Spring Cleaning: Where (and How) to Start
Spring is on the horizon, but so much is already here: days are longer, weather is warmer and more unpredictable (at least in Wisconsin), and animals are coming out of hibernation, as are so many of us. With this mass defrost, so rears the head of motivation for things like exercise, new and old hobbies, and the familiar face of spring cleaning. Studies show that spring cleaning boosts productivity, reduces stress, and is good for mental health. A chore like cleaning, however, is one that can fall to the wayside with Seasonal Affective Disorder, and it gets to be a much bigger project than anticipated. If you aren’t sure where to start with a project like spring cleaning, here are some common areas in life and best practices to enter your spring cleaning era feeling refreshed, renewed, and ready for the new season!
Office Spruce
In the spring when we were young, we went to school every morning with a coat, came home without a coat, and then brought home five coats on Friday. Well, we are adults now. We have grown, and learned from our experiences. We have evolved. We don’t go to school, we go to the office. We don’t collect coats in a locker, we are far more mature. Instead, on Fridays, we now bring home four dirty coffee mugs, a water bottle, two lunches we didn’t eat, some empty tupperware, and a yogurt that we definitely stole. Give your desk, the break room, your drawers, and chairs a once-over to and bring things home so both your workspace and mind is clean, organized, and clear from distraction. It’s also a great way to break up meetings, get some movement in your day, and still be productive.
Closet Clean-out
Whether some things no longer fit or some things are out of season (looking at you, skinny jeans), it’s good practice to go through your closet once or twice a year, and the turn of the season is a perfect time to do that. Goodwill or Salvation Army are great options for bulk donations. If you have higher-end items of value, you can bring things to a consignment shop like MKE Treasures or Posh Collective, sell them and share the profit. A clothing swap is another fun way to refresh your wardrobe and get together with friends. To those that brave the Facebook Marketplace to sell items, Godspeed.
Kitchen Clutter
If you are like me, you are a sucker for kitchen gadgets and appliances (you never know when you’ll need a pineapple perfectly peeled, cored and sliced into rings in 60 seconds!). However, those trinkets tend to accumulate and before you know it, your counter space is gone and the feng shui of your kitchen is… interesting. Invest in some additional shelving for your pantry, a separate rack or wire shelving unit to store larger appliances, or donate/sell some items you thought you’d use but don’t (no shame). Boelter Superstore in Glendale is open to the public and has plenty of organizational options to make your kitchen look good enough to do those satisfying restocking videos you see on TikTok. If anything gets to be too much, Camo Crew Responsible Removal can be called to haul things away and dispose of it sustainably.
Pantry/Fridge Swipe
“How long has that been there?” “I don’t remember making that.” “What did that used to be?” Are all common phrases said in front of my open refrigerator door every spring. Unfortunately, the average American household wastes about 400 lbs of food annually, but that shouldn’t mean that food should be left in the fridge for months for… science? Produce should be thrown out once it’s spoiled. If things have gone funky, keep a box of baking soda in the fridge to neutralize odors. Unwanted or barely-expired, non-perishable food items can go to local food banks like Salvation Army, Hunger Task Force, NourishMKE, or ask your local church if they’re hosting a food drive anytime soon. Who knows, if you find something in the back of the pantry you didn’t know you had, who doesn’t love a kitchen sink pasta?
Yard Guard
Most environmental enthusiasts will urge you to leave your lawns unbothered until June (talking to you, No Mow May peeps) but if you are lazy like me and ignored your leaves until the snow was already on the ground, now’s your time to shine! Throw on some garden gloves and get outside! Bring your 4-month-old leaves that are probably now soil, to the curb. The city of Milwaukee DPW announced an early leaf collection starting Monday, March 16, so now is the time to collect the brown crud from the lawn and get it to the curb, so your grass can grow evenly in April, so you can ignore it properly in May.
Spring cleaning can seem daunting at first, even if the intentions behind it are good and productive. Many people have trouble starting projects due to either their sheer size, or simply not knowing where to start. Hopefully, being able to break it down or tackle one thing at a time can help. It’s easier to set aside an hour to clear out your closet or your fridge as opposed to dedicating a whole day to scrubbing the house from top to bottom, which many of us may not have time for. So, here’s to an organized to-do list, organized offices, clean fridges, pretty lawns, clear closets, and happy minds.
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Author: Gwen Eckhardt – March 2026