There is something about spring that inspires people to declutter and organize. But, like I always say, organizing is not a one time event but rather a way of life. Something I tell my clients is that a good rule to follow is at least once a year try to pull out and re-evaluate the items in each room of your home, and with spring quickly arriving what better time than now?

Although it’s ideal to go through every room of your home it’s not always realistic. As a business owner and busy mom of twins, I can attest to the fact that sometimes it can feel impossible to find enough time to go through and clean out a single closet let alone the entire house. So what do you do if you’re in the mood to spring clean but don’t have the time? I suggest maximizing your efforts by focusing on 3 high priority areas, the pantry, the closet, and your storage space.

Pantry. Over the course of a year (or more!) a pantry can get filled with all sorts of random items like cleaning supplies, mismatched baskets and bins, and pots and pans you can’t find room for anywhere else. Taking the time to take everything out and discarding what is expired and making sure everything that is in the pantry has a purpose and a place can make a simple grocery trip or quick dinner so much easier.

1. To start take everything out of the pantry, yes everything.

2. Discard anything expired or that your family no longer consumes. Keep in mind that if you have unused food items (that aren’t expired) you can always donate them to a local food donation center.

3. Categorize what is left so that when it goes back into the pantry the items are grouped together and it is easy to see what you have and what you need.

Closets. Most people don’t store all of their clothing inside one closet and during the spring, when the weather is transitioning from cold and windy to warm and sunny it makes sense to take stock of what you have, what you need, and what you should let go of.

1. Take out and touch each item and decide the last time you wore it and if you love or need it. Create categories like keep, consign, donate, repair, and seasonal to help you sort your clothes.

2. If you change your closet seasonally make sure you’re storing your clothes properly in order to keep them protected and in good shape for next season.

3. Once you’ve decided what you’re keeping create categories within your closet that match your daily needs. For example, if you wear business suits and blouses each day for work those items should have priority in your closet meaning, put those items in a place that is easy to see and access.

4. Finally, neatly fold (check my instagram stories for tips on how!) or hang each item in the closet, we love to do this by color.

Storage rooms. Garages, attics, and basements can quickly become filled with miscellaneous items that you don’t use, need, or even remember that you have. Just like the kitchen, a storage room is another room in your house and there should be a purpose and place for everything in that room.

1. Just like the pantry you should clear out everything from the storage space in order to see exactly how much space you have and what type of storage system will work in that space. I also suggest giving your storage space a good cleaning before you move your items back in.

2. Categorize like items together so you can see exactly what you have and how much you have. Then go by each category and declutter. Most of my clients are always surprised by the number of items that can be donated or discarded.

3. Measure the space and use these measurements to add shelving tracks along the walls. This will not only give you more room to store (vertical space!) but also will allow you to keep things off the floor.

4. Finally, put your items in sturdy bins by category and remember to give the items you use frequently priority space in a place that is easy to access and items you use less frequently, like holiday decor, on higher or back shelves.

5. Storage rooms can be some of the most difficult places to organize and remember, it’s probably going to look much worse before it gets better but I promise it is so worth it to have a clean and organized space!