I Caught the Spring Cleaning Bug + 1 Confession

Come March and my winter-sun-soaking heart starts to slowly and dreadfully make its way towards summer. Except for the bounty of mangoes that this season brings, there isn’t a thing that would put this awfully hot, sweaty season in my looking-forward-to list. Tathagata argues – he wouldn’t trade summer for anything.

As we started stowing away the woolens for the season, I caught the spring cleaning bug. There’s probably something about spring and de-cluttering. I have always seen my mother cleaning, shifting and organizing her way through the house during spring. Perhaps she passed that onto me this year.

Organizing my closet has constantly been on my mind since a couple of days after our wedding. But I was always pushing that thought to the back of my mind. I had even bought a stash of hangars to get that motivation going. But something or the other was always an easy excuse.

This March, I put my foot down once and for all. My closet was getting a make-over after all.

It took me a whole hour to realize that Tathagata needs more shirts and I need less sarees. Oh and I also discovered the awesome pull-out hangar holders which had been hiding behind the daunting pile of clothes.

An hour of organizing had the closet looking like it should – neat. And I hope to keep it this way. I felt like a burden had lifted off my shoulders. This got me all pumped up to work my way through the wall-mounted wardrobe in my room.

I sorted out the mess one shelf after the other. I allotted a place for everything in the wardrobe – office-wear, casual wear, socks, handkerchief, scarves, shrugs etc. Now that I have these organized, I can see where everything is and keep better track of our clothing options for different occasions. This has been a huge help in cutting down our spending for things we don’t need. This has also cleared up space in my wardrobe and has opened up breathing pockets here and there. I like it that way instead of over-stuffing it like a Thanksgiving turkey.

I reserved the next weekend for the storage under the bed. Our queen-size box bed has a pull-up storage option. This area can be accessed from the two sides of the bed and also from above by pulling up the wooden lid-like planks. This entire area had been stacked with our wedding gifts. Cups and saucers, table lamps, wall clocks, bags, sets of glasses, frying pans, pressure cooker, casseroles of different sizes etc. Those had been awaiting a good sorting for long.

Tathagata pulled up the mattress, dusted the wooden planks and yanked them up. Next he helped me take out the gifts and assemble them in order of usage. We kept the ones we would need near the side doors and the ones that we might need someday towards the centre. I now wish I had kept the hand-written notes of blessing that came along with them. All of them had taken out time from their daily lives to pick out a nice present to help us start our married life. It’s amazing how every single thought counts.

Anyway, about an hour or so of sweat glands on full blast later, we had the storage space looking squeaky clean.

I think cleaning and organizing your living space has a detoxifying effect on your mind. I was instantly feeling a lot less tangled after the spring cleaning. I’ve discovered that organizing my thoughts starts from organizing my closet. It has also helped get rid of the excess and has made my purchases more purposeful. I’ve found out that I need a lot less than I thought. It helped me feel way lighter and more in control of my closet than the other way round.

I’m also thinking of creating a capsule wardrobe in the near future to pull myself out of the cycle of impulse purchase (which I have been taking steps to control). I’ll be trying that out in the near future and let you know the results. Till then, I have quite a clothing collection to wear out.

Before you go, I have a confession to make. I have a really bad habit of hoarding. I’m always clinging on to old clothes and stuff, finding myself swearing to use them but ending up stashing them at the back of the closet. It not only takes up space in the closet, but also in my mind even when it is not in sight. Skeletons in the closet, anyone? I know I have to deal with that one day. But today’s not that day. Today I’m just stoked to see my storage spaces cleansed and organized. Today, that makes me really happy. It’s as they always say, keep a little room in your heart (and your closet) for the *unimaginable*.

Who else caught the spring cleaning bug?