The last few years have felt disproportionally hard – so Capsule, with the help of our pals at Shark and Ninja, are here to figure out how to make life easier, without breaking the bank, as well as diving deeper into WHY we do what we do, the struggles we all collectively face and all that’s glorious and good about being a mana wahine!
This month, we’re all about spring cleaning, baby! But before you run away in horror, this little list is just as much about spring cleaning your entire life, not just your home. (Ok it’s also about how to clean your house properly – but in a FUN way, we promise!)
Capsule x Shark
1. Make a spring-cleaning playlist
Before you do anything, get yourself in the right mood and set your vibe. If you’re a frenetic cleaner who just wants to get shit done, go for something upbeat (i.e the music you’d want to hear in the club – huge apologies to the food bag delivery guy from last Sunday who had to hear my off-key version of Chappell Roan’s Femininomenon). If you’re more of a mindful, slow cleaner (clearly not me) then go with something soothing and happy and calming that’ll match your ‘look at me, I’m just floating through life so organised and chic’ vibe you’re giving off. Alternatively if you can’t be f*cked thinking about that and you like to be literal, Spotify’s Spring Clean playlist is one of the ones that is customised for you, so it’ll do the job nicely.
2. Think about what you want for the sunny season ahead
Now that you’ve got your vibes sorted, it’s time for the intentions. Instead of running around like a blue-arsed fly (my God I’m turning into my mother), ask yourself, ‘what do I WANT from this cleaning binge?’ Are you deep cleaning like you need your bond back? Are you simply organising? Do you want an Instagram-worthy home (to quote Chappell again, Good Luck, Babe) or are you wanting to streamline your morning and or evening routines so things are just that little bit easier? Or are you both? Figure out a gameplan so you can plan accordingly – and see below for our lazy or not-so-lazy girl’s guide to the practical parts of the spring clean.
3. Re-shape your routine for your current goals – meal planning, wardrobe -reorganise
Cleaning and organising simply for the hell (or joy?!) of it is absolutely fine, but going back to my point above, what else are you hoping to achieve with this new, tidy, organised you? Once you have your intentions, figure out how to make your goals easier. Are you wanting to meal prep more? Start with the chaos that is the container drawer. Are you wanting to figure out new outfits because buying new ones is out of the question right now? Pull everything out to see what you’re working with (if you’re really dedicated to this, be like Cher and download a closet helper app that’ll help you put outfits together – yes, we’re finally living our Clueless fantasy! (Click here for some recommendations.) Working towards wider goals helps with the motivation, too.
4. Have a designated place for everything
‘A place for everything and everything in its place’ sounds like an annoying saying your nana used to say to make you try and clean but damn it, the woman was right. It’s FAR more likely you’ll keep your gorgeously tidy home well, tidy, if you have a spot for everything and that it actually goes back there every time. Eventually that’ll become a habit and you’ll find things super-quickly as well as keeping everything where it should be. Start with keys and wallets and branch out to bigger items like blankets, bags and umbrellas (click through HERE for more on this!).
5. It’s not about ‘sparking joy’ anymore… but declutter before you deep clean (the great purge)
Look I’d love to get rid of everything in my house that doesn’t ‘spark joy’ but then I would have no clean clothes, no clean sheets… well, no clean anything. Now, it’s more about ‘does this thing help me keep my shit together’. As much as the Marie Kondo method is flawed though, getting rid of stuff you simply don’t like, use or need is a valid and essential part of decluttering. Always do the clear out before the clean so you’re only working with what’s staying in your house and hell, be ruthless with what stays and goes. I did this this weekend and it was SO BLOODY FREEING. My biggest culprits? Candle containers I was saving to ‘re-use’ (in what universe), expired makeup, handbags that haven’t seen the light of day in years, clothes I don’t have a hope in hell of fitting in again unless I get my hands on some Ozempic, broken ornaments I’d tried to kind of prop up against the wall and SO MANY linen tote bags. I donated what I could and chucked the rest.
6. Get outside! Buy some plants! NATURE
I mean this one is a little ‘florals for spring!? Groundbreaking’ but the spring clean is a great time for a little plant inventory. Do you have some hanging on for dear life that needs some rescuing? Are some just dead and you’re kidding yourself? Or do you simply just need some? Pop down to the plant barn and, before you buy anything, for the love of god, ASK someone there what to buy for the specific areas of your house. Bringing the outside in is fabulous for general vibes, as well as mental health and fresh foliage can really lift a space. And while you’re at it, get outside for a little bit and spring clean the garden. Even picking a few weeds is good for the soul.
7. Do the little cleaning things you NEVER do
See our little graphic below for all the potential things you can clean (pick and choose from maaaany options) but a universal one is to clean the shit you never clean. We’re talking blinds, baseboards, filters, people. We’re about finally tackling that weird stain on the couch cushion that you flipped over four months ago because CBF. We’re targeting all the surfaces your pet’s been on that you’ve put in the too-hard basket. We’d recommend this absolutely legendary Shark StainStriker Portable Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner – it’s a lifesaver for everyday emergencies but she’ll be your best friend when you’re trying to get rid of mystery stains and weird spots so you can get that bond back and not have to cover things with awkwardly-placed rugs (speaking from experience of course).
8. Streamline your products
If you don’t want stuff building up again, consider changing the way you shop for your products with things that do multiple things. No, I’m not suggesting you use your boyfriend’s gross 3-in-1 in the shower or anything, but cutting down on packaging is a fab way of keeping things tidy. Makeup palettes, lip and cheek colours and skin tints are fab at this in the beauty category, as is our beloved Shark Hydrovac 3-in1.
9. Dedicate some time for a financial spring clean – subscriptions, accounts, debts
While you’re sorting out your life and your calendar, why not sort out your money too? Check out our tips for a one-month financial declutter here – it’s a tried and true list of things you can look at that are costing you precious $, and you might not even realise it. Chuck on a candle, crank up the playlist, grab a wine and get to work saving yourself some serious dollarbucks.
10. Create a schedule for your spring cleaning, no matter your level of lazy
And finally, the practical how-to guide to the actual spring clean – if you tick all of these off then one, you are bloody incredible and two, can we come over just to *see* such clean? But equally admirable is getting stuck in with just a few of these, or tackling each section over a period of a few weeks. Whichever way you do it, happy cleaning and organising!
Click below if you’d like to download or print this list
