Spring is right around the corner, and that means it’s time for Spring Cleaning! For many of us (myself included), that can feel really overwhelming. Well, spring cleaning doesn’t have to be that big, thankless job that eats up a whole weekend (or worse, several weekends). Here are my seven tips for making this Mother-of-All-Cleanings feel completely manageable.
Identify Areas That Need Work
Contrary to what you’ve heard about spring cleaning, you don’t have to clean absolutely everything. Give your home a once-over and figure out what really needs some intensive attention, and pick the items that are most important. Actually, I find it really satisfying to choose one task that seems filthy and horrible—and do that first.
Regular Cleaning Jobs vs. Spring Cleaning Jobs
Don’t try to cram those big jobs in with the regular maintenance tasks of your home, and vice versa—don’t get caught up in some toilet scrubbing on the day that you really need to get the deck in good shape.
Schedule It!
I am a big believer in this: What gets scheduled gets done. Write it on your calendar—say, on Tuesday from 4 to 5, I’ll focus on windowsills. You’ll never believe how clean your windowsills will look after that hour, and then you don’t have to think of windowsills again for a whole year!
Be Realistic
No one wants to spend 8 hours on a Saturday scrubbing and cleaning. Pick a realistic amount of time to devote to the task on a weekly basis, and then clean that much. When you’re done, you’re dismissed. You don’t have to do it all.
Recruit Family Members (or Roommates)
Whoever lives in the house has to pitch in—it’s only fair. Divide tasks based on who can best tolerate them. For example, I can’t stand vacuuming, but Chad doesn’t mind it. So guess who gets assigned all the vacuuming?
Tool & Product Inventory
Imagine psyching yourself up to clean, dressing the part, getting your playlist ready… and then discovering that the vacuum you’ll be needing is kaput or you are fresh-out of cleaning product. Nothing is more demoralizing. Get everything ready ahead of time, so that when it’s go time, you can just go.
Reward Yourself!
Ahh, my favorite one! Look, this stuff isn’t always easy or fun. To make it bearable, it helps to look forward to a great margarita, or even better, a dinner out (with margaritas). You’ll be too tired to cook anyway.
** MORE HANDY SPRING CLEANING VIDEOS **
How to Clean Your Washer & Dryer
Spring Cleaning Your Bedroom Closet
Melissa Maker’s Decluttering Lessons
*** SPRING CLEANING PLAYLIST ***
Comment Question: What are you spring cleaning questions?
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Thanks Melissa – great advice xx
The thing that works best for for me is to take a day and binge watch Hallmark movies on their channel. I don’t tape them, I watch them live. Every time a commercial comes on, I get up and do something that needs to be done. Anything, just something on every commercial. At the end of the day, the house looks great and I don’t feel resentful as I am high from the feel good chick flicks.
The best thing that works for me is to take a day and binge watch Hallmark movies on their channel. I don’t tape them, I watch them live. Every time a commercial comes on, I get up and do something that needs to be done. Anything, just something on every commercial. At the end of the day, the house looks great and I don’t feel resentful as I am high from the feel good chick flicks.
PLEASE show us how o clean those nasty window screens.
I have a question that has to do with tile floors; especially my kitchen floor. It is a textured tile and I can’t get it looking like new even though I use full-strength products, a scrub brush and get down on my hands and knees – ouch! I also have a Shark floor steamer that helps somewhat. The only way it will come completely clean is to call Stanley Steamer which I would have to do every couple of months. Not going to happen. So do you have a helpful solution for this problem?
Two questions; could you do a video on how to clean bicycle? And second what do you wear while cleaning?
Hi Melissa… how do you clean kitchen cupboard’s wooden doors? What so you use ?
A spring cleaning to do list would be nice ????