How to have a 'Winter' clean

by Alexia

Don your maid outfit and clear out your bedroom clutter BEFORE Spring with our Winter Clean guide.

No matter how much we convince ourselves that a thorough spring clean is more than ample time for us to be donning the maid outfit (for cleaning purposes anyway), it seems to me that heading into the Winter months another one really should be added to our 'To Do' list - that's the 'To do' list of things we WILL do and not the 'Only as a last resort on a sunday' list by the way.

Okay, we may not be blessed with the magic clicking skills of Mary Poppins (smug cow) but it'll be worth it to clear some space before the sea of Christmas presents pour in and you find yourself having a row with your partner over lack of space to put up a tree.

So here is, your guide to for your 'Winter' Clean.

Clearing the Clutter

Start with the things you don't want in your house anymore (other than pesky spiders and men who leave the loo seat up). The simplest way of doing this is to get yourself 3 or 4 carrier bags or boxes to sort this 'stuff' into and write on them what each is going to be for.

These boxes could be: RECYCLING, CLOTHING, PAPERWORK and CHARITY.

RECYCLING

When you are throwing things out, there is one important thing to ask yourself first 'Am I really going to deny the world a recycled pencil by putting this in an ordinary bin?'

In other words if, it can be recycled there is no reason we can't make the effort to make sure it does and if we can recycle ourselves by re-using these items - even better!

Glass food jars become storage containers and a good way to keep 'little things' tidied away (good for storing beads/buttons/money...)

Toilet rolls become the base of making your own Christmas crackers!

Foil wrappers/Egg cartons/Greeting Cards - become materials for kid's crafts if not your own - Why not run them down to a local nursery for their use.

CLOTHING

How much of the clothing in your wardrobe do you actually wear? Why do we always keep clothes 'just in case'? The chances are that if you haven't worn it in the last year, it's not going to get worn. Be brutal, cry a few tears over that gorgeous piece of clothing that seems to have shrunk (as many clothes do) and:

Donate - Charities or Clothes banks are the way to go for a quick clear out - Instant space

Sell - The wonders of Ebay could help you get some money back on those slightly more costly purchases.

Customize - If you can turn it into something else you ARE going to wear - voila RESULT. Okay, no space gained for this one but it now has a justified reason for staying where it is.

PAPERWORK/SHREDDING

Go through all your paperwork, junk mail, documents and letters you couldn't be bothered to read - put anything that isn't worth keeping in a paper bin. Anything with personal details should be ripped up of fed to an ever-hungry shredding machine (this does not include the likes of birth certificates and phonebooks) to avoid Identity Fraudsters getting hold of it. Unless you're an archetypal mad scientist, is it really wise contributing to the birth of another 'you' in the world?

CHARITY

Adopt an 'If I haven't used it in the last year, I probably won't in the year to come either' approach and box/bag up any objects that fall into this category. Again, you could turn to Ebay bidders to find them a new home but why not think about donating them to a worthy cause?

Investigate your local charity shops. A lot of them would welcome any donations but some are specifically looking for clothes, books or anything they have a shortage of in their shops. Find out where your items will be best received, wander in and hand over your unwanted things in exchange for a nice warm fuzzy feeling. Easy.

The Thorough Clean with added soundtrack

If Mrs Doubtfire could have a song and dance while hoovering so can we. If not an iPod, turn on the computer and hit 'shuffle' on your music list and prepare yourself for a dance workout with duster in hand (the tin of polish doubles up as a prop microphone too... apparently).

Hoover - Make the effort to pick up things from the floor and give it a proper clean (leave the wide screen TV where it is though, nobody's asking Sandy Claws for a bad back this Christmas).

Dust - Remember, as decorative as spider webs can be they look better kept outside. Gain some height on something stable and get that dust and dirt off your ceiling before getting some shine to the furniture below it.

Tidy - This does not always mean putting your DVDs in alphabetical order. Everything has its place and that doesn't always have to be shoved under the bed so nobody can see it. Invest in cheap coloured storage boxes for packing things away and de-cluttering rooms.

Keep shoeboxes to store the shoes in - take a Polaroid photo of the shoes, stick it to the front of the box so you know which ones are in there and stack them neatly out of the way - No more rummaging through the pyramid of footwear that once stood in the hallway - hooray.

For those who have more than a bedroom to tackle

Bathroom - Don't neglect it, we don't need those 27 bottles of half-used shampoos and conditioners. Take it all out and only return the ones you will use. Raid the cupboard under the sink for any cleaning lotions and potions that will make your bathroom suite look as shiny as a bald man's head and get to work with them.

Kitchen - Go through your food cupboards. It's tedious but by the time you get all that Christmas food shopping home in a few months' time and realise there's nowhere to put it other than in your stomach, you will be glad you did this.

Any foods that you have bought that you aren't going to use, place in a bag and see if a neighbour or relative will make use of them (unless they are NOT a nice neighbour, I'd always check the 'use' by date first). Before binning empty jars, think about using them for storage of little things.

Finishing Touches

Invest in some incense sticks or oils (very inexpensive) for that Christmassy/Autumn-y smell around your house - Christmas may mean us being broke by January and whining about miserable weather but at least the festival season can smell good.

If you have collected any nice jars you could decorate them with materials like skeleton leaves, tissue paper, glass paints and glitter to make candle holders - just add a tea light inside. Simple to do and has the potential to look almost as pretty as Davey Havok when you're done.

The last thing to do is to put your feet up, congratulate yourself on all you have done, have a mug of oh-so-lovely hot chocolate and think about how you're going to get through another family Christmas, especially if Grandma gets drunk and hits on your partner... Again.

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