6 Spring Cleaning Tips From A Professional Organizer To Help Get Your Space In Order ASAP

Be wary of the 'O' word

And no, it's not that 'O' word, it's overwhelmed.

It's very easy to get overwhelmed and stressed out when faced with a messy space, Shaw says. But, it's important to rethink the process to avoid getting into that mindset.

Shaw says it's easy to get so overloaded "that you do nothing," or even "feel like a failure."

To avoid feeling swamped, Shaw stresses that "a house is always in motion. Things come in, things are consumed, things go out. It just keeps moving."

She also asks her clients to keep in mind that organization and cleaning is never really done. "When I say this to people, they go 'Oh, so it's not me. I'm not a failure. I can do this.'"

It's not spring cleaning, it's spring clearing

One of the first things you should do before completing a spring clean, is to not call it a spring clean.

Why? Well, as Shaw says, "The cleaning is the last thing you do and, typically, it's the smallest portion of the task."

The more important part of the process, and the first thing you should do, is declutter and pair down what you have to a manageable level. After that, you organize, and then finally you clean.

"So I like to call is spring clearing and then some spring cleaning," said Shaw.

Listen to your feelings

Some items can have a lot of emotion attached to them, which can make getting rid of it confusing, hard, or even sometimes easier! And Shaw doesn't want you to ignore those emotions.

"My approach is feelings first," said the organizer. "I ask; How does that item make you feel? What does it mean to you? Is it serving a purpose? Is it meeting your vision for your space?"

Once you start to figure out how your emotions are connected to each item, you can start to determine what's worth keeping, stowing away or getting rid of.

"If an item is making you feel mad, sad or bad, it should go!" added Shaw.

Let your space make decisions

If you're a collector of books, music, art, kitchen appliances or whatever, it can be easy to get carried away and realize your collection has outgrown its space.

To avoid this, Shaw recommends letting your space decide how much you keep.

"If you're a book lover and you live in an 800 square foot space," explained Shaw, "determine that one wall is going to be covered in books because you love books. Well, then that one wall is your limit."

"You have to curate your collection," added the organizer, "and every item has to work hard to earn that spot on the shelf."

"Often people want to organize to their stuff and not to their space," said Shaw.

Find a system that works for you

Every single person is different. And one person's organization can be someone else's mess or vice-versa. A huge part of getting your home in order for spring is finding what works for you.

It can be as simple as asking yourself, what do I prefer? Some of the questions Shaw asks are, "Do they prefer things to be visual or hidden away? Do they need things to be sorted? What's their natural tendency?"

"Once you determine that, and set up systems to match their tendency, life becomes easier," added Shaw.

Be the "CEO" of your space

While yes, this could mean being the "Chief Executive Officer" of your space, it actually stands for Curate, Enough & Ongoing.

Shaw reiterates that you should "Curate" the collections and items you have in your home, making every item earn its spot.

With "Enough," it means finding out what is enough for you. "Find what's enough and that sweet spot," said Shaw.

Then with "Ongoing," let your spring cleaning (or clearing) be an ongoing process that evolves and changes throughout your life.

"Everything needs reevaluating all the time," added Shaw.