“I’m not really into Spring cleaning…come to think of it I’m not really into summer, fall, or winter cleaning either!” – The Type Set Co
If I asked you what your favorite thing about spring was, chances are you’re not gonna say spring cleaning!
I, on the other hand, love spring cleaning!
Yes, I’m a nerd, but there’s just something about refreshing your space after being holed up all winter. Outdoors during the spring: the air smells fresher, the birds are singing, the flowers are popping up from the soil. I just want to bring a little bit of that inside. I open my windows, let the fresh air in and give my home a nice deep sprucing up. It kinda makes me feel like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music. You know, spinning around on a hilltop in Switzerland… no? ok.
WHAT SIGN OR EVENT SYMBOLIZES THAT SPRING HAS ARRIVED, FOR YOU?
With the change in season, it’s the perfect time to give your home a refresh too.
If deep cleaning your entire home makes you feel overwhelmed, I want to give you some tips and tricks to make it a little less daunting. Make sure you sign up for our email list and get our Spring Cleaning Task Sheets!
TIP #1: MAKE A PLAN
Create a Spring Cleaning Schedule with actionable steps.
So the truth is that there is no magic wands or secret sauce that we professional organizers have hidden up our sleeves or be able to make spring cleaning to-dos complete in a snap of our fingers. We are just like everybody else. The difference is that we are planners.
Would you hop on a plane today to take a trip to a country you’ve never been to without making a plan first?
Probably not.
Most likely if you wanted to take a trip to say, Aruba for instance you would probably do your research first, decide how long you want to stay, make a budget, request vacation time, make a list of everything you want to see and do why you are there, book airline and hotel accommodations, etc first right? You wouldn’t go without a plan.
Well, if you want to accomplish your spring cleaning goal, you need a plan for that too.
Ok, so it’s not as fun as a trip to Aruba may be, but once you accomplish it, you will have a cleaner more tidy home. You will be able to check spring cleaning off your list for another year. You will feel so accomplished and you may have time to plan that dream trip you’ve been wanting to go on too! Who knows, you may even find some loose change or dollar bills to help fund your trip while spring cleaning.
SO START WITH A PLAN, RIGHT?
Sit down and look at your calendar, see where you can carve out some time to work on your spring cleaning. Don’t worry, it shouldn’t take you a month (unless you procrastinate for 29 days) to complete, and it will be well worth the time and energy you do spend. Ask yourself:
Do I have one free weekend this month to get my spring cleaning knocked out?
If not an entire weekend, find an hour a night for a week or two, or a day this week and one next week. Complete the task quicker with some volunteers (i.e. spouse, children, neighbors, and friends.)
WANT TIPS FOR GETTING YOUR KIDS INVOLVED IN HOUSEHOLD CHORES? CLICK HERE!
TIP #2: DECLUTTER FIRST
Before you get down on all fours and scrub those baseboards, I suggest purging items that you no longer need, love, or use. Go through the whole house if you can, room by room, and purge, purge, purge. Out with the old, in with the new.
THE EASIEST WAY TO SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE AND SHORTEN YOUR TO-DO LIST IS TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF ITEMS YOU OWN.
A great place to start is the “junk drawer”. It’s a small space often with items that are easy to decide on tossing, relocating, or reorganizing. Just remember the 3 steps to organizing: empty, sort, and organize.
Another place to start is the closet! I love to purge items from the previous season and make room for new season pieces. Planning a shopping trip for after my spring cleaning, also gives me motivation and something to look forward too.
If you want to read more about organizing your home, check out this post here.
TIP #3: HAVE A METHOD FOR CLEANING
There is no right way to tackle the task of spring cleaning your entire house, except for the way that works for you. In our guide, we recommend what we call the “top down” method, where we clean surfaces starting at the top (ceiling) and work our way down.
You can also use a room-by-room method if you prefer, we don’t care how you do it, and neither does your neighbor. Just pick one and get to it already!
TIP #4: SUPPLIES
Supplies are important to plan and have ahead of time so you don’t lose momentum and get hung up on it. This is not one of those posts where I am going to share my favorite supplies, or shame you for using all natural non-toxic, gluten-free, paragon free cleaners. Use what you love! What works for you? Whatever smell or product you like is fine. Just get it before you start. We do have a list of recommended types of supplies to use in our guide to get you started.
TIP #5: REWARD YOURSELF WHEN YOU’RE DONE
As I mentioned before, I love to reward myself for a job well done. I treat myself to a few new wardrobe pieces right after I have decluttered my closet and purged some old pieces. Maybe you’ll treat yourself to some new organizing supplies for the spaces you’ve reset and cleaned. Check out our recommendations of Amazon. I encourage you to give yourself permission to do the same. You worked hard, so treat yourself to a massage, new purse, or a night out without the kids. You deserve it!
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