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Ten Things You Probably Forgot During Spring Cleaning

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at LMU chapter.

Spring is just around the corner, and many people are gearing up for an annual spring cleaning. Below are a few categories you don’t want to overlook when making space for a new season!

Social media

Scrolling through old social media content is a great way to look back on fond memories and stay connected with friends and family. It’s probably been a while since you went through and deleted old profiles, unfollowed people that you don’t want in your feed, and even updated some of your pictures. Use spring cleaning as an excuse to sit around on your phone and spend time updating a few different accounts.

email inbox

Email inboxes never seem to be truly empty, from appointment reminders to order confirmations. Unsubscribe from the dozens of newsletters that got you a discount on those purchases a few months ago to enjoy the relief from a cleared inbox.

Letter mail

As with email, paper mail tends to cause a lot of clutter in even your most peaceful spaces. Consider renting a paper shredder for the day,or dropping off the old mail at a service that will do it for you.

recurring subscriptions

It’s hard to pass up a free trial for a new service or subscription. Depending on how many of these require adding a credit card on file before proceeding with the free trial, this could be another reason you find your bank account dwindling. Do yourself a favor and unsubscribe from these random trials you forgot about!

old Makeup and skincare

It’s hard to justify throwing out makeup or skincare products when it reaches the end of its shelf life. There’s usually plenty of product left and it still performs the same as when you just bought it. However, continuing to use old cosmetic products past their expiration date can cause your skin to break out from the expired product. Take this as a chance to try out new makeup and skincare products!

camera roll

I know I avoid looking through my camera roll when I haven’t cleared it out in a while because I find it too messy. Give yourself back some storage on your phone by combing through your camera roll and deleting pictures you don’t need, like old screenshots, blurry photos, duplicates, and pictures you just don’t like.

Contact list and messages

Although some people see extensive contact lists as a symbol of popularity, I disagree; I see it as holding onto an exhaustive list of almost every person you’ve ever met. Go through your contacts and old messages and delete the people you have no interest in keeping up with. There’s no need to remind yourself of a bunch of past relationships or situations. This also includes random group chats that were made for specific occasions. Just get rid of them! There’s no bad intent or malice behind this; it’s simply about clearing out your space.

underwear drawer

This includes socks that don’t have a match, uncomfortable bras that you don’t ever reach for, and ratty underwear you bought years ago. With all the cute patterns and matching sets out there, you deserve to invest in a new underwear drawer!

Novelty t-shirts

More than anyone, I understand the instant gratification that comes from getting a free t-shirt at an event. Most of the time, it’s the only compelling reason to show up. However, it’s easy to have far too many of these novelty t-shirts. If you’re keeping some just for the memories, consider making them into a quilt! This will clear up so much space in your closet, and give you a new way to remember all those past events.

wrapping paper and gift boxes

It happens to everyone. You’re given an awesome gift in the cutest wrapping paper or box that you’ve ever seen, and you insist that you will repurpose it eventually. Well it’s been over three years since you received it, and all those boxes are still collecting dust and taking up space. If you have not found a use for them yet, you’re probably not going to anytime soon. If the boxes are big enough, try keeping important documents or papers inside!

Teniola is a Junior Entrepreneurship major from Boston, Massachusetts. She is interested in writing about beauty, trending topics, lived experiences, fitness, and overall health!