Spring Cleaning & Organization

IT'S OFFICIALLY SPRING! 

*fireworks go off*

*flowers spontaneously bloom*

*I begin to swim in all of my bright lipsticks*

I distinctly remember that in elementary school, there would be a legitimate "spring cleaning" day where we all had to bring in sponges and cleaning supplies and had to clean our classroom, desks, and locker. In retrospect...why were elementary school students cleaning a classroom? Were we even supposed to be using those cleaning supplies? I digress, for a while I thought spring cleaning only meant it in the literal sense, hands and knees scrubbing the floors and making sure everything was in tip top shape.

I look at spring cleaning differently now, thought it does involve a bit of light cleaning. Every once in a while, I get on these massive cleaning and purging sprees where I'm get rid of a lot of junk, whether it's old makeup, clothes that don't fit or that I don't wear, or old notebooks and school supplies that I hoard just incase. And without a fail, the beginning of spring is always one of those times.

In my dorm, I like to lysol down every surface to get rid of any dust, dirt, makeup, food, etc. that spilled or collected since the last time I did it. I'll vacuum up and pieces of papers, crumbs, hair (since cutting it shorter, I find that there's a lot less hair on the ground, which is great for my lack of motivation to vacuum 99% of the time). I clean my mirrors and windows and will normally give the shower a nice scrub if it's looking particularly gross.

My makeup purge happened a few weeks ago when I tossed quite a few mascara and eye products into the trash because they were a little funny smelling or dried out. It's usually around the time that I part with chapsticks I know I will never use (I'm looking at you, EOS balms) or lip glosses that I know for a fact I won't use because there's only one that I do (Revlon's Pink Ice). I wash my makeup brushes weekly anyways, but maybe I'll give them a nice deep cleanse to really clean out an old makeup or bacteria that could have been harboring in them.

Since I don't sleep under my covers (I sleep on top of my comforter under two blankets), this is normally the time that I'll switch my sheets just for fun. I switch my pillow cases every week so I'm not sleeping on any of the dirt or oils that came off of my face during the night too often. I usually do a bit of redecorating too, whether it's adding in flowers or new photos on my half wall (I just put up two photos of my mom and me at Niagara Falls, graciously gifted to me by her best friend who went with us).

As for organization, since the beginning of spring is normally after my midterms, it marks the fact that I have about half a semester left to kick myself back into gear. I'll start planning ahead in my agenda, adding due dates and making sure they're noticeable. I'll read through all of my syllabi again just to make sure I'm up to date on all of my assignments and to check the schedule to see what is still to come in my classes. Chances are that I'll find a way to reorganize my desk when I'm bored one day, just to make it seem like I'm doing something and to reorder my life.

I don't really switch out my closet during the spring, just because it's still quite chilly here and I wear my light sweaters all year round. However, I do start to eliminate the really wintery bits of my wardrobe, like thick sweaters, bulky vests, and most of my knitted scarves. I'll start incorporating shorts, skirts, and dresses into my wardrobe come mid-April, usually, unless there's a wildcard day where it's miraculously warm at the end of March/early April.

Let me just say, I am pumped for spring. I'm also pumped for spring semester to be over. And for sun. And for spring semester to be over. And for the opportunity to wear more bright lipstick. And for spring semester to be over.

What's your favorite way to celebrate the beginning of spring?