Spring has officially sprung in Detroit! Our windows are down and radios blaring during our re-instated commutes, purple crocuses are peeking out through the budding grass, and iced coffee whets the palate once again. Though the temperature continues to fluctuate back and forth, many of us are too excited to wait for the consistent warmth to start our springtime activities. If this sounds like you, here are a few ways you can get ahead of the springtime season this year.
READY UP YOUR BIKE
If 2020 proved anything, it’s that bicycles are an excellent source of exercise and transportation. As early as April of 2020 bike sales were up 75% in comparison to 2019. For all of us who aided in that stark increase, this spring it’s time to clean off the cobwebs and fill the tires with air to ready your bike for another year of use.
For those of us unfamiliar with the inner mechanics of our two-wheeled machines, and or your bike is a little worse for wear, make sure to get it tuned up at a local shop. Downtown Detroit Bike Shop offers an array of new bikes, parts, a full repair shop, and a fantastic staff ready to help you in the best and safest ways possible.
SPRING CLEANING/2020 DECLUTTERING
Accumulation of goods has to be the easiest hobby out there, especially after a year of quarantine. We have closets full of
PHOTO ANNIE SPRATT / UNSPLASH
clothing that may no longer fit us, old home decor we can’t stomach to look at after a year immersed in it, and a bunch of half-finished projects we started throughout the months of being stuck indoors. Now, a year after the pandemic began, is an excellent time to start weeding out the random stimulus purchases and the copious amounts of canned food purchased we panic bought at the beginning of the pandemic.
If you’re looking to donate any clothing, furniture, household items, video games, or movies, Grace Centers of Hope accepts donated items at four different locations around the metro area. If canned, boxed, or preserved food, is what you’re looking to get rid of, FoodPantries.Org offers a comprehensive list of food pantries in Detroit.
TURN DOWN THE (FLOWER) BEDS
According to Blossom Town’s three rules, it’s about time to uncover our flower beds and let the perennials reign free! When you’re ready to do the dirty deed, Blossom Town suggests using both a rake and your own hands (gloved of course!) to remove all of the brush and wind-blown debris covering your perky, budding plants.
Now is also a great time to trim your bushes and trees in preparation for their future growth. If you’re excited to get planting, there are some great local greenhouses selling seeds for all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Though it’s a little early to put new plants and seeds in the ground, it’s never too early to start some seedling growth indoors!
RETURN & RECYCLE
Fewer hours of sunshine per day and long hours at work (whether on the couch or as an essential worker) have been draining
PHOTO SIGMUND / UNSPLASH
on most of us this winter. Sometimes this means the little things slip through our fingers. The returnables will be taken next weekend, the recycling can be sorted tomorrow, and who even knows where to take old electronics and batteries? Now is the perfect time to declutter our junk piles to free up space and time for other springtime activities.
For those looking for a place to recycle plastics, glass, and metals, Recycle Here! serves the community as an amazing, sort-it-yourself recycle shop. If sorting your own recycling isn’t your jam, however, check out the city’s website to see if you qualify for a recycle bin at your own house! For all things electronic, GT Scrap Recycling offers locations in both Chesterfield and Hazel Park for drop-off.
Extra Tip: If you have a bunch of cans and bottles to return, match what you receive back as a donation to a local nonprofit to help stimulate and aid the community!
Now that all the pesky tasks are out of the way, how will you spend the rest of your Spring?
