- What is Spring cleaning and when does it happen?
- Why you should clean up and clear out this Spring
- Make a start today
- Tip 1: Organise by Item
- Tip 2: Physically touch every item
- What to do with your clutter?
- Sell it
- Donate it
- Upcycle it
- Ready, set, Spring into action!
- Help us reduce the clutter going to the landfill.
At a time where we’re all heading back to juggling the busyness of life, it’s important to have our own little sanctuary to return back to. So if you haven’t yet started, I’d suggest you blow away the cobwebs and put your best Spring cleaning foot forward.
Hold off on your Spring cleaning checklist though, I have some tidy tips and insights to get your home Spring ready.
What is Spring cleaning and when does it happen?
Days are getting longer, flowers are starting to bloom, there’s a feeling of freedom in the air. Finally, Spring has sprung.
If these have been your thoughts recently, you’re not alone, it’s reported that 24% of Brits favour Spring over any other season. Not surprising considering the benefits that warmer and brighter months bring, especially after such a long Winter.
With a season of fresh starts comes a collective activity that could easily be likened to Marmite — you either love it, or you hate it. That’s right, the polarising chore known as Spring cleaning.
I’m not talking about some light dusting before inviting over friends and family. Spring cleaning is traditionally a time used to thoroughly cleanse and reset your home, and consequently your mindset.
History can tell us plenty about the origins of the mighty Spring clean. Some researchers have traced this back to the Persian new year which falls on the first day of Spring.
Translated from Persian, it literally means “shaking the house”. As the name suggests, it’s a time used for deep cleaning the house and each piece of furniture and fittings.
But that’s just one Spring cleaning meaning. Many different religions and cultures have traditions surrounding Spring cleaning and their own idea about when to start.
April is a common timeframe in the UK, with the National Spring Cleaning Week usually falling around then. That’s why Vintage Cash Cow’s Spring Clear Out Season runs between 6th April and 14th May.
Clearing up your home shouldn’t have to be a juggling act. If you’re struggling to balance your time this Spring, stay tuned for some simple and quick wins with minimal effort on your part.
Why you should clean up and clear out this Spring
Having a clean home can mean many different things to different people. For some, having your space in order creates a happiness and ‘zen-like’ feeling which seeps into everyday life.
For others, they’re sick of tripping over the items strewn across the place, and would quite like to know where on earth the garden shed key disappeared to last Summer.
And if you’re anything like me, you’ll take both of the above.
But don’t just take my word for it, even the experts agree that Spring cleaning is good for your health. Stay tuned for a discussion on the health benefits of Spring cleaning — new blog post coming soon.
Just as we buy ourselves new things to spark joy, it’s not a far stretch to imagine treating our homes too — and arguably, you’ll feel the positive effects of this for much longer than a quick online shopping boost.
I’m not necessarily talking about splashing the cash on doing up the house, it’s as simple as spending time on it and taking back control.
For example, I can bet some of you reading this hold onto items because ‘they may need it one day’, right? I think we’ve all thought that at least once in our lives.
Letting things accumulate is procrastination at its finest. It’s putting off a decision that could be made there and then.
Because in reality, unless the item has sentimental value, you probably don’t really need it and you’re keeping it against your better judgement.
It’s no wonder we find it harder to make decisions during a highly volatile and sensitive time in our lives. Our minds are just preoccupied.
But in order to stop procrastinating, you need to make these decisions.
Actively not passively.
The good news is it’s not impossible, and it can be done.
And when done efficiently and regularly, will offer you more time to spend enjoying any season.
Take back control, make that choice and leave procrastination behind you — check out our service for an easy way to sell the old, vintage items you no longer want or need.
Make a start today
It may be that you’ve already seized the opportunity to have a ‘quarantine clean’, if so you’re already well on your way to reclaiming control.
Now just don’t forget to keep on top of it. I’d even urge you to make a habit of decluttering every few months, you’d be surprised how quickly things can accumulate.
If you’re reading this now and wondering where to even start, I have a few tips that I’ve come across recently which I want to share with you.
Some people may decide to focus on a room at a time, i.e. spend one day decluttering and organising the bedroom and the next on the kitchen, and so on.
However, this may get overwhelming after a while — after spending hours on one room, you want the whole house to be up to scratch, however it takes time. Time you may not have.
Tip 1: Organise by Item
For example, gather all of your jewellery in one room and sort through it in one go.
You’ll see every single item you own rather than wondering what else you have around the house, it’ll also make it much simpler to organise.
Pros: You’ll know what you have duplicates of, what items you use on a regular basis, and which items have fond memories attached. It’s ok to keep things that mean something to you.
The pieces you decide you can part with will be so much easier to organise to sell or give away if they are all together. Box them up, separate them into a pile for the charity shop and a pile to sell, for example.
Cons: It may not be so easy to do this for all your items. Let’s take silver as an example, there’s so many items which are silver so it may get fairly overwhelming to gather all your silver items from every room — think about all that cutlery you’d need to dig out.
So perhaps you can adapt this for your own home. Maybe it’s silver kitchen items you want to tackle first, then move onto silver in the living room etc.
The attic could be a whole other challenge you may want to focus on initially. Everyone has their own decluttering styles.
Tip 2: Physically touch every item
Marie Kondo, the ‘tidying expert’, rose to fame over the past few years for her unique approach to decluttering. If you’ve heard of the phrase “sparking joy”, then you’ve heard of Marie Kondo.
To take a leaf out of Kondo’s book, you need to physically touch and hold your items.
No, not hold onto your items, we know this isn’t helping you take back control. Physically hold each item close to you.
“..pay close attention to how your body responds. When something sparks joy, you should feel a little thrill running through your body, as if your body is somehow slowly rising up to meet the item, embracing it even.” - Marie Kondo, 2017.
Whether your joy is sparked by memories associated with your items, or perhaps a certain nostalgia-like feeling, you’ll know immediately if an item is worth keeping this way.
You may feel a little silly at first, but I challenge you to give it a try.
Afterall, we all want to feel joy when we’re at home. So it makes sense that the items inside your home hold this energy.
What to do with your clutter?
Great, now you have the items set aside to make room for a happy and joyful home. What now?
Sell it
In the past year, online selling has been our only means of decluttering and getting some extra cash. Luckily, there are many methods of selling unwanted items online.
From the likes of eBay, or Facebook Marketplace, there are a multitude of people just waiting to buy your items.
Be careful when using these sites though, not only can you spend a lot of time listing each of your items but you may opt for buyers to come to your home and pick up the item.
This may be unsafe, so keep your wits about you.
Not to mention how easy it is to be scammed online. You may need to do some research before taking to online marketplaces for the first time.
Alternatively, there is a way for you to sell your items online all in one place with plenty of reassurance, and it’s completely free...
If you’re after a fast, free and fair way to sell your old, vintage items, I give you a nudge to check out our simple service.
Selling unwanted and vintage items is kind of our ‘thing’. Afterall, before you can spring clean, you’ll need to clear out first.
Donate it
To give yourself a bit of a humanitarian boost, you may opt to drop off your items to a charity shop.
There are even many schemes which give you the opportunity to bag items up and have them collected and delivered to the charity.
Clearing your space, and also providing the charity with a way to gather extra income.
If you have quite a few items to get rid of though, consider that many charities have been inundated with donations during the past year. With many people deciding that spring is not the only season for clearing out!
Be prepared to have a backup in case the charity cannot take all your items. You’ll be back to square one if you don’t.
Upcycle it
You may have seen one or two of the ‘life hack’ inspired videos on your social media. Perhaps a friend has even tagged you in one.
The art of upcycling has become a very popular option for some. And if you’re skilled enough to repair your broken items, you’ll get even more use out of them.
Plus, it may be a nice DIY hobby to pick up while we all wait for life to return to a sense of normality.
If you’re interested in giving your items a new lease of life, but don’t know where to start, or don’t have the time. Our service helps you do just that.
That broken watch you threw in a drawer and forgot about - well there’s likely a watch fixer out there who is dying for a new upcycling project.
Or that box full of old jewellery you don’t wear anymore - there’s a theatre group on the hunt for some pieces just like yours for their first show back!
You can simply box these items up, send them to us, and we’ll ensure your items find their way to a fantastic new home. Allowing you to pocket some cash, and feel at ease knowing your items are getting a new lease of life.
Ready, set, Spring into action!
Make sure your home is Spring ready with Vintage Cash Cow. Plus, clear out and cash in for a chance to win.
Send us a box of your old, vintage items by 14th May 2021 and you’ll be entered into our cash competition - £1,000 for you and £1,000 for a charity you choose.
Help us reduce the clutter going to the landfill.
We’re aiming to rehome 40 tonnes of old and vintage items between 6th April – 14th May. So if you want to be a part of the bigger picture and give your items a new lease of life, why not send us a box?
Turn your clutter into cash the easy way, and save the planet too.
I’ve hopefully provided you with a friendly reminder to not forget about your Spring clean this year, create your own little sanctuary to return back to and start making decisions to regain control all while making some cash in the process.
Are you a 'quarantine cleaner' or a Spring cleaner, or both?