Monday's Makers Minute: Cleaning Up for Spring: How I Organize My Bench

Spring has officially hit Vermont, and with it comes the annual urge to declutter everything—including the studio. I’ll admit, my bench gets… well loved over the winter. Tools pile up, stones end up in little dishes (and then other dishes), and before I know it, I’m working in a 6-inch square of clear space.

So every spring, I carve out a bit of time to reorganize and reset. It’s not just about tidying—it actually helps my creativity flow again. When everything’s where it should be, I waste less time hunting for that one pair of pliers, and I spend more time making.

Here’s what my spring cleaning usually looks like:

• Tool roundup: I gather every tool, give it a quick clean, and return it to its designated spot (or give it one if it didn’t have one to begin with).
• Stone sorting: All those cabochons and cutoffs I collected during winter? They get grouped, labeled, and either shelved or placed in my project queue.
• Surface wipe-down: It’s amazing what a damp cloth and a little Thyme’s Frasier Fir All Purpose cleaner can do—my bench top gets a much-needed refresh and it smells so good.
• Studio reset: I take a step back, re-evaluate my layout, and see if anything needs shifting to better suit how I work now.

Spring cleaning isn’t glamorous, but it’s grounding. And honestly? There’s something deeply satisfying about starting a new project with a freshly cleared space.