If you missed my appearance as a “spring cleaning expert” on CBC radio last week, check it out below. I visited the home of CBC staffer Jake Costello who recently moved into a new home and needed some advice on spring cleaning.

With a short radio intervention, we didn’t have time to walk through all my tips, so I’ll share some quick ones here:

Sort First

Be sure to sort and SPRING CLEAR your stuff before you get into the “deep clean” part of spring cleaning.

Pile and Edit

Spring cleaning is like writing an exam: do the easy questions first. Create piles of items that are an absolute “YES I want to keep” and an absolute “NO I don’t want.” The rest of the items fall into a “MAYBE” pile. Tackle those next.

Major Commitments Aren’t Necessary

Start small. Even one drawer or a cupboard at a time is good.

• Plastic container overflow problem in your kitchen? For the ones you absolutely need (edit down!), place them all in one big container you can slide out for easy access.
• Excess plastic bags? Don’t throw them out! Return them to the store you received them from or recycle them at many return-it places throughout the Lower Mainland.
• Holding on to sentimental things that are too big? Instead of tucking them away, consider taking a photograph of them for you to keep and share.

In Jake’s case, he was able to get rid of a popcorn maker and an “armadillo of a lamp” (I love that he posted these on X (formerly Twitter) and actually had a taker right away for the popcorn maker). As I said, “One man’s clutter, another man’s treasure.”

The thought of reorganizing and deep cleaning a home can indeed weigh people down. If you feel that way, just plan to spend a short amount of time on the process. In fact, you can set a timer and commit to just 30 minutes or an hour. Don’t be daunted!

Here’s the radio spot:

For more information on where you can donate or sell your unwanted items, be sure to check out my Resources Page.