Top Tips for the Collector Doing Spring Cleaning

Dear Lee, Days are longer and, in much of the country, hints of warmer weather tease and then cruelly retreat to frigid temperatures. To hurry spring and summer, many of us turn to spring cleaning. But for collectors—or families with a collector in their midst—there are special rules. Who wants to donate an old, stained […]

Spring Cleaning Tips

Dear Lee, The weather is warming and there are more sunny days than cloudy ones. That means: time for spring cleaning. As a collector, I always worry when I see people downsizing and doing big spring cleanings. Without caution and research, they could be getting rid of valuable collectibles and heirlooms. They may donate an […]

Expert Tips on Spring Cleaning and Re-Assessing Your Collectibles 

The sun is shining, the weather is warming … time to throw out clutter, wash windows and, of course, do a whole-house spring cleaning. For collectors, that can be a tricky job. Inadvertently throwing out something that is valuable or loved by another family member, using the wrong cleaning solution, or having slippery, soapy hands […]

Reflections on a Cleaning Binge

Dear Lee, A cleaning, sorting and filing frenzy hit me right after I got over the flu. I started going from pile to pile of papers in my office. We built our house in the 1950s, added office space, attic storage space and built cabinets in the garage, but have never moved and discarded old […]

Spring Cleaning

Dear Lee, It’s May—time is running out if you have put off spring cleaning. Collectors have a hard time when facing major cleaning projects, maybe because we’re all savers and it’s hard to discard things. Here are some rules to help you make “throw it out” choices: Never throw out someone else’s things unless you’re […]