7 Spring Cleaning Tips From The Home Edit That Will Make You Want to Get Organized→

Spring is not just a time for completing the deep-cleaning tasks you've been neglecting all winter. It's also about organizing your house and taking charge of your life, two things that can make you feel energized and refreshed. We spoke with two masters of the craft-Joanna Teplin and Clea Shearer of Get Organized With The Home Edit- and they offered these helpful tips for getting started.

1. Don't confuse cleaning with organizing. Make sure to take the time to think through your habits, your home, and your lifestyle so you can create smart solutions that you'll be able to maintain.

2. Once you create a functional system, it comes down to the 80/20 philosophy: Keep your home no more than 80 percent full, and reserve at least 20 percent for breathing room. Once items start spilling out of the system you have in place, they won't have a home and that's where clutter builds.

3. Label your categories, or sort by color, which is a labeling system in itself! Labels provide a user-friendly road map to where items are found and where they belong.

4. Consider who is using the space. Where and how you position your zones is key to successful maintenance. For instance, do you need to keep items on low shelves for your kids to reach by themselves, or on a high shelf out of their reach?

5. At the end of the day, all that matters is that you contain your items. It doesn't matter what kind of container that is. Everything just needs a home. Containers create zones, and zones create systems! They not only give items a designated space, but they also hold you accountable for not exceeding that space.

6. If the system isn't working for you, switch it up so it does. Since new items will be added, it's important to set aside some time each month to check in and purge anything that isn't necessary.

7. Start every project with an edit. This means removing every item from the space, grouping them into categories, and purging what you no longer want or need. Only then can you decide on a functional system that best fits your space and the items that live there.