An annual event for our interiors, the big spring cleaning is an opportunity to sort through all the rooms in the house but also to make each space neater and more functional. This great tidying marathon, sometimes dreaded, is a necessary step to say goodbye to the excess accumulated over time. Ready to clean up your home?
Tip number 1: sort and declutter
We throw away, we give, we keep. Anyone who has read The Magic of Tidying Up (or watched the series The Art of Tidying Up on Netflix) by Marie Kondo already knows the rule. When we embark on a major sorting of the house, it is necessary to set up three piles: objects which no longer have any use or are too damaged that we throw away, things which we ourselves do not have no longer need that we give, and finally those that still serve us or that we love, that we keep.
Sorting and decluttering the house not only allows you to see things more clearly, but also makes everyday life easier. What a satisfaction to no longer see the cupboards overflowing, and to easily find your things! In addition, a real virtuous circle sets in: the tidier and easier our interior is to clean, the easier it is to keep it that way.
To motivate yourself, there are three ways: listen to a podcast or music, give yourself time so as not to feel overwhelmed by the task, watch #taptoclean videos on social networks.
Tip number 2: get started with Indoor Ecology® by Marie Queru
Sorting often makes you want to reduce your consumption. And it is precisely towards this more minimalist way of life that Marie Queru from the site L'ARRANGEUSE takes us. Its concept of Interior Ecology® suggests lightening spaces to free minds. By changing the way we look at objects, this protocol transforms and simplifies everyday life over time. Want to align environment and well-being? We invite you to follow Marie on social networks and to obtain without delay her book Interior Ecology, living less with better, published by Eyrolles .
Tip number 3: order objects by categories
If you are tired of chasing things, your storage system is not effective. The trick to putting in place to have everything within reach is simple: order objects by category.
In the kitchen, for example, all utensils must be placed in the same drawer. The glasses in the same cupboard, and the airtight boxes with lids in another. In the living room, we define a basket for all the cables of electronic devices, another for the batteries and finally a last one for the magazines. No more pens lying around the house thanks to the adoption of a pencil holder on the desk. A large box in the cupboard, and your craft accessories can be easily organized.
By doing this, you will see the change very quickly! When everything has a well-defined place, tidying up becomes child's play.
Tip number 4: adopt practical furniture and accessories
To stay tidy all year round, it is essential to be well equipped in every room of the house. Baskets, crates, drawer organizers, boxes, storage compartments, fabric wall storage, space-saving covers... There are a thousand and one accessories to help you make even the smallest space in your interior practical.
Furniture also has its role to play. Prefer drawers to cupboards, which are easier to store. It must also meet your expectations in terms of storage. Aesthetics are important, but if the piece of furniture is not practical where you want to install it, it is better to turn to another model. Make everyday life easier, you will thank yourself every day!
Tip number 5: tackle the corners
Certain parts of the house are largely forgotten in daily cleaning. Hardly accessible or hidden, the big spring cleaning is the ideal opportunity to tackle it. Starting with light fixtures and bulbs (the latter, when clean, produce up to 20% additional lighting). Once the stepladder is assembled, take the opportunity to dust the furniture tops as well as the moldings if you have them.
With the help of another person, move large pieces of furniture (wardrobes, beds, sideboards, bookcases) to vacuum up the dust lodged underneath. Doors and window frames also take advantage of this moment to be cleaned (the curtains also go through the machine during this step). Finally, think about switches and power strips, which are handled a lot, and on which bacteria and dust accumulate.
Tip number 6: use clean cleaning products
We don't say it enough, but the family of cleaning products is one of the only ones to date that does not require the details of its compositions to be written on its labels. It is therefore difficult to know what the products that accumulate in our cupboards are made of. Questionable ingredients, sometimes even dangerous, bad for our health and for the planet... what if we said STOP?
Multi-surface cleaner, for windows or even for toilets, there are today many committed brands offering effective eco-responsible formulas, developed with natural products, such as Kinfill, Everdrop, L'Alchimiste, Hosane or even Atmo Home . Some even package them in containers made from recycled and/or refillable materials.
Without forgetting grandmother's recipes that are easy to make at home with just a few ingredients: white vinegar, baking soda, soda crystals, black or even white Meudon soap.
© Kinfill
Tip number 7: focus on beautiful household accessories
What if we also valued well-made, aesthetic and durable equipment for cleaning? Brooms, dusters, dustpans and brushes are getting a new lease of life from a few brands like Andrée Jardin , which are bringing the brushwork of yesteryear up to date. The hemp Tawashi replaces the classic sponge, while the disposable paper towel and loofah cloths replace their disposable version. Pretty bottles labeled by you take over from the plastic bottles purchased in supermarkets. In short, beautiful accessories also make you want to clean!
Tip number 8: create a task schedule
Nothing worse than becoming demotivated along the way! While some prefer to leave these tasks behind once and for all and dedicate an entire weekend to this big tidying up, others prefer step-by-step. To stick to it, there's nothing like a daily schedule mentioning the task(s) of the day and the time that will be devoted to them: Day 1, wash the curtains. Day 2, clean and organize the bathroom drawers and shelves. Day 3, strip the oven. Establish your list of missions so as not to lose track.
Note that there are even 30-day challenges to follow social networks to motivate yourself together!
