Many people wait until spring to throw away all their clutter and organize everything in sight. However, doing your cleaning early this year over winter break is a great way to start the New Year fresh and organized for second semester. These helpful tips and ideas are a great way to organize everything from your room, locker, backpack and car!

Start with your backpack! After finals are over, recycling all of your old worksheets are a great way to lighten the load of your backpack, while also decluttering your binders.  By saving your old quiz and test study guides from throughout the first semester, you can use them as a review tool for second semester’s final and not have to worry about forgetting important content. After that’s done, throw out all of your old gum and candy wrappers and anything else you know you won’t need. Once you’ve organized your binders and the rest of your backpack pockets, you’re ready to move on to your locker.

For your locker, throw away any empty water bottles, food wrappers, and worksheets you won’t need for next semester. Organized your books, take home anything you might need over break, and leave room for the other miscellaneous stuff.

Tip: Getting a bin from the Dollar Store to keep your SSR book, note cards and extra writing utensils makes everything easily accessible and prevents you from losing it. By just putting it on the bottom of your locker, all your stuff is in one place and out of the way.

Once all of that is done, next is your car.If you have a car, you know that the pile of straw wrappers, receipts, extra clothes and spare change is endless. Take your extra clothes into your house and fold up your extra blankets and leave them in the trunk. Vacuum the floor out so you have fresh carpet for the New Year. Cleaning out your center console and wiping down your windows is another great way to eliminate the mess. If you’re feeling fancy, go and get a car wash as well and get all the leftover salt and slush off of your car.

Tip: Getting a mini trash can or bag for your car, it makes it easy for throwing away all your trash over time, and all you have to do when it’s full is dump it into the garbage can in your garage.

Congrats! You have saved the biggest project for last. Having a clean room clears your mind and lets you have a clean area to work in and relax. If your room is ridiculously cluttered, your mind will automatically be stressed out and it is a lot easier to relax with a clear mind. If you have a desk in your room, start with that and throw away anything you don’t need from this semester, or haven’t used in a while. Organize your mound of socks living in your dresser, refold your clothes, and get rid of anything you don’t wear anymore. If you’re like me, your closet is an endless black pit of everything

from old teddy bears to clothes I haven’t worn in years. By donating your old toys or clothes you haven’t worn in years, it not only gives someone less fortunate something to wear, but also eliminates the mess living behind your closet doors. A good tip for organizing your clothes is keeping all your pants and shorts in one section, hoodies and sweatshirts in another. All fancy clothes go in another section, and your endless supply of t-shirts get its own section as well. By doing this, it shows you exactly what you have in your closet, and also helps you pick out outfits in the morning. Additionally, making your bed and decorating it with cute pillows is a great way to decorate your room, while also tidying up as well.

Tip: Getting desk organizers from the Dollar Store is a great way to keep all your school supplies organized and easy to access. Keep in mind that you want this space to be cozy and inviting, so by putting an artificial plant, a few picture frames or decorations is a great way to take your study space to the next level.

You’ve made it to the end of your cleaning! It is so much easier to think and organize when you have a clean space to work in. Email me pictures of your newly organized spaces to use in the web story! Happy cleaning eagles!