4 Tips for Spring Cleaning to Feel Refreshed

After the year of record-breaking snow and bitter cold many parts of the country experienced, it’s safe to say that we’ve been counting down to March 20 — the first official day of spring! Several months after many people made (and perhaps dropped) their New Year’s resolutions, the spring season brings a welcome sense of energy and desire to refresh many areas of our lives.

Here are four of our favorite ways to feel renewed as we usher in spring:

1. Do a Closet Clean Out

Take inventory of our closets and weed out unused clothing. Organization experts suggest eliminating wardrobe items that don’t meet the following criteria:

• It currently fits
• You have worn it in the past 12 months
• You’re likely to wear it again
• It’s in good condition (or you are willing to get it repaired)
• It accurately represents your personal style
• It makes you feel confident

If you can’t check those boxes for it, that item doesn’t make the cut! Make piles for items to keep, items to sell and items to donate to streamline your clean-out process.

Another fun option for pieces that are still in good condition is to host a clothing swap! Gather a few friends and ask them to bring a suggested minimum number of items. Create a festive party atmosphere with fun food and drinks (check out www.sweetswaps.com for some great ideas), and let the swapping begin! To make sure everyone gets a turn to shop, draw numbers and take turns picking one item from the selections. After a few rounds, you can open it up to a “free for all” so every item can find a new home.

2. Tackle Digital Clutter

Now is a great time to delete unneeded content and back up important files that are on your mobile devices. Not only will you feel more organized, but you’ll have the security of knowing your digital memories, such as special photos and videos, aren’t in danger of being lost forever. There are several simple ways to back up your files, and a quick search of some of these methods will yield some easy-to-follow instructions:

• Import files to your desktop
• Store your photos in the cloud using Dropbox or Google Drive
• Upload your images to Flickr

3. Revamp Your Recipe Repertoire

A pantry clean-out is a great spring cleaning idea, but another way to refresh your kitchen this spring is to add some new recipes to your rotation! We love the idea of making simple lifestyle changes, such as swapping full sugar for SPLENDA® Sweetener Products in recipes, to find balance and enjoy the sweet life.

Through the SWEET SWAPS™ Initiative, the SPLENDA® Brand is dishing out creative ways to swap full sugar for SPLENDA® Sweetener Products in order to save calories. SweetSwaps.com is a treasure trove of creative and delicious ways to use SPLENDA® Sweetener Products no matter what type of dish you’re preparing!

To celebrate spring and enjoy the sweet life without all the calories of added sugar, we’re loving the citrus flavor of freshly made lemon chiffon pie that swaps full sugar for SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener!

4. Develop a “Spot Clean” Strategy

Every house has a “hot spot” or two — places that always tend to accumulate clutter. Common areas include your dining room table, kitchen island or entryway. To stop tripping over backpacks or feeling overwhelmed by piles of paper, take charge of these hot spots and develop a cleaning and organizing system that works for your family. By installing a mailbox organizer with a labeled slot for each family member, or placing a coat rack and bench with individual cubbies or even some canvas storage cubes just inside your front door, you can help stop clutter in its tracks.

We’d love to hear your ideas for simplifying your life this spring! Leave us a comment with your favorite tips.

This post is part of the SPLENDA® Brand Sweet Life blogger program by McNeil Nutritionals, LLC. All opinions are our own. 

The featured image at the top of this post is courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons user Tristan Martin.