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Spring is here! That means the days are longer,and temperatures warmer. Flowers cautiously poke their heads up through the grass.
If you look out the window at the sunshine and flowers and feel an inexplicable urge to tidy up, you aren’t alone, Bustle shares. Spring brings with it new energy and the desire for a fresh start.
A viral spring cleaning trend makes it easier for people to actualize this aspiration. The hack encourages spring declutterers to get rid of just ten items a day to make spring cleaning less overwhelming and more doable.
An Antidote for Spring Cleaning Stress
Licensed psychotherapist, Laura Nolan, tells Bustle that, “Symbolically, spring cleaning represents a tangible opportunity to release old objects and energy.” However, she adds that it’s not easy to capitalize on this opportunity.
Instead, many cleaners become overwhelmed by piles of clutter or get distracted for hours, knee deep in a closetful of sentimental memorabilia. Nolan explains, “People often get immobilized when it comes to cleaning and downsizing."
To break spring cleaning down into less overwhelming steps, simply set a goal for yourself — get rid of ten items every day. Then, every day, you clean, organize, and declutter until you reach this amount and you are done for the day.
A Viral Decluttering Hack
This hack has gone viral on social media. Content creator @emmamhooper, showcases this trend in a TikTok video that garnered 14,000 likes, where she shows off her cluttered apartment and her ten items of the day, including birthday candles, a coffee mug, and old tea.
@lauramahachek, a content creator with nearly a hundred thousand followers, also tried the decluttering trend. She shares in her video that it’s the, “best way to get rid of junk,” and it, “feels so good to declutter a little bit every day.”
Creator @jazminegarcia commiserates with viewers about the challenges of decluttering, while trying this hack. In her viral video, she shares that she is throwing out the old tech boxes that she kept in case they might be useful “someday.” She explains that, “Holding onto nice boxes is a millennial trait we need to break! Lol.”
The Opportunity Rule
Getting rid of belongings isn’t always easy. The Pioneer woman suggests following The Opportunity Rule.
“Ask yourself: 'Have I had the opportunity to use this in the last six months?’” Katy Wells, a decluttering expert, shares with The Pioneer Woman. “If the opportunity was there and you still didn't reach for it, that's usually a red flag that the item is actually clutter and it may be time to let go.”
Spring allows you to put The Opportunity Rule into action because you can see what went unused all winter season. For example, if you hosted during winter holidays, look at which guest pillowcases and serving dishes you never dug into. Those items can safely be decluttered or given away. "If you hosted all season and never pulled something out, you probably won't next year either," Wells explains.
This also includes holiday decorations. The ones used recently will be at the top of the box, whereas the unneeded lights and decorations are probably packed at the bottom, covered in dust, ready to be rehomed.
The car is another good place to look. "Think ice scrapers from three winters ago, emergency kits that haven't been updated, and random jackets and shoes that migrated to the backseat,” Wells shares. She adds that you can also declutter the stuff at the back of your closet. Look at the winter sweaters and jackets that you never wore all season. It might be time to let them go.
This simple cleaning strategy can remove stress from the annual reset, making it more manageable and satisfying. By getting rid of just ten items a day, you can achieve a cleaner space, a more organized mind, and a fresh start for your home this spring.
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