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Health & Fitness

Only 75 Days until Spring!!

It's never to soon to get ready for Spring, or Spring cleaning. Here are a few helpful hints to get you on the right track.

Hello Patch readers, Kathy from Store with Style here.

Now you might be asking yourself...why is this crazy person talking about Spring on January 4th?  Well, it's never too soon to start looking forward to the end of winter in Cleveland and with that being said, it's also never too soon to start prepping for spring cleaning. I was contacted by the folks from a local magazine to do an interview for their winter edition on exactly what I'm talking about....getting a jump on spring cleaning! While the interview doesn't exactly give you earth shattering revelations, it does contain 4 key points that will really go a long way towards getting yourself ready for spring cleaning, or to keep that New Year's Resolution of Getting Organized in 2013!

So, for those of you interested, here are those helpful hints:

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PURGE:  Purging is the foundation of spring cleaning.  If you are one of the zillions of people that leave their laundry sitting in baskets because you don't have any place to put it, sort the items to be thrown out, donated or stored.  In Northeast Ohio there are many organizations that NEED your help by donations of household items or clothing.  Not only are you helping yourself, you are also helping others.  

Do Something Every Day: Commit to sorting your mail and recycling the newspaper daily so it won't pile up and create a bigger hassle in the long run. The key is "DON'T WAIT" When you bring in the mail start a new habit of sorting it immediately and make a place for bills & coupons and recycle the rest. This takes you minutes if you do it daily, rather than looking at the huge pile once a week and letting it overwhelm you.

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Maximize Your Space: One of the first things we do when we work with a customer to maximize their space is look up!  There is typically tons of unused 'air space' above your head in closets and garages. With closet systems we like to use shelving up to the ceiling and in garages or even basements there are storage racks that can hang from the rafters that will easily hold those seasonal items, or boxes/totes that contain rarely used items. 

Analyze Your Space: Really think about how you want to use your space, especially in closets.  Are you a "folder" or a "hanger".  If you like things folded and stacked, think about re-doing your closet with more adjustable shelving than hang rods, and vice-versa if you prefer to hang your clothes rather than fold.  Either way, since you likely can't add more closets, you should focus on maximizing the space you already have.

Essentially its all about truly looking at your lifestyle and honestly assessing what it is that is giving you the most angst.  If it's the piles of mail, then deal with those.  If it's jam-packed closets, then tackle that area....I think you get my point.  

I hope that I have given you at least a little something to think about, and if nothing else, the fact that Spring is only 75 days away!!

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