4 Cost-Effective Winter Home Organization Tips to Get Ahead of Spring Cleaning

It is not uncommon to wait until the end of winter to start your spring cleaning, but you can make it easier on yourself by starting your spring cleaning early.

Why not start organizing your home in the winter? This way, you already have several tasks completed when it is time to start cleaning your home from top to bottom.

Getting started early will also help prevent unnecessary cleanup costs in the future. Use the following winter home organization tips to get ahead of your spring cleaning.

Start Decluttering Early

Why wait until after the new year to declutter your home when you can start now? There are plenty of organizations and thrift stores that are accepting donations for the holidays. 

This is a great time to donate clothes, appliances, books, toys, and other items that are in good condition but never used. It is easier to clean and organize your home when you lighten the load because you have fewer items in your way. 

Allowing your belongings to pile up too much may require you to hire a cleaning service if the mess becomes too much to handle alone.

Toss Unusable Items

There are items that are not salvageable or reusable at all, from stained clothes to damaged electronics. Damaged appliances can even lead to costly property damage if they are an electrical hazard. 

This also includes expired medication, toiletries, and cosmetics. It is time to get rid of these items to make room for items that are wearable or usable. 

One idea is to look into dumpster rental to avoid making several trips to a local dumpster. Renting a dumpster is also ideal if you are getting rid of heavy or bulky items, such as a broken washing machine.

Consider Storage Solutions

You also want to consider the storage solutions you are using in your home. Do you need shelf risers or a lazy Susan for your pantry? Are you looking to reorganize the bookcase in your living room? 

Maybe you want to invest in a storage cubby for your child's playroom, and do not forget about the storage solutions in your home office. 

It is easier to organize certain areas when you consider the storage solutions you have or need for your home.

Organize Main Areas

Finally, you may want to start organizing the main areas before the holidays. For example, you can divide your pantry into zones to make meal prep a breeze. 

Another example is separating everyone's toiletries into labeled containers for easier access. Of course, you should also organize the cabinet or closet of cleaning supplies. 

You can organize the areas that are not used often during your actual spring cleaning.

It never hurts to get a head start on your spring cleaning. If you keep the above tips in mind, you can cross several tasks off your to-do list before winter is even over.

4 Unexpected Ways You Can Make Money While Cleaning Junk out of Your Home

Not many of us look forward to the idea of cleaning out our home. However, you should get excited to do so because there are various ways that you can make money while cleaning the junk out of your home. We're going to share four methods with you below, so prepare to get pumped up.

Sell Your Clothes

Many communities have stores popping up where you can sell your old clothes. Discount stores allow others to purchase name brand items for much cheaper than at the retail stores. If you have some old name brand clothes or other similar items, then you want to put them all in one bag. 

You'll simply need to take the bag to one of these discount clothing stores. They'll go through your bag of items and offer you money for the ones that they want to purchase.

List Working Items

As you're going through the items in your home, you'll likely come across a multitude of items that work, but you no longer need. Most of us hang on to these items for the simple fact that we don't want to throw them out because they're still working. 

What you can do to make yourself a little change is to list these items on online marketplaces and offer them at a discounted price.

Sell Scrap Metal

Selling scrap metal is a very easy way to make some extra pocket change without a whole lot of time invested. As you're cleaning out rooms like your garage or attic, you'll likely find spare metal. 

Scrap metal buyers will pay for different types of metal, including copper, steel, and aluminum. It's also not uncommon for these dealers to also pay for things like old appliances that have metal inside of them.

Use Buyback Sites

Another great way to get money for your old items is to sell them to buyback sites. There are sites for different items. Some of the most popular include book buyback websites and cell phone buyback websites. 

Most of these places offer free shipping and will automatically deposit the money into your checking account for the items that you're selling them.

Cleaning out your home doesn't have to be an overwhelming experience. Rather, when you understand that you can make money off of your old items, it starts to become a fun experience. 

When you start your next spring cleaning, consider all four of these options for making some extra money from your old items.

How to Save Time and Money on this Year's Spring Cleaning

With the terrible weather most of the country has seen this winter, you are likely more than ready for spring to come into fruition. However, you aren't too thrilled about spring cleaning. 

There is something to be said about doing your spring cleaning yourself, but there hiring out to someone else to do it for can also save you time and money depending on what it is you are looking to accomplish. So instead of wasting all that time and money, think about hiring a professional team or making your own cleaning products.

Make Your Own Products

Before big name companies came into the spotlight, many people made their own cleaning supplies at home. The ingredients are often quite simple, and you likely have them in your kitchen. The exact recipe you should use depends upon what type of surface you are cleaning and what your goals are for the cleaning task. 

For example, you may use a vinegar spray to eliminate mold from the bathroom ceiling. Making your own cleaning products is also a great way to save money and to avoid chemicals in the house.

Hire a Professional Cleaning Team

If you are really concerned about saving time, then you should look into hiring a professional cleaning company like Maid Brigade House Cleaning Services. You can work with the experts to craft a plan that makes sense for your home and your budget. 

For example, you might want the team to take care of the deep cleaning, but you will tackle the organizational projects yourself. Searching around for a deal, and selecting only the services that you need, can help you to save on cost. You can also search for a cleaning services that specializes in certain areas. 

For example, if you don’t want or have the capabilities to do your own carpet cleaning, then you might want to hire a cleaning service that specializes in that area so that you don’t have to invest a lot of money in the equipment needed for that kind of cleaning. 

This will also allow you to save some time and focus on some of the other cleaning projects that you can easily handle on your own and on your own time.

Put the Family to Work

If you are tired of tackling all of the spring cleaning by yourself, then the time has come to delegate tasks. Virtually everyone who lives in your home can help with some task especially if you have kids. 

Younger children can learn how to fold their clothes, or they can pick out some toys and books that they would like to donate. Making a schedule helps you to finish the spring-cleaning project by a specific date so that you can enjoy the rest of the weather. 

Many kids hate it when their parents give them chores, but for a big project like this it helps to bribe them a little to keep the complaining to a minimum and the time and money saving optimal.

Don't Make More Work for Yourself

Perhaps you just went through all of the kitchen cabinets to make way for new supplies that you received during Christmas, or maybe you just donated a bunch of your clothes. You shouldn't make more work for yourself. 

If you have recently performed a deep-cleaning of a particular area, then leave it off of the list this year. Make spring cleaning about those things that you haven't worked on since last spring.

When you want to save time and money, you have an array of options from which to choose.