The clock jumped ahead this weekend and the weather in the Bay Area hit the 80s! The time has arrived – Spring Cleaning Season!

Every year, the arrival of longer days and warmer air brings with it that familiar urge — to fling open your windows, pull everything off your shelves, and start fresh. Spring cleaning is one of those special rituals that’s been around forever, and for good reason.

But sometimes it’s hard to know exactly where to begin when you’re staring at everything and feeling overwhelmed. Most people get stuck before they even begin. They stand in the middle of their laundry room or entryway, look around, feel instantly overwhelmed, and retreat to the couch. Sound familiar?

As a professional organizer, a huge part of my job is taking what may feel like overwhelming project and breaking it down into manageable, simple, DOABLE steps. I can tell you that the number one reason spring cleaning doesn’t happen isn’t laziness. It’s the absence of a clear starting point.

So let’s fix that right now!

First: Ditch the All-or-Nothing Mentality

Spring cleaning doesn’t have to mean overhauling your entire home in a single weekend. That approach almost always leads to half-finished projects, decision fatigue, and more mess than you started with.

Remember, it’s called SPRING cleaning. That’s a WHOLE season. Not a weekend.

Instead, think of spring cleaning as a season, not an event. You have weeks — maybe months — to work through your home intentionally. Give yourself that grace, and you’ll actually finish. Completely.

Declutter before you organize. Every time, without exception.

Before Anything Else: Declutter First

This is the rule I come back to in almost every conversation I have about organizing: you cannot organize clutter. If you skip the decluttering step and go straight to buying bins and baskets, you will spend money on storage for things you don’t actually need or want.

Before you spring clean any space, ask yourself:

• Does this item serve a purpose in my life right now?
• If I were moving, would I bother packing this?
• Am I keeping this out of obligation, guilt, or habit — or because I genuinely use it?

Items that don’t make the cut can be donated, sold, recycled, or discarded. Don’t let finding a ‘perfect home’ for donations hold you up — a donation bag in your car trunk gets emptied eventually.

The Best Areas to Start (My Top 5)

Not all spaces are created equal when it comes to spring cleaning. Some areas give you faster momentum, others require more energy but deliver bigger impact. Here’s my suggested order of operations:

01  The Entryway

Your entryway (whether the front door or door to the garage) is both the first thing you see when you walk in and the last thing you interact with on your way out. It sets the tone for your entire home (and mood!). A cluttered entry creates stress before your day even starts.

For spring cleaning, focus on:

• Shoes: Pare down to what actually gets worn. Donate anything that’s been sitting untouched all winter.
• Coats and bags: Rotate out the heavy winter layers and make room for lighter spring options.
• Catch-all surfaces: Clear the mail pile, the random keys, the things that land there and never leave.
• Hooks and storage: Does your entryway actually function? If it doesn’t, it won’t get used.

A functioning entryway is one of the highest-return investments of your time. Small space, big impact.

02  The Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of the home — and often the most chaotic. Spring is a perfect time to reset this space because it tends to accumulate so quietly. Things expire. Gadgets pile up. Drawers become archaeological digs.

For spring cleaning, focus on:

• Pantry and cabinets: Toss expired items, consolidate duplicates, and take stock of what you actually cook with.
• The ‘junk’ drawer: Pull it all out. Yes, all of it. Keep only what you reach for.
• Small appliances: If it’s been in a cabinet for a year untouched, it’s a candidate for donation.
• Fridge and freezer: Clear out the freezer archaeology. Wipe down shelves. Check condiment expiration dates.

Pro tip: don’t reorganize your kitchen before you’ve decluttered it. You’ll just be shuffling the same items around.

03  Closets

Closets are where things may go to disappear — and where spring cleaning can genuinely change how you feel every morning. The goal isn’t a Pinterest-perfect closet. The goal is a closet where you can actually find what you need.

For spring cleaning, focus on:

• Pull out everything that’s winter-specific and store it away.
• Try on anything you’re uncertain about. The ‘I’ll wear it eventually’ items rarely get worn.
• Evaluate what’s left with fresh eyes. Do you love it? Does it fit? Does it represent who you are right now?
• If you’re keeping something, make sure it has a clear, logical home.

04  Bathrooms

Bathrooms are often quicker to tackle than people expect — and the payoff is immediate. Start with the medicine cabinet and under-sink storage.

For spring cleaning, focus on:

• Expired medications (check disposal guidelines in your area)
• Skincare and beauty products past their prime
• Duplicate products you’ve accumulated
• Products you bought and never used — be honest here

Bathrooms are also a great place to notice what’s been cluttering your counter because you don’t have storage for it — versus what’s there because the system has broken down. Those are two different problems with two different solutions.

05  Paper and Digital Piles

This one doesn’t get talked about enough in spring cleaning content, but it should. Paper clutter is one of the most stress-inducing categories in the home — in part because it feels urgent even when it isn’t.

For spring cleaning, focus on:

• Gather all paper from around the house into one place.
• Sort into: action needed, file, scan, shred, recycle.
• Set a timer and work through the action pile first.
• Shred anything with personal information before recycling.

And while you’re at it — is this a good moment to go paperless on a few more accounts? Future you will appreciate it.

Back in 2020, I shared a post about how to scan papers. You can read it here! My scanner is still one of my most treasured office supplies. It makes working through large piles so much easier and quicker!

A Note on Products

I know it can be tempting to head to Amazon or The Container Store before you start spring cleaning — to stock up on bins and labels and matching baskets. I’d encourage you to resist that urge. Shop your own home first. You likely already have containers, trays, and baskets that are being underutilized somewhere. See what you already own before buying anything new.

Once you’ve decluttered, then you can shop with intention, knowing exactly what you need and what size it should be.

How to Actually Get Started Today

If you’ve read this far and you’re feeling motivated but not quite sure where to begin, here’s my advice: start with 20 minutes.

Not a whole day. Not a whole weekend. Twenty minutes, right now, on one small area. The entryway. One kitchen drawer. The bathroom counter. Momentum is built through action, not planning.

You don’t need a perfect system. You don’t need the right containers. You don’t need a completely free Saturday. You just need to start.

This post has been mostly focused on the decluttering side of spring cleaning and not actually cleaning itself. Personally, I think decluttering should be the first step BEFORE deep cleaning. The space will feel lighter, you’ll be able to visibly see the full counters and floors for cleaning once your items have been sorted through and put away.

Taking on decluttering first and then cleaning will also give you another clear breakdown on your overall game plan. Remember earlier when I mentioned people can feel frozen and unsure where to begin? This is why I recommend this step by step process. It will help you feel less overwhelmed.

Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be an event or season you dread. When you break it down into small, focused sessions — and when you lead with decluttering — it becomes one of the most satisfying things you can do for your home and your peace of mind.

I’ll be sharing more in this spring cleaning series, but meanwhile – let me know what you have planned to do around your home this spring? Decluttering, cleaning or home improvement projects? All of the above?!

I look forward to sharing more!

xo,

Sam