Tips for Spring Cleaning

Yes, Spring is in the air. Trees are budding out, the flowers are starting to pop up out in the back pasture, and the birds are flying everywhere. I'm waiting for my car to be covered in a dusting of yellow pollen when I walk out to get into it. It happens. Spring. Every year. 

Every year I slowly but surely go through the house, room by room, wiping, dusting, boxing, and cleaning. Why? Because for some reason, once the days turn warm and the nights are still cool, I throw open the windows to let in all that wonderful fresh air. It's like the world is new again, and it makes me want everything in the house to be new again too, or at least as clean as new. 

So, what are my 5 most important tips? 

• Do not clean out a room when the children or spouse are around. - They tend to want to keep everything.
• Nothing Goes Untouched - I move everything out of the room. Then I go through all of it, piece by piece.
• Have your boxes ready - One for 'giveaway', one for garage sale, one for trash.  
• Take the trash out, and the donations to the drop box, as soon as the box is full - This keeps you from going through it again to 'rescue' anything. 
• Never throw out anything you can sell. 

That last rule is a tough one. Especially if you have boxes and boxes of CD's, DVD's, and games. I know you have a lot that you think no one will want. I mean, how many people in your neighborhood will want those old Barney DVD's? You'd be lucky if someone wanted to give you a dime for each at a garage sale. NO! Don't throw them out! You can still get cash for them! I told you about Music Magpie in the UK a few weeks ago, remember? Well they are in the U.S. too!! Music Magpie will give you cash for your CD's, DVD's, and games. Quick and easy, just enter the barcode on their site, or use their phone app that scans the barcode to make it even easier! You know immediately how much money you will get. They send you the envelope to send your items to them, and you receive a check for all your items. 

Now, I just have to curb my garage sale addiction until I have one of my own and get rid of some of the stuff I've bought in the past... hehehe.