SPRING CLEANING FOR MINIMALISTS

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past year going through my personal belongings and really figuring out how much meaning I place on each of those material possessions. After reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing and watching the film Minimalism: A Documentary on Netflix, it is easy to see how a life with less means a lot less stress. I’ve been applying these concepts and strategies to my surroundings and it really is quite life changing.  Now, with spring finally here and summer just around the corner, I’ve got the itch to do some more spring cleaning and really define what I want objects I want to keep around.

As a mom of a young child, we definitely have a bit of a revolving door in terms of clothing, toys and household things that he requires as he grows. As someone who is both sentimental but also distracted by clutter and mess, it means constantly sorting through our stuff and deciding whether it is to keep, sell or donate to charity.

As a reformed semi-hoarder (hey - I love collecting things!), I especially love how much easier it is to clean my home when there isn’t shelves of tchotchkes to dust or wipe down regularly. We keep out exactly what we need. That being said, I am definitely not 100% minimalist. I still love to have books, art and interesting objects featured throughout my home but I am definitely going for the “less is more” vibe these days.

Since I love to make any experience (even cleaning) fun and beautiful, I was elated to use the new Spring Blossom Pine-Sol Multi-Surface Cleaner when getting down to work. The scent is lovely and actually smells like real flowers – which was a treat since so many household cleaners smell very toxic to me. I love that it cleans and deodorizes at the same time. It is available at grocery and discount retailers all over Canada priced at $4.49 for 1.4L (a little bit goes a LONG way).

Here are some tips that I use to keep myself in check while spring cleaning and decluttering my space.

Only keep objects on your kitchen counters that you reach for often. I used to keep out certain appliances on the counter because I thought I would use them more if I did or that they looked nice. Nope. It is so much easier to quickly wipe down your countertops with Pine-Sol when you don’t have to constantly move things out of the way.

Clean bathrooms often. I’m not saying this because I love cleaning bathrooms – in fact, I hate cleaning them. However, neglecting showers, floors, tile, sinks and toilets only leads to more work down the line. I’d rather to spot maintenance care each week instead of having to spend an entire day scrubbing. Pine-Sol Spring Blossom is great for spot cleaning as you don’t even need to dilute it with water.

Choose quality over quantity. I’m trying to be more intentional about my household purchases; everything new I bring into the house must meet certain quality standards. When I was younger, I often purchased things just because they were less expensive – not because they would last decades or that the materials were all-natural or ethical. I definitely make a conscious choice these days to really research what I’m bringing home before impulse buying.     

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This post is in partnership with Pine-Sol and all words are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep this blog full of fresh content. Follow along online at #YesitsPineSol!

 

Photos by Modern Nest Photography

 

 

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