The term “spring cleaning” has always baffled me. At this point, I’ve been cleaning all winter. Enough already. Time to get outside and play when spring finally strikes. Done with cleaning. Cleaning is a fall job so that I can purge all the junk I don’t want to store all winter. Because storage space is prime. So I like to re-evaluate what I’ve got and toss what’s no longer needed before winter comes. Especially with all the new stuff that arrives around Christmas. After all, you only have so much room in your basement, garage, shed and attic (if you even have all of those storage options). It’s time to free yourself of the junk that you don’t even know you have. Here’s the essential checklist of what you should consider purging before the snow flies to save you space, time, energy and frustration. And if you ended up buying a second pair of hedge clippers because you couldn’t locate yours when the time came to do the job then you know exactly what I mean. Too annoying!
1.) Unused indoor & outdoor furniture
Furniture is large. At least bigger than all the rest of the junk we own. It takes up a lot of space both inside and out. It’s time to take stock of what you have and loose the extra baggage. I garbaged picked an end table from a neighbor fully intending to re-paint it for my patio. Never happened. That was over 10 years ago. Finally, I threw it out. Yes, I felt a little bad but I know that project would have never come to fruition. Think of the wasted space in my garage all those years? And honestly, I still don’t miss it. I value the extra space more.
New kitchen chair!
I’m a hoarder. Yep. And sometimes Tom has to talk some sense into me. We bought our first new furniture recently. Six new, stable and comfy kitchen chairs. Our old ones were my mother-in-laws castaways and have only gone downhill in the six years we’ve been using them. Most of them are pretty broken but that didn’t stop me from using wood glue to fix them. Then they’d break again and out came the glue. It got to the point when a neighbor sat in the chair, it broke and we’d vow to get new ones. Finally, we did. I was tempted to store the old ones in the basement…just in case. Tom saved me from myself and hauled them to the curb. A different neighbor garbaged picked them. I’m happy. He’s happy (for now unless he realizes just how broken they are!).
2.) Garden supplies that need to go curbside
You’ve heard the rule…right? If you haven’t worn a clothing item within a span of a year, it is time to donate it or throw it out. Same rule applies to garden supplies except we’ll extend that rule to two years. So that plastic cracked pot you haven’t used in two years? Time to go. The garden hose that deep down you know can’t be patched and leaks. Toss it. Your favorite wellies that have rips in them and now get your feet wet. Say your goodbyes. That rusty seed spreader that you’ve never used in the 10 years it’s been sitting in your garage. Gone.
These items are taking up valuable space in your garage and are preventing you from finding the stuff you do use and want. There’s a time and a place for being frugal. But if you can’t find what you need when you want to use it then you’re wasting money in a whole other sense! Half the time you end up buying another of an item you already own just because you can’t find the one you do have. Not money smart.
3.) Trees, shrubs and plants that have gone wayside
Getting rid of plant life seems sad. But maybe not so much when they are dead or heading in that general direction. I remember holding on to a half dead bush that looked pretty awful in my front landscape in the hopes it would bounce back. It never did revive. Same rule for that white birch tree that was solidly dead for years before we finally chopped and burnt it. Then there are the plants I’m hoarding in the house and the seeds that are 15 years old that I keep holding onto… just because. But those indoor pots are wasting lots of indoor space where other useful things like herbs could be growing.
4.) Useful items that you personally don’t use
The Seven spray. I inherited it from my grandma when I bought her house. You can see the $8.99 green price tag still attached. It’s this price tag that fuels this extreme hesitation to toss it. But Seven is bad stuff. I’ll never use it in my personal garden. Never. It’s time to go.
And wheelbarrows are awesome. If you use them. If you don’t, they are big space wasters. Tom and I have had some lengthy discussions over whether or not we even need a wheelbarrow. Verdict was yes. But for many, the answer is no. They just take up to much space to justify that much storage space. Unless you have a an empty shed in the backyard. Unlikely. How about borrowing the neighbors the once or twice a year you use one?
5.) Use up what you have to free up storage space
Got some bricks sitting in your garage? Extra rock? Patio blocks or pavers? Have a way to use them up to get them out of your garage. Do it this fall! When we re-did our landscape with EcoBorder we ended up with lots of brick that got stored in our garage. Instead of keeping them there, Tom used them against the bottom of our wire garden fence to naturally keep the rabbits out of our garden. I can’t say it’s exactly working but we tried!
The same rule applies to my potting soil, peat moss, vermiculite, worm castings and other soil amendments I rely on. Instead of storing these all winter I fill in the cracks in my garden beds with them or top off my pots. Besides, I figure I have to store these pots in the winter anyhow so I might as well fill them up taking up no extra space in the garage. And how about that extra grass seed? Fall is a great time to use up that bag and get your lawn green and going again before winter.
6.) Anything broken
I know it sounds obvious. Throw out anything broken. But sometimes our brains don’t work that way. I get all sentimental and avoid throwing out items that either have some emotional attachment or think I can fix. The pots above? They’re from my wedding. I feel so darn guilty throwing them out and I have to remind myself, I’m throwing out crappy, non-functional pots not my memories. This helps me keep perspective!
The broken tool below? I’ve been hoarding it for over 12 years now thinking I’m going to fix it. And by fix it I mean duck taping the broken handle back on. That’s not gonna happen. Mostly because I’ll never find the broken piece of the handle. In the words of Elsa, it’s time to let it go.
One last thought….
All this purging has got me thinking. Especially about rule #4 useful items that you personally don’t use. Now is actually a great time for garbage picking too! Yes, I know this post is about freeing up space but you might just spot something curbside that you’ve been craving. Keep your eyes peeled this time of year! Lots of people throw out really great stuff. We had some friends who picked up almost brand new lounge chair cushions. They were gorgeous. What a find! Not a spot or stain on them.
What types of “junk” are you most hesitant to toss?
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