Spring is the perfect time to clear out your assisted living apartment and freshen things up. Spring-cleaning can be a little more difficult in a small space. You don't have as much room to clean and organize your items, and you need to make good use of the space once you declutter. These tips can make spring-cleaning easier when you're working in a small space.
A small space might seem easier to spring-clean because you don't have as many areas to cover, but it still helps to have a cleaning list as a guide. Create a to-do list for each room or space in your apartment to make sure you don't miss anything. Being able to cross items off the list can also keep you motivated and help you feel accomplished. Get detailed with things like wiping down the baseboards and washing your window coverings. You might choose different tasks for each day to help keep you on track and make things less overwhelming.
Starting your spring-cleaning to-do list with decluttering can free up space and make the rest of your cleaning efforts easier. It's common to accrue more things the longer you live in your assisted living apartment, and it's not always easy to let things go. When space is at a premium, everything you have should be intentional, whether it's for functional reasons or it makes you happy. Spring-cleaning can be a good time to downsize your belongings and free up space.
Go through each room and assess everything in the space to see if it's still serving you. Some items might no longer serve a purpose for how you use that room. Other items are things you moved from your previous home to assisted living for familiarity and comfort, but you might realize you no longer need those items. Consider selling or donating the items that just take up space. If you have things you don't need regularly but aren't ready to toss, you can rent a storage unit to get them out of your apartment for now.
Sticking to one room at a time makes your spring-cleaning more manageable and less overwhelming. You might start with your least favorite room to clean first to get it out of the way. The rest of your spring-cleaning then seems easier and more enjoyable. You might choose one room per day to keep from getting too tired, or you can keep moving to the next room if you're on a roll and want to keep the momentum going.
Cleaning in tight spaces can be challenging. When you start cleaning a specific room, consider moving the furniture or larger items out of the space so you can tackle what's left. Sliding furniture away from the walls makes it easier to clean the baseboards, for instance. Moving furniture out of the room completely lets you shampoo the carpet or deep-clean the flooring. Be careful when moving large or heavy objects. Getting help can reduce your risk of injury.
Even smaller items can get in the way. When you're cleaning your living room, you might clear things like lamps and decor pieces off the living room tables and move them to the kitchen temporarily. This lets you wipe down the tables better and move them easily to clean under them.
As you clean and declutter, it's helpful to choose a specific spot for everything you keep. Having those designated spots can make it easier to stay organized. Look at your different areas and identify organizational tools that could help. If you have a tiny bathroom, you might add an over-the-toilet organizer with shelving where you can add bins to hold your toiletries. In your kitchen cabinets, you might add spice racks or bins to hold smaller items. Adding labels to your storage containers can also help you stay organized and find things more easily when you need them.
When space is limited, every piece of furniture should serve a purpose and fit well into the space. A bulky sofa or chair can overwhelm the room and take up too much space. You can make your small space more functional with multipurpose furniture. You might replace your coffee table with one that has storage bins, drawers or shelves where you can store or display more items. Ottomans and benches with storage inside also work well in small spaces, providing hidden spots to store things within functional furniture.
A deep spring-cleaning session refreshes your small space, but it can easily get cluttered and dirty again if you don't stick with a cleaning schedule. Set aside time each day or week to clean up and maintain your new organizational systems. Some people like to spend a few hours one day a week cleaning the entire space, while others like to choose one room per day to clean. Find a cleaning routine that works for your schedule and makes it easy to maintain your spring-cleaning efforts.
