Your Spring Cleaning Checklist

By Kaitlin Hurtado on April 27, 2017

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The end of the academic year is quickly approaching, which also means that you are most likely going to be experiencing a change in living space, whether it comes in the form of temporarily moving back home for break or changing living spaces after your current lease ends along with the academic year.

The most stressful things about moving are often figuring out what to bring to your new space, how to bring it to the new space, or actually finding what you want/need to bring. To avoid those problems when the time comes, stick to a spring cleaning checklist to prepare yourself for the easiest and least painful move possible.

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1) Eliminate all the trash in your space, and recycle it when you can

This step may seem obvious for some, but most people do not realize the amount of trash they have accumulated in their living space — even when they think they have been thoroughly cleaning their space throughout the quarter/semester.

Throw out those empty alcohol bottles — your trophies collected over the course of a hard year — because you can always get more in your next living space and they will just take up valuable space in the moving process that you will need for things that actually have a purpose in your new living space. Recycle any empty bottles and cans collected from your apartment; the extra cash won’t hurt.

A lot of the clutter in an apartment can come from the kitchen. Check your fridge and pantry for empty containers and expired food and drinks that have been pushed to the back of the food storage spaces and your mind. Go through your cupboards to check for any dishes that you never use and toss them in the donate or sell pile to save even more storage space.

Go through your coursework that you’ve completed over the past term. If your grades are already submitted and on your official transcript, you can throw out graded quizzes and papers that won’t serve any purpose when the class is over. Look through your notebooks and recycle notes you won’t be needing for future classes.

2) Sell anything you won’t be needing 

Once you are past throwing out junk, consider selling any belongings you don’t want to take along to your next living space. One of the bigger waste of spaces in a college student’s living space are college textbooks that are unused or left over from past semesters. Instead of taking along textbooks you won’t be needing, sell your textbooks to fellow students or companies that will make use of them and give you money in return.

If you’re not renting your furniture and you don’t want to bring it to your next apartment, consider selling your furniture instead of leaving it behind in your apartment. Students tend to make and follow Facebook pages that allow local college students to sell their belongings — furniture, textbooks, clothing — to fellow students, setting their own prices and creating a place for bargaining.

If any of your belongings aren’t selling, don’t keep them just to keep them — donate them to your local shelter or thrift store to save space and help those in need at the same time.

3) Update your wardrobe with spring cleaning 

Depending on how much storage space you have, your wardrobe may be limited to the basics or extensive. If possible, take any winter clothing and put it away until you need it, in a storage unit if you have one or back home if your finances allow it.

Be sure to go through every piece of clothing to check for fixed stains or holes, if they still fit you, if you still like the pieces enough to wear them and make use of them. If any of the pieces don’t make the cut, sell them or donate them to save space in your next space for a simpler wardrobe or an updated wardrobe with some new pieces.

4) Deep clean every surface possible once you have cleared the clutter 

Doing a quick wipe down of your space with a wet rag won’t make your space instantly clean and sanitized; you’re going to need to put more work into making sure your space is thoroughly cleaned.

You’re going to want to clean the obvious places — sweep and mop the kitchen floor, clean the toilet bowl, wipe down counters and table tops — but you’re also going to want to give some attention to spaces you forget about during the typical cleaning routine done throughout the year.

Dust the tops of bookshelves, vacuum carpet that hasn’t seen the light of day since move-in, clean out cupboards that have been claimed as hoarding spaces. Your effort will show through when your apartment is free of dirt and clutter, making the move-in process a little less painless.

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