This simple ‘spring purge’ mantra will make organizing easier, says designer Caroline Winkler

Caroline Winkler’s ‘spring purge’ mantra

In an exclusive interview with H&G, the YouTuber and designer shared her advice for getting our homes organized for spring and, surprisingly, her best decluttering tip involves wine.

“I’m a big fan of the spring purge,” Caroline Winkler tells us. “But deciding which items to keep and which to donate is easier said than done – because it’s often a very emotional process!”

“Try my favorite tip of asking yourself ‘If this item got covered in red wine, how hard would I work to revive it?'” she says. “If the answer is that you’d just be relieved to finally be able to let it go with justification…Then it’s something you’re holding on to out of guilt or obligation. Set it free!”

So simple and effective.

“In addition, I recommend opening windows intermittently to refresh the air in your home after a cold, stale, furnace-heated winter indoors,” Caroline continues. “Spring is also when I like to purge my toiletry closet! Half-used lotions and old makeup have likely built up over the year – it’s time to make some space for your sanity! (And your new lotions).”

Organizing makeup and skincare is never as daunting as we think it’s going to be and makes our morning routines so much easier as we aren’t rummaging through items we never use. Once you’re done, the best bathroom organizers will help maintain order.

Some areas, like the closet, are a little trickier to clear out, though. For Chiana Dickson, junior writer at Homes & Gardens, this is the hardest space to tackle, but she has come up with ways of framing it mentally to make it easier when undertaking a seasonal closet clear-out.

“I find the hardest thing to declutter are clothes I have bought (and maybe spent too much money on for what it is) and barely worn them. To help me to declutter clothes fast, I try to think realistically,” Chiana says. “If I look at something and feel guilt or regret over buying it, no matter how slight, it needs to go. It clearly isn’t making me feel good so it doesn’t have a home in my house!”

And for those of us who find decluttering and organizing totally overwhelming? Caroline Winkler recommends following these three rules:

• Just do 15 minutes at a time. That’s all. No need to purge the whole house.
• Put on a podcast, or a TV show, or call a friend while you declutter to make it an activity that you can actually look forward to a bit.
• Limit the scope: choose one drawer, one countertop, or one storage box you want to tend to. Make it bite-sized. And feel accomplished when you’re done!

So, next time you’re feeling torn about whether to keep hold of something, ask yourself if you’d be bothered enough to revive it after someone spilled grape juice on it. Any hesitation, and it’s time to donate, toss or sell.