Five uncommon spring-cleaning projects that will lighten your space and mindset

When it comes to spring cleaning, the most common projects people usually turn to are purging their closet or scrubbing their home. However, there are so many spaces and things we interact with every day that get overlooked when it comes to spring cleaning time.

Check out five uncommon spring-cleaning projects that will free up space and help you breathe a little easier:

Car Interior
Car exteriors usually get a lot of attention because of pollen, but what about the inside? Pollen gets on the inside as well through doors and windows. Not to mention, our car holds on to dust, trash, and forgotten items over time. Grab a trash bag, interior wipes, and a vacuum, and get to work!

Filing Cabinets
If you recently faced the horror of a packed filing cabinet due to tax season, you’ll understand this one. Whether you have a physical cabinet or not, you likely have years of documents, certificates, receipts, manuals, recipes, and more that has piled up somewhere in your home. It’s a daunting task to clear out, but you’ll feel so much lighter when you’re done.

Pantry
Out with the out-of-date, and in with foods you’ll actually eat. Most of us are guilty of impulse buying high quantities of food only for them to get lost in the back of the pantry for two years. Purge the pantry, free up space, and take note of the things you probably shouldn’t buy again.

 

Bookshelves
We all have that shelf of books that we’ll get to “one day.” But truthfully, if you haven’t read within a year, you’re probably never going to. We also tend to hold on to books we’ve already read, even if we didn’t love them. Donate and sell the books you either won’t read or didn’t love. It may be a tough parting, but at least you’ll have space for some new reads.

Bags
We get it, reusable bags are practical, environmentally friendly, and oftentimes cute. But do you really need 50 of them? Between paper grocery bags, reusable shopping bags, and canvas totes, you probably have way more bags than you even realize. Many shelters and soup kitchens can make great use of the reusable bags that are going unused in your house. Claim your favorite 5-10 and donate the rest.