How to Spring Clean While Making A Difference

AFTER HOARDING EVERYTHING through months of cold, springtime means it’s time to simplify your surroundings. Instead of throwing everything on the curb and waiting for an anonymous truck to roll through, this year let’s be more intentional. We called on Faith Roberson, professional organizer and owner of Organize With Faith, for tips, and we paired her advice with organizations that will actually do something with your donations.

1. DRAFT A VISION. Take 10 minutes to write a description of your ideal postclutter space. What in your current situation aligns with your aspirations, and what doesn’t? “In order to be truly alive, I must grow, and I have to evolve everything around me to support that evolution,” Roberson says. You can think of this sacrificially, too. What would it look like to live in a sacrificial space? What doesn’t belong there?

2. STREAMLINE YOUR CLOSET. Focus on how each piece of clothing makes you feel instead of the cost, Roberson says. How do you feel when you put it on? If the answer points toward the donation pile, toss it. Give to organizations that are sure to distribute your items instead of reselling them, like Dress for Success and Career Gear for clothes and Share Your Soles for shoes.

3. PURGE THE TOY BOX. “Children are decisive by nature,” Roberson says. “They’ll happily express what they are willing to pass along” (Just be sure to respect your kid’s decision.). A daycare, a children’s home, abuse shelter or even a local doctor’s office can all be places where old toys can bring joy to another person.

4. CLEAR YOUR BOOKSHELF. Roberson’s trick: See books as temporal experiences, “like going on a trip or to a concert,” instead of objects to hoard at home. The memory of reading the story is more important than keeping the item, so donate it. Liberation Library sends books to young people in Illinois prisons and juvenile detention centers.