SPRING CLEANING

from Ocean State Magazine, March 2020 Issue

MARCH EVENTS

M y n a m e i s J e n n a n d I a m t h e g i r l b e h i n d D r e s s e d i n B l e s s i n g s . I a m a p a r t t i m e fa s h i o n , m a k e u p & l i fe s t y l e b l o g g e r ; h o w e v e r, i n m y d a y t o d a y l i fe I a m a f u l l t i m e G r a p h i c D e s i g n e r ! I h a v e a p a s s i o n fo r n o t o n l y d e s i g n b u t I a l s o l o v e p h o t o g r a p h y & v i d e o g r a p h y. I a m a t w e n t y t h r e e y e a r o l d o n a b u d g e t & l o v e t o s h a r e a l l o f m y s h o p p i n g t i p s & t r i c k s ! Fo l l o w a l o n g o n i n s t a g r a m @dressedinblessings fo r more fun and helpful tips!

With the season of spring just around the corner, everyone is eager to start fresh and new and to most importantly, to shed the cold stuffiness of the winter season. This winter has been so mild by New England’s standards and we have all been pretty fortunate that the weather conditions haven’t been more rough! (Although I must admit, I wish we had gotten more snow! I am a snow lover for sure and am sad New England didn’t see much of it at all this winter season.) But, onward & upward!

Today I would love to share 5 of my most prized tips for spring cleaning like a pro:

1. Take it little by little

More often than not, we push ourselves into overload and overdrive when we try to take

on all of our spring cleaning in one sitting. Rather than turning yourself into a bundle of stress, plan out your cleaning into digestible increments – this way, you will feel so accomplished everytime you complete a “cleaning milestone” on your list, and everything will be sure to get done to the best of its ability too!

2. Declutter, declutter & DECLUTTER some more!

We’ve all been there…we all have that “shirt we swear we will fit into this year” or that “painting I know I will eventually find a place for” but months and even years pass by and it sits around, collecting dust and cluttering up your space. Take time to sort through everything and truly determine whether or not you really need it. Worst case scenario: you get rid of something you actually end up wanting to use in the future. But, the good news is: just about every physical item is replaceable in one way or another. A lot of clothing and household items you aren’t using can be donated to those in need and really make a difference!

3. When in doubt, clean it out

When planning out your spring cleaning, if you find yourself questioning the last time you cleaned an item out thoroughly, it’s better to just go ahead and clean it out again. After you clean it out this time, make a log of your cleaning schedule so that way you will know for certain when it was last cleaned out thoroughly. If cleaning companies can have a

“last serviced” sheet, than you can create one for your very own home! 

4. Buy your organizing materials very wisely

I know that the latest trend in cleaning this year has been space organizers, which is great! However, many bloggers/ influencers that you see online who are doing all of this organizing are buying their items from the top tier stores (aka the priciest option available.) More often than not, when they advertise these organizers, they usually didn’t pay a dime out of their own pocket to get to use them, rather, they were paid to advertise them to you. So please, DO NOT FALL INTO THAT TRAP! I just recently organized my own space – and on a way more affordable budget! Rather than going straight to the Container Store (which is great, but the prices can be a punch to your purse) I hit up my local dollar tree, TJ Maxx/Marshall’s/Homegoods & the Target dollar spot. There are so many great organizing tools at these spots, but they aren’t always advertised that way! Use your own eye and style to determine whether or not a piece will help you to better organize your space. They have great draw/shelf organizers, but they also have some other unconventional pieces (empty candle jars/folder organizers to name a few) that can help you keep it neat too!

5. Change up your color scheme

This tip isn’t quite as monumental as the others I’ve listed here, but I still think it’s quite important. After you’ve put in all of the long hours of cleaning and organizing and finally

get to look at your finished space, don’t you feel just a bit deflated when on the surface it all looks the same as when you started? Of course you know that inside of those cabinets are pristinely organized shelves and within that closet is a color coordinated wardrobe, but we aren’t meant to see through walls – so it can feel a bit underwhelming when we see the final product of our labor. So here is a quick, affordable and very simple fix for that feeling: Buy some new curtains (the Christmas tree shop has such great affordable options), some new bathroom rugs and a new shower curtain and voila! Your space will feel so fresh and new.

I hope you enjoyed my 5 quick tips for organizing the spring cleaning madness this year. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to visit me on Instagram @dressedinblessings and send me a message, or visit my website dressedinblessings.wixsite.com and leave a comment or contact me. Thank you so much for reading along!