Any tips for how to spring clean my Tallahassee apartment?

Between classes at Florida State University, extracurriculars, and social outings, it can be difficult for students to find time to keep their apartments near FSU clean. Depending on how long it's been since your apartment's last clean, you may have a few piles of clothes on the floor, or your apartment may look absolutely horrendous. A thorough spring cleaning, despite the name, doesn't have to be reserved for just the springtime. Any time you find your living space lacking, you can give it a spring cleaning to keep things fresh. Keeping your environment clean can make you more productive as well as increasing your mental health. Not to mention that your roommates will thank you!

Starting Small       

You may be so overwhelmed with cleaning that you don't know where to start. The easiest way to begin is to start tidying up the small things. Pick up whatever is on the floor, organize loose objects and put them back where they belong. If you're not sure where you should put certain items, toss them in a bin to sort later. Gather up any loose clothing or fabric and put them in the washer while you clean. It's important in this step not to get caught up organizing shelves or bookcases, or you'll get distracted from your original task of tidying your FSU apartment. Instead, straighten out a few items and move on to the next area of the house. 

Target Areas

The next step is to determine what areas of your FSU apartment needs cleaning the most. Maybe your bathroom has gotten a bit grimy, or your living room floor desperately needs a vacuum. Prioritize areas of the apartment that you interact with every day which build up the most dirt. A great way to visualize this is to think about foot traffic which may track dirt from outside through your apartment. If your apartment is pet friendly, consider where your pet's favorite areas are so you can clean any fur or broken toys left behind. If you're overwhelmed, dedicate ten to twenty minutes to one area before moving on. It's better to clean for short intervals than to not clean at all!

Organization at FSU Apartments

Once the clutter is put away and your surfaces are clean, now it's time for many people's favorite part of the spring-cleaning process: organization. This is the time where you bring out that bin of loose items you collected from around your apartment and decide where they go. It's important to save this step for last because it can be time-consuming and requires the most concentration. As well as this, organizing can be seen as a reward after all your hard work cleaning. A tip for having more space for clothing is to use the Marie Kondo method of folding. If you're having trouble figuring out where to keep an item during this process, consider how often you use it. If you bring it to Florida State University every day, it's okay to leave it out for easy access. If you only use it every couple of days, or once a week, find a shelf or a bin to store it in. And if you hardly ever use it at all, either put it in deeper storage, or consider getting rid of it altogether.

These are the opinions of writers and not the opinions of RentTally.com or any of our advertising partners.