Spring Cleaning: Declutter, Donate and Feel Good

*This is a sponsored posting with Goodwill.

Whenever I start feeling stressed or chaotic in my life, it usually breeds from my home being too cluttered with too much stuff. With 5 children, it’s not always easy paring down and only having a “few things” out in the living room and in the bedrooms.

I’m going to be completely honest here, my sons aren’t so terrific with putting away their clothes and toys. With their clothing… if things don’t fit anymore, they’re sort of just tossed aside on the ground on their bedroom. They put their laundry away in cycles, so they are literally wearing the same shirts over and over again because they don’t take the time to organize. I couldn’t believe it last month when I went to put my Alexander’s shirts away and found (4) shirts with PRICE TAGS still on them! He didn’t even realize he had new shirts in there and was (literally) wearing shirts that were ripped and completely worn.

I had had enough.

With Spring here, I have used it as a time in our lives to streamline our house and really take inventory as to what we have in this house. Last weekend I did a complete REHAUL of the bedrooms in this house – toys, sheets, blankets and clothing – everything was put up for “review” in this house. It’s funny, I grew up with a mother who was very neat and completely organized, so I was the same way in college and when Matt and I had our first apartment. As soon as I became a mother, I have just completely gotten of my game and I feel horrible about it. I was speechless last weekend when I actually took the time to see what we have around here. I know our lives are crazy busy, but decluttering our home – which is the core and mecca to our family – I realized just how important it was to do with everyone.

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I had the boys take all of the clothing out of their drawers and put them in a big pile. I had them all go through and make 3 piles:

1) A pile that was full of clothing that needed to be thrown out. There were shirts and socks and undies and pants that either had holds or were so worn, it was useless.

2) A pile for my nephews. One thing we do in our family is recycle clothing from family to family, it’s very helpful. So I had the boys each find 5 items that could pass along to their cousins.

3) A pile for donation. We are BIG donators to Goodwill. I feel like it’s a wonderful way to show my sons just how important it is to give back to people they don’t know and how meaningful and powerful that is to do. Not to mention, Goodwill helps support job creation in local communities and that’s a major thing to be able to support.

After the boys were done, I moved onto Victoria. Since we don’t have any “girl” babies behind her and she really doesn’t damage clothing at 9 months, anything she doesn’t fit into, I straight donate to Goodwill. I also took the time to go through her toys. Some were still in boxes! I also found packs of diapers that weren’t opened that Victoria grew out of already. I couldn’t believe the amount of stuff that I was able to move and declutter from her space. I love knowing that babies will get use out of the clothing and toys that she’s grown out of so far. It’s special to me.

Decluttering your home

My husband did a wonderful job cleaning out his closet.

And I’ll be taking my turn this weekend!

All donations will be heading right to Goodwill! I love Goodwill’s mission – Goodwill works to enhance the dignity and quality of life of individuals and families by strengthening communities, eliminating barriers to opportunity, and helping people in need reach their full potential through learning and the power of work.

But what’s even more incredible is that Goodwill provides jobs. When you donate your items to Goodwill, you create opportunities for individuals in your community looking to find a job and build skills, including veterans and military families, single mothers and many others. Last year, you helped more than 6.7 million people access the career, family and financial support services they needed to succeed. Your impact doesn’t end there — the planet also benefits when you choose to ditch the dumpster and drop your items at Goodwill. Since 2012, you’ve helped keep billions of pounds of clothing and household items out of landfills.

It’s the reason I keep donating to Goodwill because I see what it helps to build.

Head through your home and find some items to declutter your house for donation. To get you inspired and moving, here’s an awesome and fun clothing personality quiz and learn how to best declutter your closet…

Here is an easy Spring Cleaning Guide for you to check out for your family, too.

*Disclosure: This post was made possible through the support of Goodwill. All opinions are my own.


About Audrey

Audrey McClelland has been a digital influencer since 2005. She’s a mom of 5 and shares tips on her three favorite things: parenting, fashion and beauty. She’s also a Contemporary Romance Author.

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