Kathy’s Home & Garden Tips – Spring Will Be Here Soon

We’ve had some unusually warm weather here in the Midwest. Of course, I’m Irish, therefore any pleasure will be followed by something horrible. “We will pay for this”. I’ve had a crazy busy two weeks, so my time this weekend has been filled with regular cleaning and errand running. Now is the time to do some preliminary de-cluttering so when spring arrives in full force, we’ll be ready for the heavy-duty stuff.

Now is a good time for general “get rid of junk”. It’s surprising how much stuff we can accumulate during the winter. We tend to push clutter to the side to deal with later. I noticed the other day that I still have Christmas bags sitting in the corner! We also feed the birds in our backyard year-round, so the bags tend to pile up during the winter. I know I can’t be the only one, unless you are super people out there! Plan to work for an hour or less in a room. The plan here is to just get rid of the unnecessary. Pare down as much as possible.

In the kitchen, go through the refrigerator first. Of course, get rid of old and out-of-date stuff. Check those condiments in the door. Some older ones, if not actually out of date, will surely not be as flavorful as when they are fresher. The last quarter bottle of hot sauce will have lost much of its potency. Better to get all fresh, to be ready for the salad and grilling season. Now check your pantries and cupboards. Replace flour that’s more than a year old. Same with baking powder and soda. Check your canned goods also. If you are good at rotating, this shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Hit the freezer next. Things tend to get buried here, so it’s good to go through it every six weeks or so. Always date everything you freeze. If the condition is doubtful, throw it out.

Living room and bedrooms mostly involve clutter removal. It’s a good time to start putting away some winter clothes. Keep a few warm things out, but there are many that can be dry cleaned and stored. Pare down boots, keep just one pair to get you through to spring. Do a quick scan through the closet. Donate anything you haven’t worn in a year. Think you’re going to fit in those skinny jeans again? Probably not before they go out of style anyway. Be brutal! You will feel free and have more closet space to buy clothes that you will wear!

Have a go through the basement. Bundle and recycle all the packing material and boxes that you tossed down there all winter from online purchases. Do a quick sweep around the washer and dryer, getting all those errant dryer sheets. Organize the Christmas decorations. I often just quickly box them up and stack them downstairs. Take an hour to go through them. Keep only what you really use. Some old decorations, though sentimental, are really junk.

Try to hit all the rooms. Even if you are super busy, like I am, you can accomplish enough in the next month to make real spring cleaning a breeze. If you are over 50, like I am, it’s a good idea to start downsizing. You might be a little more brutal in your “de-cluttering”. I’m aiming to get rid of at least a third of our stuff this year. 

KATHY WEAVER-ZECH & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO