Spring has sprung, and with that comes spring cleaning. You pull out your storage bins and cleaning supplies, but where do you start? Here are a few step-by-step tips to make your spring cleaning easy, affordable and effective.

+By Cadie Elder and Rebecca Carroll

Bed: Strip your bed and wash all of your sheets, pillowcases, comforters / quilts, etc. Once this is done, clean under and around your bed, and vacuum this area. You never know what you might find under your bed.Closet: Take everything out of your closet and decide what is necessary and what you can live without. Tip: hang all your clothes on your closet rack facing the same way. When you wear an item of clothing and put it back up, turn the hanger the opposite direction. If, by the end of two or three months, you have any hangers that haven’t been turned, get rid of those items. This way, you are only keeping items that you will use frequently. Once this is done, use bins and shelving to make the most of your space and store out-of-season clothing effectively.Bathroom: To clean your bathroom, start by removing all items that do not belong there, like clothing. After this, thoroughly clean the toilet, counters and bathtub or shower. Scrubbing Bubbles® Foaming Bleach Bathroom Cleaner and a sponge (or rag) is an inexpensive way to remove mildew and other stains that linger in your shower. Take down the shower curtains and wash them along with bath mats or rugs. Clean and organize your drawers and cabinets using drawer dividers and bins. Maximize space by getting rid of products you have not used in over six months. Check expiration dates on old containers and discard anything that’s almost empty. Lastly, mop the floors and put the curtain back up.Dresser: Pull all of the clothing out and decide what is ready for donation, and what you really have to keep. Make use of your space by folding your clothes compactly, and stacking items vertically in drawers. Make sure to de-clutter the top of your dressers and instead, place those items in containers or baskets for organization.Walls: Start with any windows that are in your room. Wash the curtains and dust the blinds. Take a look at what has been hanging on your wall for a year and decide if it is time for it to hit the trash. When placing new items on your wall, do not use any kind of tape as, over time, it will peel away paint. Baking soda can also remove stains on your walls, including anything from crayon marks to candle wax.Fans: Do not forget to dust the top side of your fans you need to start using them. Otherwise, dust will fly around your bedroom and create a new mess.Try using an old pillowcase to dust these contraptions. First, place your pillowcase over a fin of the fan. You can use products like Pledge® or Endust® to help clean. Then, gently pull the pillowcase toward you, wiping the surface of the fin. All the dust will go into your pillowcase, so make sure to wash it afterward, but this makes for quick and easy cleanup.One man’s trash, another man’s treasureBags and bins of discarded clothing and random ornaments line the wall of your bedroom. Where do you go next? Goodwill and Savers, two thrift stores located just off of Shawnee Mission Parkway, will use your items in more than one way.

Goodwill is a nonprofit organization. For every dollar Goodwill makes, they give 90 cents to fund the services and programs that provide jobs in Kansas City.

“We do not just sell clothes,”  Goodwill multi-media and brand manager Nordia Epps said. “We sell clothes and shoes and all those donation items so we can pay for services and programs that help people find jobs.”

Savers, on the other hand, does make a profit, but they fund an organization called Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City.

“Anytime you donate, it stays here in Kansas City,” Savers Retail Sales Manager Kim Davis said.

Although both Goodwill and Savers stock primarily clothing items they also sell furniture, home decor, books, cooking utensils and electronic devices. They will not accept any type of bedding that could contain bed bugs, or hazardous items such as paint.

“Even if it is a torn t-shirt or a single pair of socks, we will still accept it because we will find a way to get the most use out of it,” Epps said.

Both Goodwill and Savers recycle the clothes they do not sell. Davis said clothes that have rips and stains will not go on the floor to be sold,  but can be provided to companies to ensure those items do not end up in a landfill.

“A lot of people come in here. We have a variety for everybody,” Davis said. “Yes, we do have people who are on a budget and shop here at Savers, but we also have people come in because they are smart shoppers.”

Both Epps and Davis think spring cleaning is not just a time to donate your items but to take a look inside their stores.Become a donation bin expert What to look for in a bin:

• name of organization or logo
• mission statement: introduced the organization and its purpose in helping the community
• contact information: for any questions you have relating to the organization and provide directions on how to receive your tax receipt