It’s already April so you should be well into your Spring Cleaning and almost done, then it will be time to enjoy the warmer weather knowing that your house is in good shape. With good maintenance you should be able to keep it that way for a while. NOTE – Days are not all numbered by actual date so you may pick and choose based on the amount of time you have on a specific day. Some tasks will take longer than others, so I left some blank days at the end. You may copy/paste this into a blank document and print so you can have it handy and checkmark the tasks already accomplished. Day 1 – Sweaters Maintenance – With the warmer weather approaching your sweaters will go into hibernation until next winter (Finally!) but before you put them away make sure they are clean, stains will attract moths. Read care labels on proper way to launder, some will have to be hand washed. If there is pilling on sweaters or even sweatshirts you can use a de-fuzzer to remove before storing away so they will be like new and ready to use. I have one and it does work, there are plenty options to choose from, here is one, from Target. Day 2 – Taxes – If you still haven’t filed the deadline is approaching. Get your papers together and get it done as soon as possible. Check the January Blog post for more info. Day 3 – AC Maintenance – Depending on where you live the time might differ but in general this is a good time to check if your AC needs maintenance, filter need to be cleaned or changed so it is ready when the warm weather arrives. Day 4 – Winter Gear – This includes coats/jackets as well as hats, scarves, gloves. Again depending on your area climate might differ, but again April seems good to start preparing for change. Go through your winter gear and assess, is it the right size for kids? Is there too much wear and tear? Does it need to be laundered/dry cleaned? Take care of all that before you store it away for next season. Day 5 – Winter boots and shoes – just like for the winter gear check for wear and tear, size and if need to be cleaner before putting away. Ideally put it away in a box, either the original box or other. Label to quickly find it next season. Day 6 – Bedding swap – Some people like to snuggle up in warmer bedding in winter like flannel sheets, and thick blankets or duvets. With warmer season approaching start thinking and locating your lighter bedding, switch to cotton sheets, lighter blankets etc. Before you know it it will get hot!! Day 7 – Outdoor furniture – If you have a patio, balcony, garden chance is you have some kind of outdoor furniture to enjoy those cool evenings before it gets too hot. Take them out of hibernation and thoroughly clean them, check if pillows need replacement and they will be ready to use. Day 8 – Lawn Mower – Time to check your lawn mower for a tune up, and maybe stock up on gas. You will need it soon enough. Day 9 – Rugs Cleaning/steaming – April is when allergy season usually starts, with the warmer weather we also start opening the windows more so pollen will get in. Winter is a dust collecting season so now is a good time to deep clean your rugs or wall to wall carpeting especially if anyone has allergies in your home. If needed schedule a steam cleaning of your wall to wall. Day 10 – Picture Frames – We all have frames on the walls, either it’s art or family pictures, they are often forgotten so go from room to room and dust all your frames. Maybe update some of the family pictures, and if you display them also your kid’s school awards depending on space, remove old ones and display newer ones if space is limited. Day 11 – Kid’s Art – All parent’s tend to hang on to their kid’s art, but we all have a space limit, so go through your kid’s art today and see if some can go, maybe some older pieces will have less of an attachment and newer ones will be better. Find a way to display really good pieces, and maybe give away some to grandparents or other relatives so your kids can see them when they visit. I found a great gadget to display multiple kid’s art pieces, you can see it HERE Day 12 – Fridge – Clean out your fridge and while at it assess the contents, chance is there is something hiding in the back that no one knows how long it has been there, and no one will volunteer to finish up...lol...also as season change so will your menu, try to use up winter foods and stock up on warmer weather foods like veggies for salads etc. Try to organize your fridge by keeping like with like and use bins if it helps. Day 13 – Take out freebies – Every time we order take out it comes with an assortment of Freebies, ketchup and sauces, napkins and plastic utensils, straws etc. In almost every kitchen I organize I find drawers full of these unused items, probably long expired but for some reason people hold on to them. They might be free but they take up valuable space, and unless you are eating in your car you don’t need them, you have forks at home. These items will just add to the land fills once you discard them. So lighten your footprint on the planet and ask for no utensils or sauces when you order out. The planet will thank you and you can figure out what to do with that now empty drawer :-) Same go for menus, if you need to keep them, make it just one place. Day 14 – Hangers – You can improve the overall look of your closet by updating your hangers, if you have mismatched hangers in multiple colors, materials and shape, switch to velvet hangers for lighter clothes and thin wood hangers for heavier items. Just by doing this and keeping similar items together you will create a cohesive look that will make you smile every time you open your closet doors. Thinner hangers will also save space. Day 15 – Garden – I am not a garden person but around April I see people going to Home Depot to get flowers and plants for their gardens. If you do have a garden it’s time to assess your garden tools and supplies, make a shopping list and start planning what and when to plant. If necessary create a to do list with all the major tasks to stay on top of it. Day 16 – Photos Organizing – If like me you have actual paper photos they should all be kept in one location. Some people have photo albums others use shoe boxes, and I have found many just shoved in plastic grocery bags. Ideally they should be stored properly to preserve them, otherwise what is the point in keeping them? Whatever your preferred choice is, go through them and weed out what is not needed, sort by category, date, event and label. An option to keep them organized and presentable even if displayed in open storage is this Photo Box. Day 17 – Wardrobe Decluttering – Season switch – while you put away cold weather clothes and dig out warmer weather ones – is a good time to go through your Summer clothes and try to let go of at least 3 items per family member, chance is you will purchase something for the Summer so it’s good to reduce in advance. Day 18 – Bathroom Vanity – The area under your bathroom sink most of the time is your prime real estate space for storage, to make the most of it keep it organized. If you need to add components there are tons of options depending on size and layout of the pipes. In general is best to group similar items together and keep them containerized. Go through your products and look for ½ empty bottles, expires or old and caked or damaged ones and discard. Go through your brushes and discard doubles especially if old, wash and clean the ones you keep so they will look nice and if need be can be displayed in a nice holder on the counter. The GOAL is to keep only what you use and need. Day 19 – Cards – I always encounter cards in every household, either blank ones for future use, or cards received in the past. The problem is they are spread all over the place rather than in 1 location. Make it your project today to gather all such cards and separate first the blank ones from the others, if you feel like further separate the blank ones by occasion, Xmas, B-day etc. If you have a pretty container/box store them there. Now go through the one you received and weed out as much as you can, keep the cards that are most important (you don’t need the envelope) and sort by sender or event etc and store in container along with blank ones if they fit. You can use the same storage box used for the pictures, I linked it above. Day 20 – Garage/Basement – Make some space by discarding at least 1 box full of stuff that has been residing there and never used. Garages/basements are places where people put things they think they might need later but never touch again. If you find that lot’s of stuff is sitting on the floor, get some study storage shelves from Home Depot or similar and store things in boxes/containers on shelves to free up floor space. Sadly there is no space to park in many garages :-( Day 21 – Pens, Markers etc. – In every households there are pens in multiple places, oftentimes hiding, in abandoned purses and backpacks, various drawers etc. So collect all writing utensils and go through them once and for all, discard what is not working and find a home that makes sense to what you keep. Some in your desk, a couple in the kitchen drawer, some with school supplies. Store away the overflow where easy to retrieve when needed. Day 22 – Earth Day – The Earth Day 2022 Theme is Invest in Our Planet. To find out more here is a LINK to EarthDay.org with events map, what to do lists, and how to volunteer in your community. Day 23 – Purses – Some people switch purses for the warmer weather just like for clothes. Again this is a good time to assess if anything can go, take out your Summer and Beach totes but most of all go through all and EMPTY them. While organizing I always find bags full of belonging, including old candy, old make-up, leaking pens even uncashed checks and expired credit cards that clients could not find. Always empty your purses before putting them away, aside from those you use often, and even then check periodically for lost or forgotten items. Try to put them away in an organized way that allow you to see what you have and makes it easy to find and put away. A bag it is only useful if you can USE IT. Day 24 – Bedroom Dresser – Go through each of the drawers one at a time, take everything out, get rid of old underwear, t-shirts, mismatched sock etc. Fold and return to drawer by category, best if one per drawer, it will make it easier to find things if they are not mixed up. Learn to file fold if possible, it allows you to store more and makes it easier to see what you have. Day 25/26/27/28 – Make Up days. – Catch up on unfinished projects. April 29 – National Arbor Day – Arbor Day originated in Nebraska City, on April 10th, 1872 and was founded by J. Sterling Morton and has since been recognized as a day to plant and care for trees. Schools, community organizations and local authorities all over the world celebrate Arbor Day by cleaning up public parks, caring for trees, and planting trees. To find out more, click HERE And for a map of when your state celebrates Arbor Day click HERE: As always I have left some blank dates for you to catch up on those activities that might require more than one day to finish up.
If you have followed all my monthly checklists since January you should be ready to enjoy Summer activities and have fun! Come back to check for future checklists by month and new posts. Happy Organizing |
AuthorHello, my name is Vicky and I am a Professional Organizer in NYC. I am passionate about anything related to organizing and most of all I fully believe in the benefits of it. Archives
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