If You’re Indecisive:

Decluttering isn’t always as easy as splitting all your belongings into a “keep” and “throw away” pile. You may find yourself holding on to items that have well outlived their usefulness, or maybe you’re plagued with decision fatigue — the paralyzing feeling when faced with the prospect of having to make a hard decision. Whatever the case may be, the KonMari Method may be the key to easing the stress of decluttering. 

Created by the world-famous cleaning consultant, Marie Kondo, one of the core tenets of this method is to be mindful about the items that take up space in your home. Kondo encourages individuals to ask themselves, “Does this item spark joy?”, a famous phrase that’s now become the hallmark of the KonMari method. Almost as a form of meditation, Kondo asks us to sit and ruminate with the items to determine whether or not they bring us value in our day-to-day lives. The goal is to shift the focus away from discarding, and towards cultivating a collection of items that truly speak to your heart.   

If You’re Easily Overwhelmed:

If your home is long overdue for a deep clean, but you’ve been avoiding the task like the plague, it may be time to start rethinking your approach. Instead of tackling the mountain of chores it takes to keep your home in tip-top shape all at once, start utilizing the FlyLady Method to break everything up into digestible chunks.

Cleaning shouldn’t be a rushed and stressful process, which is why FlyLady implements an incremental approach, by restricting the amount you clean to a mere 15 minutes per day. You first begin by separating your home into “zones” (high traffic areas), and tackling one zone each week. This way, you’re much more likely to maintain these areas you’ve cleaned over time, forever avoiding a giant and unmanageable mess. 

If You Never Have Enough Time:

It seems like there are never enough hours in the day to do the things we want to do, let alone the things we don’t want to do (but have to anyway). But who says you need to tackle the cleaning mountain all at once? The 20/10 Rule allows you to work at your own pace, avoiding the dreaded feeling of burnout that tends to plague even the best of us.   

Start by segmenting your chores into 20-minute tasks, with 10-minute breaks in between each one. You’ll be surprised at the amount you can get done in as little as 20 minutes, even if you don’t complete the task at hand. The goal is to strike a balance between the things you have to do and the things you want to do in order to make meaningful progress. 

Having trouble keeping your home clean? We’ve found the ultimate key to a tidy home, plus explore our tips for organizing your fridge like a pro.

1. Shift Your Perspective

New Year’s resolutions can be a great way to map out your goals, but they can also be incredibly stressful. While they give you something tangible to work towards, there may be obstacles that derail your progress. Shift your perspective away from grand resolutions, to smaller, more intentional goals. For example, one of the most common resolutions is to eat healthier, but that alone is vague and decreases your overall likelihood of success. Instead, try being more specific, like allocating time at the end of each week to plan healthy meals. This is much more detailed, leaving you with a strong plan of action.

2. Take Time to Reflect

It can be easy to overlook your achievements, especially if this past year has been challenging. Take some time to look back at the moments you felt really good about yourself, or your accomplishments. This new year, celebrate all that you have accomplished, and all you can achieve in the months ahead. Ask yourself questions like ‘what are you most proud of?’ and ‘what obstacles were you able to overcome?’ as thought starters. Write it all down and honour all of your wins this year, no matter how small.

3. Declutter Your Space and Mind

A messy and cluttered space is hardly ever conducive to productivity, so this year, why not make an effort to clean your space? Take note of what can be donated, and what can be tossed in the bin. Letting go of the extra stuff you own will help to freshen up your space and leave you feeling lighter. Remember to set time aside to organize and declutter your mind. Accomplishing any goal, big or small, requires focus and determination — something a cluttered mind will not allow. Focusing on one task at a time, limiting time spent on social media, and practicing meditation are all habits you can adopt to free up some mental space.

4. Put a Plan in Place

Now that you have your goals in mind, it’s important to create a plan of action in order to stay on track. Break down your goals into little steps, and schedule them out. Whether it’s the calendar app on your phone, an agenda, or the classic pen and paper — writing out your action plan will keep you accountable. While hard work and determination are the key to accomplishing any goal, don’t forget to include some down time for yourself as well. New goals are exciting, but it’s also important to take time to pause, rest, and relax throughout the year as well.

Interested in reading about some other tips and tricks that can help you avoid burnout in the new year? Check out the little changes you can make to improve the health of you and your space.

1. Live Better with Less: How to Adopt a Minimalist Lifestyle

We can all relate to that initial feeling after we’ve just completed a home cleaning — our minds are at ease, the weight on our shoulders has lifted and our bodies are so relaxed that we could practically fall asleep. In these moments, all we want is the moment to last forever — for our homes to remain in their clean and tidy state. Luckily, there is a solution and it starts with consuming less.

We’re all guilty of buying into the fads that we see online or being influenced by the commercials that are televised, but the moment that we stop adding unnecessary items into our home, we will find a purpose and a home for the belongings that we already have. Use your spring cleaning session to purge what no longer provides value to you or your home.

To help you on your journey towards a minimalist lifestyle, channel Marie Kondo’s organization skills, reference Cait Flanders best-selling novel The Year of Less or leave it to apps like Cladwell to simplify your life for you. Read more about our 10 golden rules for embracing a minimalist lifestyle below.

2. Declutter Your Closet for Good

Home closets always need a bit more love and care when it comes time for spring cleaning. Often out of sight from the common areas of our home, it’s easy for closets to become a dumping ground to house our personal belongings. More likely than not, if you’ve been scouring your home for an item, it’s sitting in the back of your closet. All this to say that we probably store more in our closets than what’s necessary.

Combining the professional opinions of experts Courtney Carver and Marie Kondo, award-winning author of The Life-Changing Magic of Cleaning Up, we’ve put together a guide to declutter your closet for good. We’ve got tips and tricks to keep you organized throughout the entire process — everything from The Home Edit’s labels to The Folding Lady’s demonstrations on how to keep items organized. Take a deeper dive into the three-step decluttering process below.

3. How to Style Your Open Shelving Like a Pro

Open shelving has become a very popular décor feature amongst homeowners, especially in the common areas of their homes — it’s simple, stylish and cost-effective. Although, we know all too well how easy it is to get into a rut and to lose all sense of organization in your home and more specifically, on shelving too. There’s no better time than spring cleaning to dust off your books and belongings and play with new styles to display your most prized possessions. Designers Andrew Pike and Courtney Rogers explain the best ways to utilize and style your open shelving to have your common areas looking like new. View the entire breakdown with their seven tips and tricks below.

4. The Best Double-Duty Pieces for Your Home

If you’re donating or throwing away personal belongings in this year’s spring cleaning, you may be looking to ditch some of your older furniture, too. If you’re interested in replacing items or adding value to your home, consider multi-functional furniture. Not only can these double-duty solutions help you easily transition your home from work to play, but they also eliminate the need to house furnishings that may not be as purposeful. Take a look at our top six options in the lower and upper price points below.

5. This May Be the Key to a Tidy Home

Organizing your home is always easier when you have designated places to put things. If you’re looking for new ways to curb your clutter during this year’s spring cleaning, we’ve got you covered. It’s effective, it’s stylish and it’s affordable — it’s the Belly Basket. From bathroom to pantry and gym solutions, there’s no room where these can’t be used and no purpose that they can’t serve. Check out the top five ways that you can utilize the Belly Basket in your home below.

Alternative Cleaning Products

Traditional cleaning products are filled with carcinogens that get into the air and surfaces of our home – just take one look at the warnings on the back of these products to give you an idea of how harmful they can be to your health. While cleaning our home is vital to remove dust and buildup of toxic debris, cleaning with equally toxic chemicals make little to no difference.

Glass cleaner

• ¼ cup white vinegar
• ¼ cup rubbing alcohol
• 8-10 drips of grapefruit of orange essential oil
• Mix all ingredients together into a BPA-free spray bottle. Spray onto glass surfaces and wipe clean with a microfiber cloth

Oven Cleaner

• ¼ cup baking soda
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/3 cup water
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly to make a paste. Set to the side for at least 5 minutes. Dip your scrubbing tool into the paste and clean the inside of your oven.

Surface Cleaner

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 30 drops of orange or grapefruit essential oil
• Combine all ingredients and mix well before transferring to a BPA-free spray bottle.

For additional cleaning tips using household ingredients, see our video here.

Natural Beauty Products

Deodorant

Traditional deodorants often contain some of the worst chemicals you can put on your skin. Even more alarming is we use deodorant under our arms, clogging up our bodies natural toxin release mechanism. The following recipe is one alternative, another is a salt-based deodorant you can find at most health food stores that use only mineral salts.

• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 3 tablespoons baking soda
• 1 ½ tablespoons arrowroot starch
• 40 drops of orange or grapefruit essential oil
• In a bowl mix together all the ingredients until well combined into a thick, paste-like consistency. Store in the refrigerator. To use, dip your fingers in the mixture and apply directly to skin.

Face Mask

Clay is a powerhouse for drawing out impurities and has been recently become popular with many large beauty companies. The problem is these store-bought masks often contain unnecessary indigents to improve the texture and colour of the clay. Ditch those additives and follow this easy recipe instead:

• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 ½ teaspoons bentonite clay
• Mix the water and honey first, then stir in the clay and mix well to form a paste. Apply to entire face, being careful to avoid contact with your eyes. Leave on for about 20 minutes then rise well. Use 1-2 time per week.

Exfoliator

Have some fun with this one as there are literally endless household ingredients you can use to create gentle and chemical-free exfoliators, including salt, white sugar or coffee grounds (a great use for the ones from your morning coffee). Our favourite is the following:

• Juice from one lemon
• ½ cup of brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. of coconut oil
• 1-2 drops of the essential oil of your choice (try peppermint in the summer and tea tree oil in the winter)
• Mix all items except essential oil together in a small bowl; you may need to add more brown sugar depending on the size of the lemon. Mix until the sugar is completely coated in the lemon and coconut oil. Add essential oil last.

Cooking Alternatives

Nut Milk

Nut milks are readily available in most grocery stores, but often contain a shocking number of added chemicals and preservatives. The homemade versions require very little preparation and can even be made in the moment when you need them.

• 1 cup of water
• small handful of the nuts of your choice
• 1 date
• Dollop of honey (optional for those who prefer their nut milk a bit sweeter)
• Combine all ingredients in blender until no large chucks of the nuts remain. You can strain it through a cheesecloth to get it smooth, or drink as is. If you’re adding nut milk to a smoothie, make the nut milk first in the blender then add the additional ingredients.

Herbs and Spices

Instead of buying dried and packaged spices with contain little nutritional value, try replacing some of your most used items with the fresh variety, and better yet, grow them in your home. If you don’t have a green thumb, try self-watering containers like those at Modern Sprout. All you have to do is add water to the bottom and the plants feed themselves.