For many of us, spring cleaning is intimidating, either because it’s costly or takes up too much time. But cleaning and re-organizing your home can go a long way towards revitalizing both your domestic life and your savings. Here are a few quick, simple tips for saving and even making money when embarking on this seasonal adventure:
Use Everyday Cleaning Supplies
People commonly think they have to purchase a variety of cleaning supplies to deep clean all the different surfaces in their home: solutions for floors, windows and walls are all marketed separately. But the truth is that there’s almost nothing that three of our most common household supplies–vinegar, baking soda and bleach–can’t clean with the proper application. Rather than buying many different bottles of supplies, use a common rag and these three staples to scour every surface until squeaky clean.
Rent or Borrow Equipment
Instead of buying polishers or carpet cleaners just so you can whip them out once a year, go to a home improvement store like Lowe’s where you can rent equipment for a few hours at a fraction of the cost. Better yet, if a friend has what you need, ask if you can borrow it for the day.
Repurpose Old Items, Find Lost Ones
Purchasing new furnishings to replace old ones is an easy solution. But sometimes new life can be breathed into an old piece with a paint job or a quick reconfiguration of the room. Giving your old furniture a second chance might be all you need to hold back from buying new, expensive replacements. And as you’re in the process of cleaning up, you might uncover some household essentials or clothes that you thought you’d lost for good–finding these items can save money, too, since you no longer need to buy substitutes.
Sell What You Don’t Need
In addition to helping you identify what you do need, spring cleaning helps to figure out what you don’t. Once you’ve set aside belongings that you’re ready to get rid of, it’s a great idea to hold a garage sale or put individual items up for sale online. They say that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure–this is a great way to take advantage and make a quick buck.
Donate the Rest
Anything of value that you don’t want, but can’t sell, should go into a donation pile instead of the trash. Once you’ve picked a charity or nonprofit that you’d like to support, bring your donation pile to the nearest drop-off center. Any donation you make is tax-deductible, meaning that if you hold onto a receipt, you can write the donation off when tax season rolls around.
It might not be an easy task, but setting aside some time to thoroughly clean your home can be at once spiritually and financially fulfilling. By distinguishing what you need from what you already have and finding creative ways to get rid of what’s left over, you can use spring cleaning to clean out your closet and make some money while you’re at it.
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