Spring Cleaning Decluttering Tips {Video}

It's time for spring cleaning! But the very thought of cleaning can be overwhelming to many of us.

Maybe it's because we can't vacuum our floors until we pick up all the clothing on them first. Or perhaps you can't motivate yourself to dust because you know every surface in your home is covered with piles of stuff that you'd have to deal with. It might be that you are afraid to open that closet or cabinet door because you've been stuffing things in there all winter and you're worried it will all fall out.

Tired of all the clutter that's built up over the winter? Want to clear it out so you can free up your time and energy to enjoy the nicer weather and all the fun activities it brings with it?

If any of this sounds familiar, then it's time to declutter! Overwhelmed? I'm sharing tips today to help you get started :)

Day 4: Trash & Recycling {Decluttering From A To Z}

This month I'm hosting the Decluttering From A To Z challenge.  It's a fun way to help you declutter items in your home that you may not have thought of decluttering.

Today we're talking about garbage and recycling.  A lot of clutter in our homes is really garbage or recycling.  It's not stuff we'll use again and it's not in good enough condition to donate or give away.  Before we start decluttering (that's starting tomorrow!!), let's take a minute today and talk about how to deal with the garbage and recycling clutter we'll find this month.

"Rule" Update for the 365 Items in 365 Days Declutter Challenge

I've been SO excited to see all the decluttering happening in our 365 Items in 365 Days Facebook group.  People are sharing before and after pictures, asking questions, giving advice, encouraging each other, and just motivating the heck out of each other!  It's a joy to be part of :)

If you aren't sure what I'm talking about, here's a description of the 365 Items in 365 Days Declutter Challenge!  And if you want to join in, you can find all the posts about the challenge in the 365 in 365 tab at the top of the page, or in the list at the end of the post.  You can join any time!

Several questions have come up about the "Garbage doesn't count" rule.  Actually it wasn't one of the actual rules, but it was in the Q & A section and I didn't leave it very open to interpretation so I guess it kind of was.  Anyway, today I want to address your questions and update that rule.

Garage Clean Out Part 1

For the last few weeks I've been "watching" other people clean out and organize their garages through the pictures they've shared on their blogs.  It inspired me to tackle our garage so I'm joining the Great Garage Clean Out Challenge (a few weeks late but better late than never right?!).  This challenge was designed to be completed over the course of 4 weeks (and 4 blogs) but I'm catching up so I'll do this in 2 blogs.

First of all, let me say that our garage was LONG overdue for a major clean out.  The amount of stuff that gets dumped there or accumulates there makes this an overwhelming area so we keep putting it off.  But no more!  Last weekend my husband and I took on the challenge.  Here's a "before" picture of the whole garage: