Spring Cleaning, Minimalist Style

When I lived in Germany, friends would explain in great detail how their families (mostly mothers and daughters) practiced the tradition of spring cleaning. In addition to the usual dusting, vacuuming, and mopping, there was the deep cleaning, especially of cabinets. I’m not talking about kitchen cabinets with all assortment of food and kitchen supplies, though of course they would get a thorough cleaning as well. I’m talking about massive cabinets outside of the kitchen.

Many German homes had huge china cabinets displaying the “good dishes” as well as many ornamental items. There were also extensive entertainment cabinets and shelving, far beyond what I had seen in American homes at the times. All these cabinets would be emptied, the furniture pulled away from the wall, and thoroughly cleaned—front and back, top and bottom. Every single dish and knickknack would be cleaned with great care and then returned it to its place. It made me tired just thinking about it. Perhaps this is how the German term “Frühlingsmüdigkeit” or “spring fatigue” originated (or maybe not).

I, too, had a china cabinet with “good dishes” and other items. At first, it symbolized how far I had come since my struggling single mother days. I truly appreciated it. Until I didn’t. While I never practiced spring cleaning as my German friends had described it, I still had to dust the cabinet. Some of the dishes were behind closed doors, so they didn’t collect dust, but the open shelves and the items on them did. A lot of dust. Have I mentioned that I hate dusting? Just leave it dusty, you say? I have allergies, so that wasn’t an option. Also, I’m a neat freak.

One day I decided that I no longer wanted such a large, heavy piece of furniture in my home. Within a month, I had decluttered some stuff, consolidated other stuff, and called a charity store to pick it up. My dining room felt so much lighter and airier. It felt great not to dust it anymore. Who needs to spring clean when you can declutter instead?

As we ease into warmer weather, think about using the seasonal transition to take a fresh look at your home and life. Go ahead and practice spring cleaning, but do it minimalist style. Here are some suggestions to get you started:

As you begin to put away your cold weather clothes, stop and evaluate whether you want to keep each item. Does it fit? Does it need repairs? Do you still like it? Do you feel good wearing it? If not, declutter!

Go through your pantry, go deep to the very back and examine each box mix, each spice, each can of soup, everything. Check expiration dates. Is the item still good? How long has it been in your pantry? Longer than six months? Did you buy it thinking you’d use it, but turns out you haven’t? Do you really still want it? If not, declutter!

Do the same with the food in your refrigerator. Take a close look at salad dressings and condiments. If it’s lived in the fridge longer than six months, ask yourself if you really like it. If not, declutter!

Go ahead and dust your shelves, bookcases, and entertainment centers, but as you go, think what you could donate or sell. Will you ever watch that movie DVD again? How about all those exercise DVDs? I know, you swore you would start using them after New Year’s, but if you haven’t done it yet, you probably won’t. Get rid of the guilt! Examine you books and music carefully. Do you still love what you have? If not, declutter!

Do you keep paper files for medical bills, car repairs, and more? Every time you go to file something for this year, clean out last year’s paperwork. Better yet, scan this year’s paperwork instead of filing it. Do you really want to keep all those papers? If not, declutter!

The holidays have been over for a while now, so you should have some perspective when looking through all the photos you took. Delete the ones that are duplicates, blurry, unimportant, or make you look fat and ugly. Do you really want photographic evidence of every moment, particularly the bad ones? If not, declutter!

I think you get the idea. Spring cleaning is not a bad practice in itself, but it can be so much easier if you have less to clean and organize. The spring days stay light longer, so wouldn’t it be nice to have a lighter household?