Clean Sweep Your Life this Spring! Four Ways to Make the Most of Spring Cleaning Season with Goodwill!

Spring presents an excellent opportunity to throw open the windows and sort out the clutter, but Ohio Valley Goodwill knows it can also be an overwhelming chore that can be intimidating to even get started! So we asked Lorie Marrero, the creator of ClutterDiet.com and a spokesperson for Goodwill Industries International, to reach out to a few of her favorite fellow Clutter Diet ® organizing experts to bring you the best tips to make spring cleaning easy “” and even fun. Here they are!

1. The Truth, The Whole Truth
Be brutally honest when evaluating items in your closet. Do you fidget with the item once it is on? Does it squeeze your arm or ride too low on your hips? Do you have to continually pull it up or down? Yes? Then it has to go. Replace it with something that fits properly and feels great!
“” Nealey Stapleton, author of The Procrastinator’s Guide to Getting Organized and The-Organizing-Boutique.com

2. Keep It Clean
Once you’re organized, stay organized. Here’s how: for each new piece of paper or object that enters your home or office, ask yourself, ” Do I really need this?” If not, put it in a recycling bin or a box for Goodwill ® donations. Put the keepers with similar items for easy access. To keep clutter from returning, practice the One-In-One-Out Rule when buying things like office supplies or clothes or shoes: When something new comes in, something old must get donated.
“” Helene Segura, TheInefficiencyAssassin.com

3. Make it Fun!
Shake up your spring cleaning routine with fun contests: Challenge everyone in your family to find 10 items to put away and 10 items to donate to Goodwill. This can become a race, with the prize of a traveling trophy (or a hot fudge sundae, if you don’t want more clutter!) and you can repeat it once a week for the entire month of March. Your donations to Goodwill help fund programs and services to help people find jobs, earn paychecks and build their careers. You can take pride in the positive impact donating to Goodwill has in your community.
“” Lorie Marrero, TheClutterDiet.com

To make it even easier, Ohio Valley Goodwill is pleased to be partnering with The Container Store on Saturday and Sunday, April 23 ­ ­-24; and Saturday and Sunday, April 30th -May 1st. Goodwill representatives will be on hand to accept donations of new or gently used clothing, textiles, small appliances and household goods. Customers who donate goods during these weekends will receive a free, co-branded bag from The Container Store to take home and remind them to declutter and donate to Goodwill throughout the year.
The Container Store ® in the Cincinnati area is located at 5901 East Galbraith Road, #130 in the Kenwood Town Center next to Crate and Barrel. Please join Goodwill and The Container Store in helping Cincinnati Kiss Clutter Goodbye this Spring!

And, on Sunday, April 24th from 11 am until 5:00 pm, Ohio Valley Goodwill will be hosting the 3rd annual Electronics Recycling Celebration in cooperation with Cohen Electronics Recycling at all 31 of its donation center locations. For a list of all 31 donation locations, visit www.cincinnatigoodwill.org/donate. Please note on your calendars and Spring Clean with Goodwill this year!

We at Ohio Valley Goodwill hope these tips make spring cleaning just a little less intimidating and even a more exciting for your family. We look forward to seeing you at your nearest Goodwill donation center and we thank you for caring about your community and donating to Goodwill. For a complete list of Goodwill’s 31 conveniently located donation centers in Greater Cincinnati, visit www.cincinnatigoodwill.org/donate.
Thanks Greater Cincinnati for your on-going support for the past 100 years!

Happy Spring!