The Essential Benefits of Spring Cleaning

benefits of spring cleaning hero

Why is spring cleaning something that the majority of Canadians do every year, despite having a love-hate relationship with the age-old tradition?

The reason is simple: there are many undeniable benefits of spring cleaning.

As the two calendar markers that symbolize a time for renewal and a reset, it makes perfect sense that the new year and spring are when we put the most effort into cleaning and tidying our homes.

On the surface, spring cleaning may seem to be worthwhile solely for the improvements it brings to our living environment by freeing up space, helping us find things easier, and generally improving a home’s functionality.

To fully appreciate why this annual ritual is so essential, however, we’ll explain its deeper importance and why spring cleaning is so beneficial for our mental well-being.

9 interesting spring cleaning statistics

Recent surveys from Ipsos and Bona/Harris about the spring cleaning habits of Canadians reveal some interesting statistics. Here are some of their findings:

  • 59% of Canadians do spring cleaning every year
  • 89% of those surveyed think spring cleaning is important
  • only one in five (21%) people who spring clean are enthusiastic about doing it
  • 94% of Canadians who spring clean feel a strong sense of accomplishment when they’re done
  • 39% of homeowners worry they won’t find the time to properly spring clean
  • the highest-priority spring cleaning jobs are kitchen cleaning (57%), decluttering and organizing (55%), and bathroom cleaning (55%)
  • 92% of those surveyed feel more relaxed living in a clean home
  • two thirds (67%) of people who spring clean feel like their home is healthier
  • the least desirable cleaning tasks are window washing (27%), bathroom cleaning (15%), and cleaning large kitchen appliances (13%)

6 benefits of spring cleaning

Most of us reluctantly approach spring cleaning and view it as a time to give our homes their obligatory once-a-year deep cleaning. Doing all of that dusting, scrubbing, vacuuming, organizing, and other overdue home chores will have a bigger impact than most people realize, however.

Are you struggling to get or stay motivated enough to reach your goals for getting your home in order this spring? Perhaps finding out more about some benefits of spring cleaning you may not have considered will fuel your motivation and lead to greater success.

1. Spring cleaning improves your physical health

woman sneezing

We’ve previously written about how to improve the air quality in your home. Most people don’t realize that air pollution levels indoors are typically two to five times higher than they are outdoors.

For that reason alone, it’s worth taking the time in the spring to “detox your home” by eliminating the dust, allergens, and pollutants that have accumulated indoors over the winter months.

Getting rid of the main contributors to poor indoor air quality by cleaning, scrubbing, and ventilating our homes refreshes our living space and promotes better physical health. It reduces the likelihood of experiencing asthma and allergy-related issues.

89% of the respondents in that Ipsos survey believe that it’s important for their physical health to have a clean home. Simply eliminating some clutter like storage boxes and bins is a good step towards improving a home’s air quality. Items like this give dust more surface areas to collect on and dust only attracts more dust.

Another spring cleaning benefit is that a thorough cleaning effort gives you the chance to get some light exercise, which is never a bad thing. Physical activity can be a powerful source of motivation and inspiration and helps boost our energy levels and improve our mood.

2. It enhances your mental well-being

Our surroundings have a major impact on our mental health. Clutter and disorganization can contribute to feelings of stress and anxiety because it causes us to feel overwhelmed and not in control of our environment.

Spring cleaning provides an opportunity to declutter our surroundings and create a sense of order and calmness that positively impacts our mental health. Here are a few examples of some spring cleaning benefits that affect us on a psychological level:

  • being able to find things easier helps us feel like we’re more in control of our living space
  • eliminating clutter removes distractions and creates more space to notice and appreciate the things that bring us comfort and joy
  • completing spring cleaning work and seeing a tangible result makes our brain release dopamine, which generates feelings of happiness and pleasure
  • making our homes look more presentable and aesthetically pleasing instills feelings of pride, confidence, and contentment

There are so many things that can cause stress in our lives like worrying about politics, finances, the economy, relationships, and how our careers are going. Many of these stressors are things that are beyond our control.

One thing we can control is the organization and cleanliness of our homes. By making this a priority, we can minimize or eliminate a major source of stress by creating a living environment that’s better for our mental well-being.

3. Spring cleaning prevents mould and mildew

One of your goals while spring training shouldn’t just be to improve your living space’s appearance, it should be to eliminate germs, mould, and mildew.

Dampness and moisture tend to linger in the winter. This creates ideal conditions for mould and mildew growth in the spring, especially in areas with poor ventilation. Inspect home areas that are more prone to moisture buildup, such as bathrooms, garages, laundry rooms, basements, closets, and attics. Excess mould in a home can:

  • pose a health risk
  • impact the structural integrity of a house
  • lead to costly repairs
  • damage your belongings

You can usually remove small amounts of mould yourself using a mould removal product or household items like detergent, distilled white vinegar, and bleach.

Wear gloves, goggles, and a respirator or good face mask during the cleanup process to avoid exposure to mould spores. Experts recommend hiring a professional if the area affected by mould is more than 10 square feet.

4. It renews your energy and boosts productivity

man working in office

Clutter creates visual and mental distractions that reduces our ability to focus. That makes virtually any task more challenging to complete, whether it’s something as mundane as vacuuming a room or a chore that requires a little more focus and attention, such as cooking a meal.

A clean and organized home fosters better productivity and efficiency. Imagine walking into a clutter-free space where everything has its place and finding what you need becomes effortless. You waste much less time searching for misplaced items or rummaging through piles of clutter.

Instantly, your mind feels clearer and more focused, which should boost your productivity and leave you with more time for more important activities. Purging clutter and consistently keeping your home in a generally good place organizationally also makes cleaning and organizing in the future a more efficient process.

The positive effects of refreshing our living space and maintaining an orderly home feed off of each other. It elevates our mood, boosts our energy level, and gives us more motivation to tackle tasks with enthusiasm. A new OnePoll survey for The Container Store found that 80% of homeowners feel more motivated when their living space isn’t cluttered.

A healthier living environment that allows for better home functionality helps us sleep better as well, which also gives us more energy.

5. It fosters gratitude and self-reflection

One of the less obvious benefits of spring cleaning is that it gives our mindset the occasional refresh it needs.

As we explore the nooks and crannies of our homes, we’re confronted with all of our possessions and are reminded to be grateful for the abundance we enjoy. Forgotten treasures and sentimental keepsakes are rediscovered, allowing us to appreciate the memories they hold.

Simultaneously, spring cleaning gives us the chance to do some self-reflection while taking stock of our possessions. This can shift our perspective and make us more mindful of our consumption habits.

By cultivating gratitude through spring cleaning, we develop a deeper connection to our belongings and surroundings and have a greater appreciation for the comfort and security of our homes. Ultimately, this can lead to a more fulfilling lifestyle.

6. Spring cleaning prepares you for new beginnings

craft room

Spring is a time of transition and possibilities. By completing our spring cleaning work, we prepare ourselves mentally and emotionally for the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead, clearing the path for new beginnings.

This can happen in a variety of ways. Maybe purging a bunch of clutter opens up enough space in a room so that you can transform how it’s used, such as creating a new:

Perhaps the main things holding you back from rediscovering an old hobby or starting a new one is the lack of a dedicated home space for it or a shortage of free time. After a thorough spring cleaning that leaves you with more space and time because your home runs more efficiently, maybe you can finally pursue some new interests and activities.

Another positive by-product of spring cleaning is more social opportunities can open up because you’ll be more willing to have visitors over. Many homeowners avoid having company over because their house or condo isn’t up to the presentation standards they’d like. That OnePoll/Container Store survey found that 46% of homeowners would be embarrassed having guests see the messiest areas of their homes.

5 spring cleaning tips

With a better understanding of these spring cleaning benefits and the importance of giving your home some TLC, let’s explore some practical tips to make the process more efficient and enjoyable.

wood floor being mopped while spring cleaning

  1. Create a plan: Have a clear vision for what you want to accomplish and prioritize your home’s more problematic areas. Set ambitious goals that are broken down into smaller, achievable tasks to prevent burnout and ensure thoroughness. Make spring cleaning a team effort and get other family members on-board to help so you don’t feel overwhelmed.
  2. Declutter first: Don’t underestimate “the power of purging”. Deep-cleaning will be easier if you declutter by removing items that are no longer needed or used. Sort belongings into categories for what you want to keep, recycle, donate, sell, and discard. Pay special attention to common clutter hotspots like the garage and junk drawers.
  3. Tackle one room at a time: Focus on cleaning one room or area at a time to maintain momentum and prevent distractions. By seeing a tangible result when one area is fully decluttered, cleaned, and reorganized, you’ll stay motivated and energized. Allow yourself to rest if necessary. Sometimes, stepping away from any type of work for a little while helps you recharge and gives you a fresh perspective when you return to a task. Don’t overlook neglected areas such as baseboards, ceiling fans, and behind appliances.
  4. Use the right tools and supplies: Most cleaning products contain hazardous chemicals that can offset some of the health benefits of cleaning, so don’t overuse them. Soap, water, and a sponge or washable mop pad should work for most scrubbing jobs. Reusable microfibre cloths or dusters will trap dust particles more effectively and are more environmentally-friendly than single-use rags and cloths.
  5. Celebrate your progress and completion of projects: As you work through your spring cleaning checklist, take breaks to acknowledge and celebrate some of your accomplishments, even the small ones. Reward yourself with small treats or leisure activities to maintain motivation. If your kids are working with you, this strategy can help keep them motivated and on-task.

Enjoy the benefits of spring cleaning

Yes, it can be difficult to muster up enough motivation to get your spring cleaning projects started and to find the time to follow them through to completion properly.

Despite this common struggle, it emphasizes the importance of this timeless practice that few other home cleaning and organization tasks we do throughout the year feel as rewarding as spring cleaning.

Keeping a home tidier does become easier if you get some professional help, especially if your career and lifestyle take up most of your time and energy.

Whether you’re hiring a home cleaning service, a professional home organizer, or a home organization design and manufacturing company like Organized Interiors, an expert’s help can create a more harmonious living space.

Our custom storage solutions can improve your closets, bedrooms, laundry room, and home office, to name just a few of the home spaces we specialize in upgrading.

Schedule a free design consultation with us to start planning your home improvement project.

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9 Home Organization Mistakes and Their Easy Fixes

walk-in closet with cabinetry and mirror

It’s easy to make home organization mistakes that hinder our efforts to keep our living spaces tidy.

Using inferior storage systems and poor decluttering methods are two examples of common home organization mistakes.

Many of us struggle to find enough time to organize and clean. That can lead to corner-cutting just to feel like we’re doing the bare minimum to keep our homes livable and functional.

Unfortunately, not keeping up with the amount of work it takes to maintain a tidy house or condo only makes home organization problems get progressively worse. That makes the thought of dealing with a major decluttering and organizing project feel daunting and overwhelming.

Another reason some of us are organizationally challenged is that we simply aren’t aware of the best home organization tips and methods to use.

If maintaining an orderly home feels like a constant battle for you, find out how making some practical changes to the way you organize can be a big difference-maker.

4 benefits of better home organization

It can be difficult to get motivated to start any household chores and stay motivated enough to complete them. An occasional reminder about the great benefits of having a more organized home might help to inspire you.

bedroom with plenty of storage space

Here are some of the biggest benefits of better home organization:

  1. It’s better for our mental health: many studies have found that a disorganized home contributes to higher stress and anxiety levels. Too much clutter overtaxes our brains, which drains our energy and can impact our sleep quality. Relationships between family members may become more strained as well.
  2. Taking more pride in our homes: a tidy living space is more aesthetically pleasing and makes us feel proud about the home we’ve created. Our homes are one of the greatest reflections of who we are. A well-organized home allows guests to stop by at any time without worrying that our living space isn’t presentable.
  3. We’re more productive: it’s easier to be more productive in an organized space with optimal functionality. Focussing on tasks becomes easier and we feel more relaxed and comfortable. That’s extra important nowadays with so many of us working from home.
  4. Less time gets wasted: better home organization reduces the amount of time we waste looking for lost or misplaced items. It also saves us from wasting money on replacement purchases. One survey found that the average search time for a misplaced item in the home is five minutes and twenty seconds.

Avoid making these home organization mistakes

By eliminating the following common home organization mistakes, you’ll find it much easier to establish and maintain order in your home.

1. Not having a practical home organization plan

One of the biggest home organization mistakes is starting a clean-up project without clear goals and a solid plan. This often leads to:

  • inefficient work progress
  • unsatisfying results
  • frustration
  • burnout

Before getting started, take some time to define your decluttering and organizing goals and prioritize the areas of the home that need the most attention. Create a realistic timeline and break tasks into smaller, more manageable steps if necessary.

The smartest approach is to focus on completing one area or room at a time. Also, consider taking care of some smaller decluttering and organizing tasks before you dive into the bigger ones. That can include everything from clearing out a junk drawer to tidying up a home office desktop to making the bed.

A satisfying sense of accomplishment is an amazing motivator. Seeing a closet, countertop, or other area of your home that has just been tidied up can help fuel you to move on to the next part of your living space that needs attention.

2. Organizing before decluttering

Many people jump straight into organizing without taking the time to declutter first, which is counter-productive.

It’s a common misconception that decluttering and organizing are the same thing. They’re actually different processes that complement each other. Here are the differences between decluttering and organizing:

  • decluttering removes unnecessary items from a space
  • organizing is the process of putting items where they’re supposed to be and establishing systems to keep spaces tidy

It doesn’t make sense to organize and store things that we never use. That only makes it harder to keep a space organized. Decluttering weekly, monthly, or even a couple of times per year frees up valuable storage space for the things we use regularly.

3. Failing to use effective home organization systems

A surprisingly common home organization mistake is to rearrange where your belongings are stored instead of properly reorganizing them. This is one area where effective decluttering takes on greater importance. You can reorganize clutter all you want, but organized clutter is still just clutter.

It’s essential to have effective organization methods or systems in place to keep things tidy with less effort. Without good organization systems, home spaces are guaranteed to become cluttered and disorganized faster.

One fundamental that works for any organizing purpose is to create designated homes for everything you own. This takes the guesswork out of deciding where items should be stored and encourages more consistent organizing habits. Some people find it useful to label a lot of their home storage spaces.

open laundry hamper white cabinetry

Another easy way to keep a home tidier is to set up simple organization systems that accommodate your daily routines and lifestyle. Here are a few examples:

  • keep your house and car keys in a designated spot like a wall key hook
  • use dividers to keep drawers tidier and eliminate those dreaded junk drawers
  • create an incoming mail drop zone near the front door along with a recycling bin
  • use laundry hampers to corral dirty clothes

4. Not investing in better storage and organization solutions

Using effective organizing systems like the examples above helps significantly. However, there’s more anyone in pursuit of a tidy home can do to make it even easier to maintain order: invest in better storage and organization solutions.

That doesn’t include buying a bunch of storage bins and containers. Many people make the mistake of storing too many of their belongings in storage bins. Although they are practical for some storage needs, bins tend to get used more to keep clutter out of sight and out of mind.

It’s wiser to consider your specific storage needs and choose storage solutions that make better use of your space, while keeping items visible and accessible. Well-designed storage products work hand-in-hand with your organizing systems for better organizing efficiency.

Higher-quality storage and organization products also last longer, function more reliably, and look nicer than low-cost storage and organization products.

Home organization solution ideas

Custom closet systems are one home organization solution that are well worth the investment. Professionally-designed closet organizers maximize your wardrobe storage space. Convenient accessories like pullout racks and extra hanging rods can be incorporated into the design, too.

Here are some additional home organization solutions worth considering:

  • adding a mudroom to keep your front entryway tidier
  • adding a walk-in kitchen pantry
  • remodeling or adding a home office
  • update your bathroom’s storage areas
  • give your laundry room a makeover

mudroom storage

Make sure you declutter and reorganize before buying any new storage products. It’s much harder to properly assess what your storage needs are until you’ve cleared out all of that space-hogging clutter!

5. Trying to do too much by ourselves

Home organization is a time-consuming, always-ongoing process. Trying to handle too much of the work alone simply isn’t practical.

This only causes us to feel more stressed, fatigued, and perhaps even resentful of other family members who aren’t pulling their weight to keep the home tidy and functional. It’s a tricky thing to navigate, too, because everyone has different organizational standards.

The best strategy is to delegate decluttering and organizing tasks among family members. Try to maintain a regular home organizing and cleaning schedule.

Good communication is a key part of the organizing process in any home with more than one dweller.

A family member may have a different attachment to a belonging than you’re aware of. That can cause issues when you clean up after them and their belongings get stashed away or thrown out, so keep the lines of communication open to maintain peace in the home.

6. Being handcuffed by obligation and sentimentality

Homes tend to have more clutter than they should because we sometimes let feelings of obligation and sentimentality cloud our judgement when it’s time to declutter.

How many times have you been reluctant to get rid of something that was given to you as a gift? We also feel obligated to keep more expensive things, even if we rarely or never use them.

Guilt is another negative feeling that holds us back from clearing out some of the clutter from our lives (like holding onto clothes we bought and never wore).

Sentimentality is another major reason we don’t have more free space in our homes. Things we rarely, if ever, use or take the time to appreciate often hold too much emotional power over us and end up collecting dust.

man selecting shirt from closet

Also, try not to get caught up in too much of the “I might use it one day” mindset for things you never use. In some cases, such forward-thinking might pay off, but this is usually the exception, not the norm.

Home organizing guru Marie Kondo’s “does it spark joy?” philosophy works for some people when they’re decluttering and reorganizing. Whichever criteria you use, just try to be selective and practical about the items you choose to share space with in your home.

7. Paying to store stuff we never use

Another home organization mistake a surprising number of people make is to deal with their clutter problem by simply moving most of it to a self-storage unit. A Self-Storage Association survey found that 9% of American homeowners rent storage space, even though 65% of them have a garage.

A newer variation of the remote storage concept is on-demand/pick-up storage services. They’ll pick up your extra belongings, store them at their warehouse, and bring specific items back to you (for a fee, of course) when they’re eventually needed.

Using self-storage companies never turns out to be a practical long-term home organization solution. They should only be used if you’re dealing with a major life event like a divorce, a death in the family, or a move and need to store some things on a short-term basis.

All of that stuff is never really “out of sight, out of mind”, either. The monthly or yearly storage bills you’ll be paying will make sure you’re regularly reminded that those remotely stored belongings will eventually need to be dealt with.

On a related note, another misplaced use of home storage is sacrificing your garage to store junk instead of the things it was invented to store – your vehicles. A remodeled garage can create a lot more room for home storage and leave you with valuable indoor parking space. Contact Garage Living to learn more about how they can transform your garage.

8. Not getting rid of things after decluttering

Decluttering and organizing are cathartic processes that are good for our mental health because they help us regain control of our living spaces.

However, you won’t experience the full reward for the hard work you’ve put in until all of those boxes and bins of items that are being donated, given away, thrown out, or sold are finally removed from your home.

Allowing these things to continue occupying space in the home negates the positive impact of decluttering. Once they are finally gone, it opens up space (literally) for new possibilities in your home. You can upgrade some areas to create more space for:

• entertaining
• hobbies
• enjoying entertainment
• lounging
• remote working

If you don’t have much free time to drop off items you want to donate, call the charity or thrift store you have in mind. They may be able to save you a car trip by picking your things up.

9. Not decluttering and organizing regularly

Decluttering and organizing are not one-time events you can take care of when a new year begins or in the spring. They’re always-ongoing processes that prevent clutter from accumulating.

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s all-too-easy to neglect the regular maintenance that is required to keep our homes organized and functioning smoothly.

According to HuffPost.com, studies have found that “people are significantly more likely to litter in already-messy environments than they are in clean environments. The same theory applies to the home as well – when you have a clean, relaxing space, you’ll want to keep it that way.”

white built-ins organized den

Make it a habit to devote a few minutes each day for quick organization touch-ups and maintenance. Try to dedicate a specific day once a week for some more thorough organizing and cleaning. And follow these three organizing best practices:

  • return items to their proper places
  • occasionally assess how efficiently your storage systems are working
  • declutter periodically to prevent the buildup of unnecessary items

One more overlooked benefit of having an organized, clutter-free home is that it makes it easier to clean and you can be more thorough while cleaning. You won’t need to spend as much time moving things to vacuum and dust around and underneath them.

Invest in reliable home organization solutions

By recognizing and sidestepping these common home organization mistakes, you should be well on your way to creating a more orderly living space.

Organized Interiors has home organization solutions that can transform your living space into a clutter-free, more functional environment that improves your quality of life.

Our custom cabinetry offers hundreds of attractive finishes to choose from. Wood texture, high gloss, and matte styles are available so you can personalize and stylize the look of your storage and organization systems.

Schedule a free design consultation with us today.

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The Best Home Organization Shows to Watch Right Now

Photo by Vecislavas Popa from Pexels

When the calendar turns to January, many of us get the urge to tidy up after a busy holiday season to get our homes in order.

Having the idea to get some January home cleaning done and actually being motivated enough to follow through on those good intentions doesn’t always happen, however.

A little extra inspiration can always help. Why not watch some of the best home organization shows for some ideas and inspiration to get your new year home organization project started?

Get inspired by these home organization shows

Home organization shows have had a major impact on pop culture in recent years. Thanks to everyone from Marie Kondo to The Minimalists to the Get Organized with The Home Edit ladies, decluttering and home organizing have become their own subgenre of TV entertainment.

Who would have thought?

Homeowners have no shortage of choices on their TV screens and devices to educate, entertain, and inspire them to declutter and refresh their living spaces.

Luckily, these shows cater to a variety of organizing styles, so at least one of them should align with your personality and lifestyle.

Don’t wait until the spring to get your home in tip-top shape. Start the year off on a positive note by checking out these binge-worthy home organization shows to spark some inspiration to restore order to your home.

1. Get Organized with The Home Edit

home organization shows

Photo: Netflix Canada

Home organizing experts Joanna Teplin and Clea Shearer founded their Home Edit company in 2015. Their goal was to “reinvent traditional organizing and merge it with design and interior styling for a specific and signature look”.

The Nashville-based duo have rapidly grown The Home Edit into a major lifestyle brand that includes the following:

  • a podcast
  • two bestselling books
  • a product line that is sold in over two dozen countries
  • a huge social media following

Teplin and Shearer also executive produce and star in Get Organized with The Home Edit on Netflix. That show is also executive produced by actress Reese Witherspoon, whose Hello Sunshine media company bought The Home Edit company in 2022.  

The show features the pair’s signature organizing style that relies on using colour-coordinated storage and clear acrylic containers to make spaces more aesthetically pleasing. Using lots of labels is another strategy they recommend to make it easier to keep things tidy.

They help celebrities (including Witherspoon, Neil Patrick Harris, and Eva Longoria) and average families organize everything from their pantries to playrooms to home offices to bedroom closets. Joanna and Clea’s own homes and personal lives get some attention, too.

Season one premiered in 2020 and includes eight episodes ranging from 40 to 45 minutes each. 2022’s season two includes eight more episodes.

Where you can watch it: Netflix

2. Tidying Up with Marie Kondo

A list of the best home organization shows wouldn’t be complete without including Marie Kondo. In the last several years, the Japanese minimalist and organizing guru have become a household name in North America.

Kondo has authored several bestselling books (including 2014’s breakout hit The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up), makes public speaking appearances, appears regularly on TV, is a major social media influencer, and is also an in-demand organizing consultant.

Her “KonMari” organization philosophies are showcased in Netflix’s Tidying Up with Marie Kondo series. Kondo helps her clients declutter their homes by sharing her wisdom about the benefits of living with fewer things. She also shows them how to deal with the emotional connection we form with some of our belongings, which makes it harder to detach from them. 

Kondo’s decluttering methods of asking whether or not your belongings “spark joy” for you and literally expressing gratitude towards items you part with aren’t for everyone, admittedly. But we think anyone whose name has become a verb for decluttering (as in “I Marie Kondo-ed my messy closet”) is worth paying to.

The 2019 show includes one season of eight episodes ranging from 35 to 50 minutes each.

Where you can watch it: Netflix

3. Hot Mess House

Photo: HGTV Canada

Chatham-born Cassandra Aarssen’s ClutterBug home organizing business has helped millions of people live with less clutter. Aarssen’s home organizing tips and hacks are also available through her YouTube channel, podcast, blog, books, and on her Hot Mess House HGTV show.

Hot Mess House’s first season was filmed in the early days of the pandemic, so the organizing expert works with her clients virtually. After getting a video tour of the clients’ homes and hearing about their issues, she recommends home organizing solutions that will help them and organizationally-challenged viewers. 

In season two, Aarssen gets to work with her clients in-person at their homes on organization projects that transform their messy spaces into tidy living areas. Builder Wendell Holland works with Aarssen to create the custom organization systems the homeowners need.

Season one of the series includes four 22-minute episodes. Season two features a lot more content with six episodes that are 43 minutes each.

Where you can watch it: HGTV Canada, Discovery+, Amazon Prime Video

4. The Minimalists: Less Is Now

Kondo may have raised the profile of the minimalist lifestyle over the last decade, but The Minimalists (Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus) preceded her arrival by a few years.

The pair, who have been close friends since childhood, began evangelizing about the benefits of minimalism in 2011. Like the other home organization show hosts, they’ve published books, host a podcast, make public speaking appearances, and brought their message to the online streaming world.

The Minimalists: Less Is Now is the follow-up to Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things, their popular 2015 Netflix documentary. It further examines the pitfalls of consumer culture and challenges viewers to reevaluate their consumer habits.

Unlike the other home organization shows listed here, this one is a single documentary that packs a lot of food for thought into its shorter 53-minute running time.

Where you can watch it: Netflix

5. Sparking Joy with Marie Kondo

Photo: Netflix Canada

Sparking Joy, Kondo’s follow-up series to Tidying Up takes a different approach to organizing her clients’ lives. The show focuses on helping some small business owners and a church worker achieve a better work-life balance.

In one episode, Kondo helps the father and son owners of an organic garden centre organize their workspace to help relieve some of the strain in their relationship. Another episode finds Kondo helping a coffee shop owner bring more order to her cafe and home office space. A mother who has recently dealt with a lot of upheaval in her life turns to Kondo for her expertise as she attempts to tidy up her church and home in another episode.

The series updates the progress of Kondo’s clients by checking in with them a little while after consulting with the organizing expert. The series also provides a glimpse into Kondo’s family and home life.

Sparking Joy consists of three episodes that are 40 minutes each, so you can easily watch the entire series in one sitting.

Where you can watch it: Netflix

Get the best home organization solutions

Getting ideas, tips, and inspiration from these home organization shows will help restore order in your house or condo.

There’s no substitute for using well-made, highly efficient organization systems to maximize your home storage space, however.

It helps if the organization systems you rely on look nice, too. In recent years, home organization shows like the ones we’ve covered have spotlighted how the storage we use in our homes can also be more aesthetically pleasing.

“Storage isn’t just part of the home’s form or function anymore. It’s also a major contributor to its style,” writes Builderonline.

Organized Interiors has the expertise and stylish, user-friendly products to make your home tidier and more comfortable.

To organize and upgrade your closets, home office, bedrooms, laundry room, and other areas of your home, all it takes to get started is to schedule a free design consultation with us.

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Seasonal Closet Organization Ideas for All 4 Seasons

woman doing seasonal closet organization

Doing some seasonal closet organization in your bedrooms and front entryway is sensible, but it’s one of those home tasks that many of us push aside.

It’s understandable to be less than motivated to take the time to switch out your off-season clothes for more seasonally appropriate attire.

After all, that off-season clothing isn’t needed at the moment and, well, it’s just extra work, right? And eventually, those out-of-season clothes will become part of your daily wardrobe again anyway.

There are plenty of good reasons to invest time in reorganizing your closets when a new season arrives, however. Find out about the benefits of doing so and get some tips that will lead to success with your seasonal closet organization efforts.

Seasonal closet organization saves you valuable time

Not reorganizing the front entryway and bedroom closets when the seasons change makes it harder to maintain those storage spaces. The closets can get so overstuffed and untidy that things get buried in the chaos and get misplaced.

That results in hours of time being wasted over the course of a year looking for items. The amount of time spent making decisions about what to wear goes up, too. Don’t believe us? Consider these statistics:

  • The average woman spends 17 minutes each morning deciding on a work outfit and getting dressed. (Marks & Spencer study)
  • 61% of men and women with closets full of clothes regularly struggle with choosing items to wear. (Nordstrom Trunk Club study)

An upfront investment of your time to get your closets in order is a smart way to ensure your daily dressing routine runs smoothly.

Seasonal closet organization is one of those home tasks that require the most amount of work the first time you do it. Provided that a thorough job is done and you’re supporting your efforts with capable storage systems and smart organizing strategies, maintaining everything when a new season arrives should be a breeze.

A seasonal closet organization guide

There’s a little more to seasonal closet organization than simply clearing out one group of clothes for another based on what season it is.

We’ve compiled various seasonal closet organization tips and ideas that will show you:

  • the benefits of an occasional closet purge
  • the most effective ways to get the job done
  • why regularly curating your wardrobe is important
  • clothes storage tips for specific seasons
  • general storage best practices for clothes in any season

Benefits of a seasonal closet purge

Sorting through a full closet is time-consuming…and usually time-wasting. “Choice fatigue” (also known as “decision fatigue”) is real and occurs when we open an overstuffed closet to find things to wear. 

The average person makes thousands of decisions in a day, which can overwhelm our brains and hinder our decision-making skills. Deciding which three or four items to wear from a wardrobe with 100+ pieces to choose from can end up becoming a 15-minute task if you’re the indecisive type.

Here are a few statistics that show the effects of owning too many clothes:

  • 61% of women who have a hard time finding anything in their closets end up buying new clothes. (OnePoll survey)
  • Over half of British adults had the majority of their clothes go unworn because they got lost among their clutter. (Stitch Fix UK poll)
  • It’s estimated that 80% of your clothes are only worn 20% of the time. (National Association of Professional Organizers study)
clothes being sorted for seasonal closet organization

The frustrating experience of staring at a full closet and not being able to pick something to wear is very common. It might sound counterintuitive, but downsizing can help.

Some call it a closet purge, edit, curation, clear-out, or cull. However you refer to it, taking inventory and re-evaluating everything that’s in your closets, wardrobe, and dresser once or twice a year is smart and proactive. 

You’ll find clothing that no longer fits, is out of style, is too well-worn to continue wearing, is no longer reflective of your style, or things that are rarely or have never been worn. The latter is quite common. A survey by 10 Yetis (a UK public relations agency) found that a woman’s closet has an average of $550 worth of unworn clothing.

And right there is another benefit of reorganizing your closets – you might rediscover a misplaced or forgotten piece of clothing that can, to quote Marie Kondo, spark some joy for you, just as you intended when it was bought!

Another huge benefit of slimming down your wardrobe and getting your closets organized is reclaiming much of that aforementioned time that was being wasted daily. Items will be easier to find and you won’t be overloaded with too many choices. 

A thorough seasonal closet purge also lets you swap out the stress and frustration from dealing with an untidy closet with more positive feelings. Shedding some of that closet clutter will be liberating and fulfilling. Dealing with a more functional closet helps set a good tone for the rest of your day as well.

Curate, then donate, recycle, or toss

Seasonal closet organization is a great chance to hit the reset button on your closet spaces. The standard curation process for a wardrobe overhaul is to separate things into toss, donate, and keep piles. Deciding what stays and what goes can admittedly be tough.

The keys to keeping wardrobes at a manageable size are to:

  • only keep what you value
  • get rid of anything that hasn’t been worn in the last two years
  • cut the sentimental ties to clothing from your past
  • be realistic about fitting into old clothes that are now a size or two too small

Charities and thrift stores that don’t have a textile recycling program typically won’t take worn-out, damaged, and dirty clothes.

For clothes that can’t be resold, make an effort to repurpose what you can as rags for home cleaning work. Have the remaining clothes recycled instead of simply throwing them out. The Recycling Council of Ontario says that 95% of the 37 kilograms of textiles thrown out by the average person every year could have been recycled or reused.

Before dropping off your donated clothes, check with the intended recipient to make sure they can take them. Charities and thrift stores have had a surge of donations during the pandemic and some may not be taking any more donated items right now.

And avoid leaving clothes at donation boxes that aren’t operated by reputable charities. The Toronto Star reports that there are many illegally placed donation bins in the GTA that are operated by some pretty shady people.

jeans being put in box

Call ahead to ensure a thrift store or charity can take your clothing donations. The pandemic resulted in many thrift stores and charities getting more clothing donations than they can handle.

Spring closet organization tips

Make sure closets are included on your spring cleaning checklist. During the curation and inventory-taking process, many people like to take everything out of their closets to get a better idea of what they’re working with. This step is virtually essential if you have a lot of clothes to look over.

Your clothing collection is being refreshed by paring down its size, so why not follow suit with the interior of your closets?

A full bedroom closet doesn’t allow for a thorough cleaning, so take the opportunity of them being empty to clean the interiors from top to bottom. Wipe down the shelves, walls, and ceiling and give the floor a good vacuum. Don’t forget to clear out the cobwebs and check for mould!

Make use of a good closet organizer and utilize every inch of the space for storage. Consider hiring a closet designer to create a custom design that maximizes a closet’s storage space and is tailored to your lifestyle.

Tips for organizing summer clothing

Luckily, there is usually a little more space available in closets and bedroom drawers during the warm months of the year. Summer clothing fabrics like cotton, linen, and synthetic blends are lighter and thinner than a lot of the textile materials you wear during the rest of the year.

That’s a good thing because most of us wear more types of clothing during the summer than in any other season. The warmer weather inspires us to be more active and the right clothing has to be easily accessible, whether you’re going to the beach, a backyard barbecue, an outdoor concert, or camping with the family.

Summer clothing staples like shorts, t-shirts, tank tops, swimsuits, and ankle socks can be kept organized in drawers with drawer dividers. A closet with open shelving and cubbies works well, too. Mid-height closet shelves and the top of a drawer tower are also handy for storing sunglasses and summer hats.

Canadians usually exercise more in the spring and summer since the weather is more suitable for walking, jogging, and other outdoor activities. Check out our tips for storing your workout clothes.

Fall closet organization tips

As summer winds down, it will be time to start thinking about digging out your fall clothing so they’re all ready when the first autumn chill arrives.

Just like the transitional period between winter and spring, you’ll need to make a little more room in the bedroom closet for lighter clothing to wear during those warm fall days. For chillier days you’ll want to have space for thicker PJs and light jackets.

A front entryway closet can get messy in the fall as the frequency of rain increases toward the end of the year. The potential for an unexpected cold snap in late summer and early fall is always there in Canada. An entryway closet is another area where two types of seasonal outerwear will need to share space for a few weeks.

Maximize a front entryway closet’s storage space by using hooks, cubbies, shoe racks and trays, and built-in storage like a storage bench to keep things organized. Make optimal use of the closet’s vertical space by adding an extra shelf or two. Organized Interiors offers entryway closet and mudroom designs that can be customized for your home’s needs.

folded clothes in organized closet

More closet storage space means more room for different types of seasonal clothing that get used during transitional times of the year, such as between the summer and fall.

Tips for keeping winter clothes organized

Winter clothing presents the biggest challenge when it comes to closet organization because of the extra bulk they have, especially things like winter jackets. You’ll never appreciate having enough closet and drawer storage space more than during the winter.

A closet design with open shelving for sweaters (which you shouldn’t hang) and a drawer tower for everything from your thick socks to your coziest sweatshirts helps.

A shoe rack or boot tray in a front entryway closet is essential for this time of year when snow, ice, rainwater, and mud get brought inside regularly.

To minimize the amount of wet stuff that’s entering your home, have a good doormat set down outside, which also adds a nice decorative accent to your home. And encourage your family members to stomp and wipe their footwear off before coming inside!

7 clothing and closet organization tips for any season

Many clothing organization strategies and tips are useful and applicable year-round. Here are some time-tested and effective tips for taking care of your wardrobe and keeping your closets functioning at peak performance levels:

  1. Aim to have everything stored in your closets and drawers visible to prevent items from getting neglected.
  2. Group like items together by outfit, colour, or the size of the clothing.
  3. Leave some space between your clothes to prevent wrinkling.
  4. Always wash worn clothes before they’re stored away. Untreated stains will set in over time and things like sweat and the smells of perfumes and colognes can attract pests.
  5. Repair things like broken zippers and missing buttons and make any needed alternations to your clothes before storing them away for several months.
  6. Make sure off-season clothing is dry before being stored away.
  7. If you need to store seasonal clothing in plastic storage bins, buy smaller container sizes that are easier to move around.
seasonal closet organization in walk-in closet

A spare room can be transformed into the ultimate closet space – a walk-in closet with more than enough room for all your seasonal clothing.

Reboot your closet spaces, one room at a time

Use these seasonal closet organization ideas and tips to get the most out of your clothing storage spaces year-round.

The convenience and satisfaction of using a well-designed closet every day cannot be overstated. Organized Interiors can transform any closet in your home so they provide better functionality and look nicer with our stylish closet designs.

We also design clothing storage solutions like standalone and built-in wardrobes, closet spaces that can be added anywhere in your home, and more great custom cabinetry products. Adding a closet to a house may add value, but how much will it cost? Find out how much building a closet costs and the value it might add.

Schedule a free design consultation with us to get started making more space for living in your living space.

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On-demand Storage Services: 9 Reasons You Shouldn’t Use Them

on-demand storage hero

Numerous on-demand storage companies have sprung up in recent years. They all promise an easy solution to solve the problem of not having enough home storage space.

The business model of these companies is a creative evolution of the traditional self-storage concept. Instead of someone taking all of their extra stuff to another location for storage, these companies come right to the customer to pick it up.

On-demand storage is also known as “pickup storage” and “valet storage”. 

One of the common selling points of these companies is how convenient their services are for people to use. The longer you look at how these businesses work, however, it becomes quite evident that it just doesn’t make any practical or financial sense to use on-demand storage companies.

Why is there more demand for on-demand storage?

It’s not surprising that this type of service has gained traction in the home storage marketplace. A lot of us simply have too much stuff and don’t spend enough time paring down the number of things we own.

That makes what storage companies offer look a lot more attractive in desperate times when clutter has overwhelmed a household.

These eye-opening statistics shed some light on how our homes are organized:

  • Having a lack of storage space was the number one pet peeve of homeowners. (HSH.com survey)
  • Disorganization (not lack of space) causes 80% of household clutter. (Soap and Detergent Association study)
  • Having an untidy home was the fifth most common stress trigger for homeowners. (Huffington Post survey)
  • 25% of people with 2-car garages don’t park in them at all due to clutter. (U.S. Dept. of Energy study)
  • 61% of women who have a hard time finding anything in their closet end up buying new clothes. (OnePoll survey)
  • Only 20% of the things we own are actually used. (LexisNexis study)
  • 9% of Americans rent storage space, even though 65% of those homeowners have a garage. (Self Storage Association survey)

The very fact that on-demand storage companies exist and that people are using them is a reflection of the consumer culture we live in. The rise of e-commerce over the past 20 years has only added to the problem of our homes being more overstuffed than ever.

How does on-demand storage work?

Here’s how on-demand storage companies work:

  1. The customer contacts the company and tells them how much of their stuff needs to be stored at the company’s warehouse.
  2. A time is scheduled for the company’s empty lockable storage containers to be dropped off at the customer’s home. Some pickup storage services will allow customers to use their own storage boxes or bins and may offer packing help as well (the latter costs extra, naturally).
  3. When the storage containers are filled, a pickup time is arranged.
  4. All items being stored are inventoried and photographed before being shipped to the storage warehouse. Monthly fees are charged to the customer based on the amount of storage space they use.
  5. Whenever the customer needs anything from their stored inventory, the company delivers it to them upon request for a fee.

Most customers will use a self-service phone app or web portal to check and manage their stored inventory and arrange pickup and drop-off times.

If all of that extra time, work, and expense just to store your own belongings seems impractical and, quite frankly, downright silly, you’re beginning to see why hiring one of these companies is usually a bad idea.

Using a storage company on a short-term basis could be practical if you found yourself in one of the following difficult situations:

  • if you’re in a bind with a sudden job relocation to another city or country
  • a job loss that forces you to downsize
  • if your home is undergoing a major long-term remodel
  • a change in your living situation (like a separation, divorce, or end of a live-in relationship) that requires you to move

Otherwise, there’s no reason anyone should be wasting their hard-earned money on this type of service. Let’s take a closer look at why you shouldn’t use on-demand storage services.

1. “Out of sight, out of mind” isn’t a storage solution

If a home can’t fit everything a family owns, the home is too small or the occupants own more things than they need (or both). In most cases, it’s the latter.

The “kicking the can down the road” approach to dealing with clutter by just storing it remotely doesn’t solve anyone’s organization problems. “Out of sight, out of mind” simply isn’t a storage solution.

The biggest reason people avoid getting organized is the time it will require to get the job done. Somehow, they conveniently forget just how much time we waste from being disorganized. It makes no sense.

The only way to solve a storage problem is to address the root cause of the issue and put in some time and effort to declutter occasionally. Hiring a storage company to house the stuff their home should be storing only encourages someone to keep buying more than they need.

One day, all of that stored stuff will need to be dealt with anyway.

man taping storage box

Instead of shipping things you can’t find room for in your home to another location, just take the time to declutter.

2. On-demand storage drains your finances

That “one day” when someone finally gets around to dealing with their stored items is what these companies count on to make their money. It’s in these companies’ best financial interests for their customers to forget about their belongings or procrastinate on getting rid of them.

Derek Naylor, a former president of Storage Marketing Solutions (a self-storage industry marketing and advertising agency) told The New York Times, “Human laziness has always been a big friend of self-storage operators.”

This extra monthly expense naturally adds up if you have things stored for a long time. You’ll find plenty of cautionary tales online like this one from people filled with regret about using storage companies. In many cases, their story is the same: a plan to store some things on a temporary basis turns into a long-term period of using remote storage, which results in thousands of wasted dollars.

The pickup storage service model only adds another expense on top of the monthly storage fee when someone needs to have things delivered occasionally from their storage warehouse. Delivery fees varied anywhere from $15 to $35 for the various on-demand storage companies we looked at.

Read the fine print

Then there are the extra charges you need to pay close attention to in the service contract you sign. They may not exactly be hidden, but they’re certainly not easily identified in all of that fine print, either. Here are some examples of extra fees you can face:

  • heavy item charges for delivering bulky items that require more than one person to handle
  • mandatory insurance fees
  • penalty surcharges if you store less than the company’s minimum storage requirement
  • a one-time administrative fee when you open an account
  • hefty late fees if a monthly payment is missed or late

3. Why pay someone to store your junk?

Junk is defined as “something of little meaning, worth, or significance”. If something is so inconsequential in your life that you don’t even need to keep it under your own roof, chances are that it’s junk. If you’ve ever watched an episode of Storage Wars, you know that most of the contents kept in storage units is junk.

Feelings of nostalgia make it difficult for many people to part with their belongings. Others are reluctant to throw things away because it feels wasteful.

But as Ann Gambrell (founder of the National Association of Professional Organizers) explained to Consumer Reports about why people waste money on storage fees, “It’s typically all about procrastination. People end up spending money because they can’t make a decision.”

Holding onto junk and letting it take up space in a home limits the functionality of a living space. That’s not cost-effective. And it’s even less cost-effective for someone to ship away their junk and pay someone to store it.

Don’t waste your money on fees to store things you’ll end up selling or throwing away eventually anyway. There are two huge upsides of downsizing the number of things you own: you’ll save a lot of money and feel great after liberating yourself from the clutter that’s caused you stress for years.

4. Investing in home storage upgrades is a lot smarter

It’s ironic that the excess clutter that prompts someone to try and create more storage space in their home also makes it harder to identify where those potential storage spaces are. It’s like trying to find a parking spot in a crowded parking lot – finding that open space is much harder when everything is so congested.

The average homeowner who looks around their house or condo for more space to store their belongings also doesn’t have the experience of a home organization design pro. Companies like Organized Interiors, who specialize in storage and organization solutions, can leverage a home’s underutilized spaces for improved functionality.

Instead of falling into the bottomless pit of monthly storage fee expenses, it’s a lot smarter to invest your money in home storage upgrades that also add value to your home.

Skilled design professionals can improve existing home storage areas and find new storage spaces that most people wouldn’t have considered. Here are some examples:

  • a closet makeover that maximizes the storage space for clothing and accessories
  • converting an unused attic space into additional storage or living space
  • making better use of a spare room and converting it into a guest room, home office, walk-in closet, or hobby room
  • optimizing the storage capabilities of the garage
  • using dual-purpose furniture like storage beds, built-in wall units, and seating with hidden storage
Bed storage with bedroom cabinetry

Instead of wasting money every month on storage fees, invest in home storage upgrades. This custom cabinetry featuring a storage bed maximizes a bedroom’s storage space.

5. On-demand storage isn’t as convenient as it may seem

The “convenience” these valet storage companies promote makes rather selective use of that word. Is it more convenient for someone to have all of their extra stuff picked up and shipped off somewhere else so they don’t have to declutter and make more storage room in their home? Sure, that saves them time now.

It’s not so convenient, however, on a long-term basis when they need access to anything that is stored remotely. Then they’re dealing with the busywork of arranging a delivery time and waiting for the delivery to happen.

There’s nothing convenient about anyone having less access to their own belongings and getting charged a fee to have them delivered to their home. All of the on-demand storage companies we looked at don’t even have an option that allows customers to pick up their items from the storage facility when needed, even for a lower fee.

Even in a cluttered home, someone can probably find anything (even a misplaced item) in less time than it would take to arrange and wait for a valet storage company delivery.

6. Not all storage warehouses are safe and secure

All storage companies promote the fact that customers can enjoy the peace of mind of knowing that their belongings are being stored in a safe, secure storage facility.

However, we all know that there are plenty of shady companies out there who will promise one thing and actually cut corners with how they operate.

Anyone entrusting a company to store their belongings should be asking a number of questions about the storage warehouse where their things are being kept. This includes asking:

  • does the storage facility have 24/7 security personnel and monitored video surveillance?
  • how safe is the neighbourhood the facility is located in?
  • are strict pest control measures being used?
  • how carefully monitored is the warehouse’s climate control?

7. Storage companies avoid taking responsibility for lost and damaged items

Anyone considering using a storage company doesn’t only need to do their homework on how secure their stored belongings will be, they also need to get detailed information about how liable the company is in the event of damage or theft of their property.

Traditionally, storage companies will do everything they can to avoid having to pay you the full amount to replace damaged or stolen items.

Look at the terms and conditions page on the site of any storage company. They’re guaranteed to be the longest page on the site and filled with legalese that seems to absolve the company of virtually any responsibility for items that are stored with them…unless you have a protection plan. And even if you do have a protection plan, the level of coverage you get isn’t very impressive.

Here is a sampling from a couple of storage companies about what they won’t cover unless you have a protection plan:

  • loss or damage incurred in transit or during loading or unloading
  • loss or damage resulting from unknown or mysterious causes
  • damage caused by moths, vermin or other insects, rust, fire, water, changes in temperature, fumigation, or deterioration
  • loss or damage resulting from theft

And that’s only a fraction of what they list. Some companies protect themselves from any liability to such a high degree that they even list acts of war and nuclear accidents as events for which they’re not responsible for damage to property stored on their premises. Talk about covering all of your bases!

8. On-demand storage is bad for the planet

Using on-demand storage companies isn’t eco-friendly in a couple of different ways.

There are thousands of storage warehouses occupying billions of square footage across Canada and the U.S. That massive amount of space needs to be lit and climate-controlled, which leaves a large carbon footprint.

Valet storage companies are also part of the growing business movement that provides on-demand services to consumers who crave convenience. Nowadays, everything from Amazon packages to fast food to groceries to pet grooming services can come right to our front doors.

The trade-off for all of this convenience, unfortunately, is more traffic on the roads (including on-demand storage vehicles) and therefore more vehicle emissions.

on-demand storage companies increase traffic

Traffic congestion in the GTA is already bad enough. More on-demand storage company vehicles on the roads only adds to the problem and increases vehicle emissions.

9. There are restrictions on what you can store

It makes sense that storage companies would have some restrictions on what you can store in their facilities, including things like illegal items, perishable goods, and materials that are combustible, hazardous, and toxic.

Once again, you need to really read the fine print in their terms and conditions to ensure you’re complying with their storage guidelines and not breaking any rules that could result in a hefty fine. A number of things on the restricted items lists from a few different companies surprised us. Here are some examples of what can’t be stored:

  • heavy items like a piano, pool table, or large grill
  • vehicle tires
  • boxes weighing more than 70 pounds
  • some types of exercise equipment

Most storage companies will only store fragile goods under certain conditions, if at all. For example, furniture that incorporates glass and furniture made from particleboard needs to be disassembled. Electronics like a TV or computer need to be packed in their original boxes or in one of the company’s special boxes.

Even after complying with these rules, customers typically still have to sign a fragile items waiver that takes the storage company off the hook for any responsibility if the items are damaged, even if the customer bought the protection plan.

Make more space for your belongings at home, not a storage facility

By now it should be quite clear that hiring on-demand storage companies isn’t worth the hassle and expense.

Talk to Organized Interiors about how we can improve the storage functionality in your home. We offer more practical and cost-effective ways to solve your home organization challenges than storing your belongings in a remote location.

Schedule a free design consultation with us today.

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