Declutter a first aid kit, wash blankets and 7 other household tasks you've been putting off

When the house is clean and food is prepared, it might seem like there's nothing left to do. But that’s not true — we’ve compiled a list of tasks most people postpone until better times (and now, it seems, those times have arrived).

Sort clothes and shoes

Organize all clothing and footwear into these categories.

• Items to keep. Everything you use frequently.
  
• Discard. Items that are broken, outdated, or no longer useful.
  
• Donate or sell. Clothing and footwear in good condition that others may find useful.
• Hard to part with. Items you're not ready to give away yet. Don’t forget to mark the date when you expect to donate them and store them for safekeeping. Perhaps, looking at these items a year from now, you’ll realize they’re no longer needed.

Design: Anna Rims

Now sort only the items in the “keep” category. Separate clothes and shoes into home wear and everyday, sportswear and festive, seasonal and non-seasonal. Fold undergarments and accessories separately.

Move everything you won’t need in the near future to the top. Place the rest on shelves and hangers. Hang clothes from longest to shortest, from lighter fabric to heavier, from light colors to darker.

Organize footwear in boxes and label contents (or attach photos). Remove winter boots and shoes that are no longer suitable for this season. You can find more storage ideas for clothes and footwear here.

Design: BLACKDOT Studio

Sort documents

Retrieve all papers and sort them into two categories: needed and unnecessary. Anything that is no longer relevant or definitely won’t be needed can be thrown away. Start by shredding papers or tearing them into small pieces. If some old documents might still be useful, scan them and store in digital format.

Organize remaining papers into categories and place them in folders or organizers. Each category might include:

• Finance (invoices, loans, taxes);
• Property (documents for apartment, cottage, car);
• Medical (insurance, discharge summaries);
• Education (certificates, diplomas);
• Personal documents (passports, birth and marriage certificates).

Design: Lyudmila Danilovich

Organize files on the computer

If you're sorting documents, follow the same principle as in the previous step. Then organize all applications and programs (based on their function).

Clean browser history, sort bookmarks, delete anything unnecessary. Organize photo folders and make copies to external or cloud storage.

Design: BLACKDOT Studio

Clean home textiles

Vacuum all surfaces to remove dust (rugs, sofas, and armchairs). Then treat soft furniture with a fabric steamer if you have one. Clean rugs with special cleaning products and dry them thoroughly.

Do a big laundry session: gather blankets, quilts, and pillows. First, check what materials they are made of and whether they can be washed in a machine (e.g., down and wool can be, but only on delicate settings, while cotton batting cannot). Some items may need to be hand-washed.

Design: Zarkua Design

Clean windows

Check the weekly forecast and choose a cloudy, not too cold day. Windows are easier to clean when the sun isn’t shining directly into the glass and doesn’t highlight spots and streaks. Lay down a cloth on the floor and begin work.

• Prepare everything you need. You can use special cleaning products or make a regular soap solution — it works just as well. Don’t forget to prepare another bucket with clean water, a sponge or brush with a long handle, and a clean cloth.
• Wipe frames first, then glass. Wipe surfaces with a well-wrung sponge. Move from bottom to top to avoid streaks. For large windows, use a brush with a long handle. Don’t forget to rinse the glass with clean water after using the soap solution.
• Dry the windows completely. The brush has a special rubber scraper — place it on top of the glass and slowly move down, pushing water off. Wipe any remaining water with a clean cloth (preferably microfiber — it absorbs moisture and doesn’t leave streaks).
• Wash mosquito nets separately. Best done in the bathroom, using a shower, soap, and a brush with stiff bristles.

Photo: Pinterest

Declutter items on the balcony

It’s time to turn the balcony not into a storage area but into a cozy spot for relaxation. Set aside one day and move all items from the balcony to your apartment so you can sort them calmly. Then categorize them (like clothes and shoes in the first step).

Don’t forget to clean the balcony and wash the windows before returning items. Set up convenient storage systems (e.g., a built-in closed cabinet) to keep all items in one place and free up as much space as possible.

After that, you can place a small coffee table for breakfasts on the balcony, put a chair or hang a hammock. More ideas for decorating a glazed balcony can be found here.

Design: Marina Karalkina

Organize kitchen cabinets

Open the cabinets and see what’s where. Ask yourself: is it convenient, do you need to change anything? Then remove all contents and wipe the shelves. Go through all dishes (maybe you haven’t used some of them or don’t plan to), and also dry goods.

Items you use rarely should be placed as high as possible, while everything you need should be brought down. You might unexpectedly find something useful (long-lost baking molds or waffle irons you bought years ago and forgot about).

Go through all spices, mixes, and baking additives. Think about how to organize their storage — for example, place them in a separate drawer and use organizers for convenience.

Design: Mirburo

Declutter a medicine cabinet and cosmetics

Go through all cosmetic and skincare products and check their expiration dates — some of them are definitely past due. Also, review whether you're still using all of them: perhaps some products don’t suit you anymore and can be donated.

The same applies to medications — how to organize a medicine cabinet was explained here.

Important note: Plastic packaging from cosmetic products should not be thrown into regular trash. It can be recycled at special waste collection points, but you must thoroughly clean the containers and remove caps and metal parts.

Some cosmetic stores also accept used packaging from their own products (but only those made by the store itself).

Photo: Pinterest

Start doing exercise

At first glance, the easiest task requiring minimal effort (but it’s not). And yet it's the most important. Begin with a light morning warm-up, and you’ll feel more energetic and cheerful.

Many fitness centers and studios have opened access to online workouts. The perfect time to start working out, practicing yoga, or dancing.

Photo: Pinterest