleaned house!