It’s definitely that time of year again. Spring has surely sprung, your final projects are piling up, and all your friends are running around in a frenzy. On these kinds of days most of us are just trying to remember deadlines and find some comfort foods to snack on, but keeping our rooms clean? Not so much. A dirty dorm room isn’t the best place to study or relax, so take a ten-minute break from writing that essay, or devote an entire rainy day to get your things in order. Here are a few easy spring cleaning tips!
1. Goodbye old emails
Try sorting through your emails and getting rid of the messages you’ve had clogging up your inbox for over a year. Past house events, old online sales, and emails from your professors sent last semester are probably not things you still need sitting around. You can search by name or sort by date to make it easier.
2. Clean up your Desktop!
Looking for documents on your desktop should not be a game of Where’s Waldo. If you can’t find the essay you have due by midnight because it’s hidden under photos from your vacation last summer, then it’s time to organize your computer screen. Make some folders for your classes and hobbies so that you find files quickly when you want them. While you’re sorting through your computer, you can even go through all of your music and remove those extra songs that are taking up the potential “selfie” space on your phone.
3. If you have a little more time, get rid of the clutter lying around.
Look at the old bags of snacks you have and get rid of them or throw out those takeout boxes inside your fridge. Now you can stock up on more! When you’re up late at night and craving a little snack, you won’t want to reach into a stale bag of chips or eat some old lo mein.
4. Open up your makeup bag
Most products have a limited shelf life and need to be replaced regularly. Since these are things that you’re applying onto your skin and face, you want to pay attention to expiration dates. Real Simple has a very helpful checklist to look at. http://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/makeup/makeup-expiration-00100000067034/
5. If you’re feeling ambitious, really dive into your chores
Clean out your closet. Before you take advantage of all the new spring styles hitting the shelves, get rid of all of your old things that you don’t wear anymore. A handy way to see what you really wear is to turn all of the hangers in your closet to face the same direction, and when you take out something, turn the hanger around. Toss anything that’s still facing the other direction. You can donate your clothes, or try your hand at selling them on fun websites like Poshmark or Asos Marketplace.
Finally, take a chance to do the dishes and laundry, change your sheets, make your bed, and even vacuum the floor. The end of the semester can get overwhelming and stressful, but it’s a lot easier to feel productive when you’re in a clean and organized space. Plus mopping your floor is a nice bit of extra exercise! If you have any easy cleaning tips, let us know!