The clocks have gone forward, the days are getting longer and the weather is starting to warm up, which means the four day Easter Weekend is almost here. Good Friday & Easter Monday (with an exception for Scotland as the Easter Monday is not a legal holiday there) usually heralds the start of the Easter breaks for schools, but with the lockdown remaining in place our choices of activities remain limited. With that in mind, many are choosing to take advantage of the long Easter Weekend and get the house and garden prepped ready for the Summer.
How about starting with a good decluttering? Decluttering is like giving yourself a big favour. Not only will it simplify your home, but it will also lessen your stress because everything is clean, in place and organised. With all that time we are spending at home, wouldn’t it be great if we make an effort to keep our living space clean and clutter-free? If you struggle to find something either because you have too much stuff, lots of unused items or everything is in disarray, perhaps it’s time to give your home a room to breathe.
So instead of sitting at home watching the latest Netflix or Amazon series, how about giving your Easter weekend an interesting twist? Say goodbye to clutter and say hello to a clean and sparkling home. Just follow these tips so you can clean your living space as fast as possible.
Sorting the house
Write a list of all the rooms in your house and guess how much time you need to sort them all out. Some rooms may only take a few minutes while others may take hours. For instance, a small minimalist bedroom will only take around 30 minutes while a large bedroom for kids can take about 2 hours. When writing the list, limit yourself to a maximum of 2 hours per room. This will give you enough time to finish all the rooms on your list in one day (or 2 days if you must) without losing interest or energy.
If you put a limit to the time you spend sorting out each room, you will be able to finish the entire house and make real progress. Although you can spend time reminiscing about each object that you sort, you have to make quick decisions as you’re working on the allotted time.
As soon as you finish your list, finalise your schedule and block out your Easter weekend to accomplish it. If you have a small flat, you can do it all on your own but if you live in a house with your family, it would be best to inform them about your plans. Assign each family member tasks to do. Do not forget to schedule some breaks too. Decluttering is hard work and you don’t want to end up too exhausted to finish everything.
Gather all your decluttering and cleaning supplies. Prepare everything you might need: trash bags, charity bags, empty boxes, cleaning cloths, mop, soapy water, feather duster, etc. To help you keep track of time, use a timer so you will know when it’s time to move to the next room.
If you’ve got too much stuff that you don’t need, collect all of them, send them to charity, offer them on the Facebook Freepages, or sell them. It would be helpful to label your boxes and bags using markers and sticky notes. To add a bit of fun to your endeavour, pop out your favourite tunes on the smartphone.
Decide which items you’ll keep or send away. As you go through every room in your house and pick up items, ask yourself if you will actually use it in the future, if it has a personal value to you, if you are holding on to it for no apparent reason, if it is still usable or beyond repair, or if there is more of it than you can ever use.
For items that you will no longer need, put them all in a box then move on to the next room. If you are really torn between keeping the item or giving it away, put it aside in a corner and decide after you are done decluttering.
As soon as you’re done, check out your discard boxes. Decide which boxes have items to be sold, recycled, discarded or donated. Do not put this off for another weekend as it may end up back in your storage.
Clearing the garden
Decluttering can be hard work but it doesn’t have to be stressful. Since the Easter weekend is upon us, try to clear your schedule and clean out your garden.
Create a plan to declutter your garden. Just like sorting out your home, create a list of all areas in your garden and allot the time that you will spend sorting it out. This is essential so you can tackle everything within the Easter weekend. You can start off by cleaning your home and continuing the decluttering in the garden.
You can start with the usual tasks of cutting and raking the grass, collecting fallen leaves and tidying the patio. Then consider cleaning garden tools, water fixtures, BBQ’s and garden furniture which might have been left out over winter. Next remove unnecessary objects like toys and start checking out your fence panels & decking to see if they need treating or repainting.
By simply giving things a clean and putting them in their right place, you instantly make your outdoor space more attractive and inviting. If you still have time to spare, trim the bushes and prune shrubs. Don’t forget to collect all trimmings in a separate bag so they can be disposed of or recycled properly.
Now that your outdoor space is spic and span, it’s time to proceed with the little construction projects you’ve been putting off. Are your fences rotting? Does your gate need replacement? Do you want to add an outer deck where you can relax after work? Or build a fantastic new gazebo to keep that sun at bay?!
If you are looking for high-quality, sustainable timber products, fencing, plywoods, decking, sleepers and other landscaping or building materials, get in touch with Enterprise Works at 07392 109856 or enterpriseworks2@swindon.gov.uk right away, if you are in the Swindon area we also offer a Home Delivery Service, drop us an email to find out more!
