Spring is the season of fresh starts - longer days, brighter spaces, and the natural urge to reset our surroundings. While traditional spring cleaning focuses on scrubbing, polishing, and deep cleaning, decluttering is the essential first step that makes all that effort truly meaningful.
You cannot clean what you cannot see, and you cannot create a calm space that is overflowing with excess items. Decluttering clears not only physical clutter but also reduces mental stress and makes cleaning more efficient.
Decluttering is about removing what no longer serves you — physically and mentally. Beyond creating a tidier home, it:
Reduces visual stress and mental overload
Creates functional and organised living spaces
Improves focus and productivity
Makes daily routines smoother
Decluttering is essentially the preparation; spring cleaning is the finishing touch that brings the space to life.
Living Spaces
Clear surfaces first, such as coffee tables, shelves, and sideboards. Remove items that belong elsewhere, store only what is regularly used, and edit decorative pieces to maintain simplicity. Follow up with dusting, vacuuming upholstery, cleaning windows, and washing throws or cushion covers.
Wardrobes
Remove items that no longer fit or have not been worn in the past year. Store seasonal clothing appropriately and create a donation pile. Organise by category or colour for easier access. Spring cleaning should include wiping shelves, vacuuming wardrobe floors, airing fabrics, and adding a fresh scent.
Kitchens
Check expiry dates, remove duplicate or unused items, and organise pantry and cupboards so everything is visible. Follow up with a deep clean of appliances, wiping cabinet fronts and handles, and mopping floors.
Bedrooms
Simplify bedside tables and remove unnecessary décor or furniture. Keep only essential clothing and bedding. Spring cleaning should include washing all bedding, rotating or vacuuming mattresses, dusting surfaces, and ventilating the room.
For each item, ask yourself:
Do I use it? If not, consider letting it go.
Do I love it? If it brings no value, remove it.
Do I need it? Items kept “just in case” rarely serve a purpose.
Work in small sections — a drawer, a shelf, or one corner at a time — to make the process manageable.
Decluttering and spring cleaning together create a seasonal reset for both home and mind. A lighter, organised space can improve thinking, boost energy, enhance mood, and increase appreciation for what you own.
Spring is not just about cleaning surfaces — it is about creating space, clarity, and calm in your home and life.
Sharing a uniquely-holistic approach to decluttering since 2010, leading decluttering expert Breda Stack of Declutter Therapy and The Declutter Therapist is founder of Ireland’s National Declutter Day and International Declutter Day and author of Declutter Therapy. A regular contributor to TV, radio and print media, Breda is creator of The Declutter Academy decluttering career training, professional mentor and a consultant on the decluttering industry to charities, organisations and lifestyle brands.
Wellbeing through decluttering is at the heart of Breda's therapy. Specialising in the often-complex and sensitive emotional aspect of decluttering, she teaches and inspires students all around the world to help their clients declutter and "LET IT GO" so they can enjoy freedom and peace of mind.
Breda's varied professional training and experience includes the areas of Media and Communications, IT, Quality Assurance, Project Management, Training, Coaching, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Writing, Editing, Speaking, Reiki, Style Consultancy and Interior Design. In following her own Declutter Therapy teachings, Breda also now works as an Intuitive Artist.
A whole-life decluttering philosophy, Breda shares everything she has learned, both personally and professionally, about letting go and its power to transform through her live and online The Declutter Academy Professional Foundation and Certification Training.
Declutter Therapy is an internationally-registered modality and The Declutter Academy is an internationally-registered trainer with the International Institute of Complementary Therapists.
