MY TW0 CENTS
MICHEL TESTER
“Spring it Forward, Purge It Out”
Where did the phrase “spring cleaning” get its start? Why do we have this monumental urge to clean out the house in the spring? Why not in the winter when we’re all stuck inside anyway?
In the 19th century, the warmer weather of early spring (but not warm enough for insects to be a problem) allowed people to open their doors and windows to air out their homes of dust and dirt from the previous winter.
I know, for me, I’ve had this ongoing list of “cleanouts” hanging over my head all winter—well, I’ll be honest, some of them have been looming for years. I do great at writing the list. It’s the carrying out of the items on the list that I sometimes struggle with. What to clean out, where to start, and what do I do with it all? Sometimes, the task feels overwhelming, which kicks my “procrastination mode” into full gear.
My husband and I don’t always agree on what to purge. If he had his way, he would get rid of mostly anything that isn’t nailed down, that you can’t sit or lay on, that you’ve had since you were born, that the kids used or played with 25 years ago, that in your mind you definitely “might” use, that your beloved Aunt Sissy gave you on her trip to Peru…well, you get the picture. I’m extremely sentimental. He is not. Now, in my defense, I have certain places where I keep these sentimental items. I don’t like a lot of stuff lying around. Everything in its place, I always say. That being said, my husband has been after me to clean out our crawl space for years now.
We’ve been in our house for over 26 years, so we’ve acquired a lot. Not only from ourselves and our kids but from extended family as well. When my mother passed away in 2018 (she lived right behind us), we had to clean out her house to put it up for sale. It was painfully difficult going through all of her “stuff.” Some of my siblings are not as sentimental as I am, so they had an easier time getting rid of things. Me? I brought a whole bunch of stuff back to my house, which now sits in boxes in the crawl space. I can just hear my mother, looking down, saying, “What are you doing, Michele? Get rid of that stuff!” My father-in-law passed away last March. We had the daunting task of cleaning out the house that he and my mother-in-law had lived in for decades. No easy feat. I don’t like having to decide what something might mean to someone and what should just be donated or thrown away. Again, they weren’t even my parents, and there I was trudging stuff back to my house to store because I just couldn’t “get rid of it” because, in my mind, I thought it meant something to them at one time.
I know many people who have an easy time cleaning out their houses, purging items they no longer use or that don’t serve any purpose or that they think will just sit around taking up space. I know a woman who once told me that she did a total house cleaning and had “thrown away a bunch of baby photos” of her children, stating that “they will probably never even look at them anyway.” I think my jaw hit the ground when she told me that one. Suffice it to say, what is deemed sentimental or cherished to one person might not hold that same value to another person.
I’m working on being better at purging things. It’s a long road. I still have the race car bed that both my sons slept on and the cute little girl furniture that my daughter used. I have kept it all these years for the future grandkids that I may have one day. Although, my husband constantly tells me that they won’t want that “old stuff”—they will buy new stuff. I say, wouldn’t it be cool to tell our grandson that he’s sleeping on the race car bed that his daddy used to sleep on? My husband “respecfully” rolls his eyes and sighs. He knows me well.
Here are a few tips if you’re planning on embarking on some “spring cleaning” and you’re like me and have a hard time deciding on what to get rid of—what is “worth keeping” and what is just “stuff.”
Start Small. Instead of tasking yourself the whole house to clean out at once, choose a smaller area to begin to declutter, like a single drawer or a closet.
Designate a “Keep” Area. Consider creating a designated “keep” area for items you want to hold on to—but don’t make it too big.
Decipher Its Worth To You. Ask yourself why you feel the need to keep everything. Is it for sentimental value, potential future use, or simply a dislike of letting go? Understanding your motivations can help you navigate what to hold on to and what to purge.
Establish Categories. Sort items into categories like “keep,” “donate,” “recycle,” and “maybe.”
Set a Time Limit. Set a specific amount of time for making decisions about each item to prevent the process from becoming too overwhelming.
Create an “Undecided” Box. If you’re unsure about what to do with an item, put it in a designated “undecided” box and revisit it after a set period of time.
In celebrating spring and all that it symbolizes—rebirth, renewal, growth, and new beginnings—what are some things—literal objects or old habits—that you could “clean out” of your life this year? Me? I plan to start cleaning out my crawl space—which will make my husband happy—and go from there. Cleaning out old habits? Well, that’s a whole other ballgame.
But that’s just my two cents.
