For most working professionals, we only have a few weekends to spring clean for Chinese New Year. We need home organisation to be completed quickly and done well for the house to be spick and span for home visits.
Before embarking on your spring-cleaning, get yourself mentally prepared. You’ve already won half the battle by doing this! Do not be overly sentimental or too attached to things unless it is your life-support ventilator.
Here are 3 steps to help you get started:
Step 1: Organise By Category, Not Location
Because sorting by location wastes time and simply increases repetition. Picture walking to the study room 5 times just to put away important bills that you’ve found lying around in all corners of the house! By dividing your belongings into categories. For example, important documents, kitchenware and bathroom necessities, it makes it easier for you to act on the next point: keeping it all together.
Test it: Before you start, make a list of categories based on the items you own, and then rank them according to how urgently they need to be organised.
Step 2: Gather Items Of Similar Nature In One Single Place
Now that you’ve sorted out your categories, gather all of the items from one category in one place. For example, your bakeware might be in different parts of the kitchen – so take all of them out, and lay it on the kitchen counter. By putting the items together, you will be able to take stock of exactly what items you own, and might even be able to save some cash by not repeating purchases!
Test it: Start with a category of items of a small quantity and attempt the categories with the largest quantities of items last so you can build up momentum and get into the groove without tiring yourself out.
Step 3: Keep Only What You Need
An important part of spring-cleaning is throwing away what you don’t need so you can make space for the new. After gathering your items, decide what you really need and what you can live without. A general rule of thumb is that you should get rid of things that you have not used in the past year. This means tossing out those chipped plates, or even dead phone cables that you no longer have any use for.
Test it: Clothes are usually easiest to start with. Ask yourself - have you worn this in the past year? Does it still fit? If the answer to both those questions is no, and your items are in good condition, you could even list them on Carousell instead of throwing them away. A win-win solution for both your pocket and your wardrobe this CNY!
Do remember: home organisation is a process and does require some time! So don’t beat yourself up if you haven’t finished at the end of the day. What matters most is that you’re satisfied with the end state of your home even if it isn’t “perfectly organised,” and that you should feel completely at ease!
This article was written in collaboration with Invisible Spaces and Carousell.
About Invisible Spaces
Invisible Spaces is a student-led social campaign that brings awareness to the real (yet seemingly harmless) issue of clutter in Singaporean homes. Find out more about their cause at www.invisiblespacessg.com or www.facebook.com/invisiblespacessg.
About Carousell
Carousell is a community-driven marketplace and the simplest way to buy and sell with the people around you. Declutter your life, start a business and shop great deals wherever you go. Download the app to get started or visit our website at www.carousell.com.
Quirky Idees, Posh Living, Interdesign, JOW Architects, Linear Space Concepts
