Back to school cleaning is so much fun. It’s a chance to pull everything out and reboot your life. So before you go back to school shopping, here are some top tips for back to school cleaning.
Do back to school cleaning first so you can take inventory of your stuff. Then replace, repair, recycle or toss old items.
Come clean with me on #AskaHouseCleaner where we list the organization tips of DIY cleaning.
Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru wants you to revitalize yourself. Uplevel your living space so you will be more productive this year in school.
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Listen: Back to School Cleaning – Top Tips
Watch: Back to School Cleaning – Top Tips
Hey there, I’m Angela Brown, and this is Ask a House Cleaner. This is a show where you get to ask a house cleaning question, and I get to help you find an answer.
Question: Back to School Cleaning – Top Tips
Today’s question comes from a student who’s going back to school. She wants to know, “What is the importance of back-to-school cleaning?” And, “How do I do it?”
Answer: Back to School Cleaning – Top Tips
Okay, back to school cleaning is important because it’s like a reboot for your life.
This is a time where you’re going to pull all your stuff out of your closet. And you’re going to do one of three things.
- You’re going to toss them.
- You’re going to replace them.
- Or you’re going to recycle them.
Toss, Recycle or Replace
And so those are the three things that you’re going to focus on as you pull all your clothes out of the closet.
Now, for back to school cleaning you want to look at the clothes that you have.
Will you be wearing a uniform to school? If you’re not going to be wearing a uniform, what kind of clothing are you going to wear this year?
Do the clothes in your closet represent how you want to present yourself this year?
Keep Clothes That Reflect The New You
If you’re a little older this year you may want to go a bit more mature. You may decide that you don’t want to wear the short shorts and short shirts this year. Choose clothes that are longer and more conservative.
You may want to dress more professional this year. Maybe you’re thinking as a teenager, you’re approaching the working age. You may want to just start focusing and thinking on “Oh hey, I’m getting ready to be an adult to go out in the real world.
Let me practice this year and act like an adult as I’m going to school this year.”
Shoes
And another thing that you may want to take inventory of is your shoes.
Are the shoes that you still have good? Can you still wear them for another year? If they are not worn out, they might have a lot of life left in them.
And so, the object is not to run out and buy everything new if you have stuff that still good. Because you can recycle that stuff and it’s more eco-friendly.
And even if your friends see you in the same shoes you had last year guess what? You took care of them. That just means that you could save some money.
Maybe you could apply some money towards your college savings. Or you could apply the money you saved to a hobby or something fun.
So, the money that you don’t spend is money you can use on something else.
School Supplies
Okay, so as you go through your clothes and your shoes you also want to go through your school supplies.
Because you might have a backpack that still has some life left in it from last year.
If you don’t have to replace that until Christmas time there’s no need to replace it before school right now. If there’s still some life left in it, use it again.
That’s the whole purpose of recycling. It’s saving a little bit of money and being more earth-friendly by not consuming so many things that we don’t need.
What are you going to do? Go out buy a backpack that’s just a different color? It serves the same purpose, right?
Personal Hygiene
So, another thing that you want to think about is personal hygiene. This is something everybody has to think about.
So, this is a chance to look at your hairbrush. Is your hairbrush ten years old? And it’s all beat up and the dogs chewed on it, and you just need a new one? If it is, now is the time to replace that.
And so, go look at your hair care things as well. Look at your supply of shampoo, scrunchies, hair clips, etc.
Guys look for different things. This is the time that you look at your supply of shaving cream, razors, etc. Make sure you have the things you need to present the best you.
Storage Space and Organization
Beyond just going through your room, you want to look at your storage space. This is an awesome time to check your storage space and organization.
Do you have proper bins? Do you have enough drawers for your things? And if you don’t, you either need more storage space or you need to get rid of some of your things.
If you’re not wearing something, if you’re not using it, it’s a good time to say goodbye.
Say Goodbye
You might have Lego creations that you’ve had for five years that are sitting on your desk. This might be taking up valuable space that you could use for school supplies or something else.
So, now is the time to put all that stuff away. Put them in the bins. Pack them up and maybe you’re done with them. Maybe those are things that you can donate to someone else.
So, if there are things that you’re done with, and things you’ve moved on from. Then be clear about that.
Reboot Your Life!
This is a great time to do something else. This is not just about the “back-to-school cleaning.” This is a great chance for you to reboot your life!
It is a great time to get a physical checkup. Get your eyes and ears checked. It’s a great time to make sure that you yourself are ready to go for another year of school.
There are a lot of kids that they don’t know they can’t see. They haven’t had their eyes checked. When they get checked and realize they can’t see, they get glasses. Then they’re like, “Holy cow, there’s a whole new world out there!”
Sporting Activities and Equipment
Another area of your life that you may want to consider is your sporting activities.
What time are you going to be spending on sporting activities this year? And what sports are you going to do?
As you think about this, you can decide what things you need to keep and what things you can get rid of.
So let’s say that you played soccer a couple of years ago, but you haven’t played since. This is a great time to get rid of the gear and equipment.
Someone else could use these things, so you can donate them. If you’re not going to be using them anymore, it would be nice to give them to someone who would.
Shopping
By doing all the above, it will free up some space!
Go through and take an inventory. Ask yourself “Am I ready for school?”
As you recycle, replace or toss these things, you will now know what you need to go shopping for. You can make a list of things that you need.
If you have a list when you go shopping, you are more likely to stay on task and not lose focus. Without a list, it is easier to wander into stores and get caught up in the fun, glamorous and shiny things. These might be exciting, but they are not things you need right now.
With a list, you can go in and pick and choose. You can buy the highest quality of stuff instead of the cheapest stuff.
Be Strategic
So, be strategic about your back to school cleaning because it’s actually a reboot for your life.
And as you start this new school year you’ll be coming in as a whole new person.
So that’s it for today and until we meet again, leave the world a cleaner place then when you found it.
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Resources From This Episode
Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up – http://amzn.to/2tLbz5X
The Curated Closet: A Simple System for Discovering Your Personal Style and Building Your Dream Wardrobe – http://amzn.to/2h4eh0k
The Cool Factor: A Guide to Achieving Effortless Style, with Secrets from the Women Who Have It – http://amzn.to/2uDyOfm
The Habit Blueprint: 15 Simple Steps to Transform Your Life – http://amzn.to/2h4hZHB
Habit Stacking: 127 Small Changes to Improve Your Health, Wealth, and Happiness – http://amzn.to/2uDz7a0
College Back to School Essentials BUNDLE: Roll up Organizer and Shower Caddy – http://amzn.to/2uDibjP
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