Spring-Cleaning Checklist

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Spring is coming, spring is coming! We promise it is, and you know what that means: it’s time for spring cleaning. If you read our #StorageGoals blog, you know there is no more satisfying feeling than a perfectly organized makeup station. Even if you took our advice and used our five life hacks to get yourself and your stuff more organized, it’s pretty likely that after the holidays and the start of a new year, your makeup organizer could use a reboot.

If you’ve got piles of makeup and products laying around (from stockpiling beauty points, department store gift packs, or beauty subscription boxes delivered to your door each month), there’s no better time to get organized. Follow our simple spring-cleaning checklist below to prepare for the sunny days ahead!

Tidy-Up

In the trendy book The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up, there are a few lessons to be learned...the first is tackle categories, not rooms. So look at this spring cleaning project as cleaning up and organizing your makeup, not your bathroom or vanity. The second is to respect your belongings. You work hard for your money, the money you used to purchase all that makeup and products, don’t treat it like trash or junk. Use this time to figure out how to showcase it in a way that makes it nice to look at and easy to use.

Pull Everything Out

The first step is to get everything into one place. Pull everything out of your designated makeup drawers and bags and find anything that is scattered throughout the house or left in purses, coat pockets or travel bags. Once your mountain of makeup is made, gather and clean all your storage containers. If you don’t yet have storage containers, purchase a few. Maybe take a look at our available makeup organizer products here and combine these ultra-trendy cosmetic organizers with some cute baskets and bins.

Sort & Toss Expired Products

Now that you’ve cleaned and located your makeup storage options, sort out your product by grouping similar items. You are now further sub-categorizing your makeup (lips, eyes, hair, perfumes, nails, brushes, etc.). As you do this toss any product that is expired, showing signs of age or was kept because “there’s a little left that could be salvaged.” If you haven’t salvaged it yet, you likely won’t. Also throw out anything that doesn’t suit you now...like that glitter body lotion or that two-seasons-ago foundation. The glitter body lotion has held on too long anyway and that foundation won’t be good when its season rolls around again.

Find A Home For Everything

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Don’t try to cram everything back into its original home, develop a system that works for you. Store your brushes in cute, acrylic cups displayed on a lazy-Susan carousel. Sort them by frequency of use or type and be sure to store them brush end up. If you choose to put them in a drawer, don’t crowd them, they need room to breathe in order to avoid the development of some pretty funky stuff. Try to limit what you keep to what will easily fit into your storage containers or cosmetic organizers--with nothing double stacked.

Showcase Your Faves

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Re-organizing is about convenience. You know what you use most and now you’ve reduced your haul enough that it should be easy to find. But cosmetic companies spend a lot of money designing packaging that is appealing and pretty. Don’t be afraid to put an acrylic organizer of some kind on your vanity countertop so you can display your favorite (and most beautiful) pieces.

Shop Smart

Don’t be afraid to say no to free gifts or products that you know you won’t use. Sure, it could be fun and nice to setup a little stash in a guestroom or guest bathroom, like at a hotel, but if you know you won’t wear that matte plum lipstick now, you probably aren’t going to wear it later so let the store keep it. Only accept samples of product you have a true interest in trying out. It doesn’t make sense to clutter your space in the off chance you get a wild hair!

Organize On-The- Go!

Now that you’re done organizing your makeup and emptied your makeup bags, be sure to give them a good wipe down before you re-load them again. For gals (and guys) on-the-go, try stocking your take along products with your absolute necessities so touching up from day-to-night is a breeze. Finally, never be afraid to update your take-along bag each time you leave the house. What you’ll need in it for a day at the beach is totally different from what you’ll need for an elegant cocktail hour or off-site work conference. Happy spring cleaning!

What are your spring-cleaning and makeup storage tricks and tips? Share anything helpful in the comments below!

Article By: Abbey Harris