While most of us tidy up our houses regularly, few people have the time or desire to deep clean frequently. Instead, we reserve deep cleaning to one time a year, formally known as spring cleaning. So, when is the best time to start spring cleaning and where should you begin?
If you are like the majority, you don’t look forward to spring cleaning, so the best time to start is now. Don’t put it off any longer, just get started little by little each day. Although, if you want to continue procrastinating, we can find you a new, clean home instead. But in all reality, to begin spring cleaning follow these 5 tips to get started.
1. Prepare a Cleaning Kit
Before cleaning your home, you need to ensure you have all the essential cleaning supplies to do a thorough job. Here’s what you’ll need:
- All-purpose cleaner
- Disinfecting wipes
- Rubber gloves
- Glass liquid cleaner for windows and showers
- Carpet spot cleaner
- Microfiber cloths
- Sponge
- Small duster
You may want to buy a basket if you don’t already have one, to keep all your supplies organized and ready to carry from room to room easily.
2. Divide Spring Cleaning Across Multiple Days
Let’s be honest, homes are big and spring cleaning can be a daunting task, especially if you are cleaning your home by yourself. Instead of trying to tackle the project in one day, we recommend going one room at a time, spreading the cleaning over multiple days. This way you won’t burn yourself out on the kitchen before you reach the master. This will also prevent you from skipping over little things such as wiping off the trim, just to get done faster.
For example, clean all the bedrooms on day one and then on day two, clean the kitchen and the living room. If this is your first-time spring cleaning it can be hard to determine where to start; Some people prefer to get the harder rooms out of the way first, such as the bathroom, while others like to start on the less used areas of the home and save the most daunting rooms for last.
3. Plan Ahead
Decide upfront how thorough you want to be and then keep track of time to ensure you don’t spend four hours on baseboards. Setting a timer can help solve this problem; A good time to set is 45 minutes for each room. Some rooms also take longer than others so you will want to avoid taking all the labor-intensive rooms head-on in the same day. Planning is essential for achieving spring cleaning success.
4. Remember the Forgotten Areas
Even if you dust and vacuum on a regular basis, it can be easy to forget the dark corners of your home. Forgotten areas include the tiny crevices, tracks of your windows, behind your toilet, under the couch and any place you don’t usually clean. Some areas may require a good scrubbing, whereas others might not need as much attention. Oh, and when you dust, be mindful of the collateral; You don’t want to scatter dust onto surfaces you’ve already cleaned.
One of the most forgotten areas is inside the fridge. Remove everything out of the fridge, check the expiration dates, and wipe off the shelves within the fridge. If you want to spray inside of the fridge to clean it, it is safer to use a homemade solution such as vinegar and water than a chemical cleaner.
5. De-clutter
Decluttering will help keep you organized, more efficient, and it even has psychological influences. Studies have shown that clutter causes your brain to believe the work isn’t done yet, adding unnecessary stress to your home life. The stress of coming home to a cluttered desk or an unsorted laundry room after a long day can take a toll. So be sure to set aside time to organize your closets, look through that dreaded junk drawer, and dust/organize your desk. You may be surprised how the act of decluttering can help you eliminate unnecessary stress from your life, leaving you feeling fresher when coming home.
Let’s Get Started!
Remember the saying “dressed to impress”? Well, after following these steps your home will be cleaned to impress. But before you go, we have a few more tricks up our sleeve in hopes to make the task of spring cleaning even easier for you.
Download our 28 day spring cleaning challenge to keep you on track.
