I’ll admit that spring cleaning probably excites me more than most people. I just love the fresh beginning of a new season, airing out the house after a long winter, and prepping the home for windows open, warmer weather and entertaining. While I love a clean home I don’t have all the time in the world to devote to cleaning it, especially a big task like spring cleaning.
We have a regular housekeeper that maintains our home, but spring cleaning to me is clearing out drawers and closets and clutter that has built up over the months. It’s washing the walls, baseboards, the fridge and oven. It can be overwhelming to think about and accomplish. But man it it’s so fresh and clean when complete!
Here are two tips that just might make this daunting task so much easier.
- Choose one room at a time. For real. Most cleaning and organizing experts will tell you to group tasks together – clean ALL the baseboards in the houses at one time, go through ALL the closets at one time. I disagree. That’s so overwhelming to me. I’d rather take one room and focus on that for a few hours and see the transformation from start to finish.
- Choose one room to clean per day. It might take you a few weeks, or weekends if you don’t have time during the week, but it’ll feel a LOT less like a chore if you do a little bit at a time. I’d suggest you choose smaller rooms during the week – bathrooms, mudrooms and save larger ones for weekends – family rooms and kitchens.
I’m telling you you’ll feel so accomplished!
And a few other things to keep in mind while spring cleaning:
- Purge. Get rid of things collecting dust. Sell. Donate. Giveaway.
- Scrub. Get out the cleaner and really clean. Carpets, upholstery, bedding – all these things collect dust and germs over a long winter.
- Have fun. Really. Crank up some music and enjoy the workout you’re getting! Involve your family – I vividly remember being in charge of baseboard cleaning as a kid. Kids like a sense of accomplishment too.
- Reward yourself (without adding more clutter). Grab a bottle of wine or treat the family to a special dessert after a day of cleaning.
I really believe that whether you like cleaning or not spring cleaning is so refreshing. Don’t get me wrong, I’d much rather spend my time doing something else, but once I’m done I love the feeling of a fresh house ready for a new season. So figure out a plan (write it down if you’re a visual person) and choose one room each day and get to work.
I promise. You’ll feel great and your home will thank you. (Even if you burn out after one room and only have that one room to admire for its cleanliness). Good luck and happy cleaning!
Leave a Reply