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Spring Cleaning Tips and Tricks: Your Guide to a Fresh Start
Check out our step-by-step spring-cleaning guide to help clear your space and recycle your household items room by room.Byline: BTB Editor
March 17, 2025 / Time to read: 5 minIf you’re among the more than
We’re here to help you spring clean more effectively with our step-by-step guide to declutter and refresh your space.
Take it Room by Room
Rather than tackle the entire house at once, prioritize which rooms need your attention the most and go one by one from there. You can even separate adjoining spaces, like a pantry or bedroom closet, into different days so you can take your time. Before you break out the cleaning supplies, remember that decluttering is the key to maintaining a clean space.
Sort Into Four Categories
Bring four large boxes to the first space you plan to tackle. Label them move, give, toss and recycle. As you empty out drawers, shelves, cabinets and other areas where clutter has piled up, place any items that don’t belong there into one of the four boxes.
Move
Anything you’d like to keep but need to move to another, more fitting area of your house goes in this box. Scoop up clothes, toys, paperwork and seasonal items that can be put away or stored elsewhere.
Give
As you comb through your home, notice which items have gone unused for long stretches. Once you fill your Give box, decide which items you want to donate and which you’d like to sell. Check for wear and tear and make sure items aren’t broken, stained or worn enough to warrant a trip to the Toss box. Old clothing, shoes, bedding and towels are great contenders for your Give box. Check
Toss
While it’s important to keep as many items out of the landfill as possible, some will need to be tossed. Anything that’s broken beyond repair, too worn or smelly, expired, unsafe, missing important parts and/or unrecyclable will need to be tossed.
Recycle
Ideally, you’ll be able to recycle some of the items you no longer need and don’t plan to gift or sell. Not sure
Follow Recycling Guidelines
More of your household items can be recycled than you may think. To ensure your recyclables make it through the
- Whether or not you can
recycle glass depends on your location. Check with your local recycling provider to see which, if any, types of glass can be recycled. - While your recyclables don’t need to be scrubbed with soap, it’s best to
rinse off food residue . - Keep flimsy
plastic grocery bags out of your recycling bin. Try reusing disposable bags and when you’re ready to discard them, put them in the trash or return them to your local grocery store. - Some items that make their way to recycling centers can damage equipment or contaminate other recyclable materials. The
most common contaminants we see in the everyday recycling stream include diapers, yard waste, old clothes, old shoes and food. None of these items are recyclable, so toss them instead.
Properly Dispose of Items That Require Special Handling
Certain items, often considered
- Batteries
- Lightbulbs
- Mercury devices, like thermometers and hot water heater controls
- Electronics, including tablets, cell phones, computers, printers, keyboards and mice
- Aerosol cans
Plan Ahead for Bigger Spring-Cleaning Projects
Some spring-cleaning endeavors will require different tools and solutions. If you’re tackling a much bigger clean-out or remodeling project, you may want to consider a
Clean Up Your Cleaning Routine
Once you get a handle on the decluttering, you’ll want to clean all the nooks and crannies you don’t get to during regular cleanings. Emptying out drawers and cabinets is the perfect time to dust and wipe down those hard-to-reach surfaces. But with all the single-use cleaning supplies and products with harsh chemicals out there, you may be looking to clean up your cleaning routine. We’ve got you covered with this helpful guide to
Clean Home, Clear Mind
Spring cleaning isn’t just about the dusting and the vacuuming. It’s about making a little extra breathing room by clearing out old or unused belongings. By following these tips for spring cleaning, you’ll not only create a more organized, inviting space — you’ll keep more trash out of landfills and recycle more effectively, too.
